Charles Hay, 16th Earl of Kinnoull

The Earl of Kinnoull
Official portrait, 2023
Convenor of the Crossbench Peers
Assumed office
28 April 2023
Preceded byThe Lord Judge
Member of the House of Lords
as an elected hereditary peer
6 February 2015
By-election6 February 2015
Preceded byThe 21st Lady Saltoun
Personal details
Born (1962-12-20) 20 December 1962 (age 61)
NationalityBritish
Spouse
Clare Crawford
(m. 2002)
Children
  • Lady Alice
  • Lady Catriona
  • Lady Auriol
  • William, Viscount Dupplin
Parents
Alma materChrist Church, Oxford
OccupationBarrister

Charles William Harley Hay, 16th Earl of Kinnoull DL (born 20 December 1962), styled Viscount Dupplin until 2013, is a Scottish hereditary peer and Crossbench member of the House of Lords, who serves as Convenor of the Crossbench Peers.

Biography

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Viscount Dupplin was educated at Eton College and studied chemistry at Christ Church, Oxford.[1] where he was an open scholar.[2] A qualified barrister, called to the Bar in 1990 (Middle Temple)[2] he worked for insurance provider Hiscox for 25 years. He also farms in Perthshire.[3]

He has been a member of The Queen's Bodyguard for Scotland (Royal Company of Archers) since 2000.[2]

He succeeded his father as Earl of Kinnoull following the latter's death on 7 June 2013.[4]

The Earl was elected to sit in the House of Lords at a crossbench hereditary peers' by-election on 4 February 2015,[5] following the resignation of Lady Saltoun of Abernethy.[6]

On 19 March 2015, he made his maiden speech in the House of Lords on a report of the Science & Technology Committee.[1] In June 2015 he was appointed to the Select Committee on Social Mobility. In 2016, he served on the Select Committee on the Trade Union Bill.

In May 2016 he was appointed to the Select Committee on the European Union and also the Justice Sub-Committee.[7] In September 2019 he became Chair of the European Union Committee, and Principal Deputy Chairman of Committees of the House of Lords;.[8] He has served as a Deputy Speaker since becoming Principal Deputy Chairman of Committees. In January 2022 he was appointed Vice Chair of the UK delegation to the Parliamentary Partnership Assembly, the new joint body between the European and UK Parliaments. As such he was the leader of the House of Lords delegation.[9]

In June 2017 he was promoted to Lt Col and became commanding officer of the Atholl Highlanders.[7]

In January 2018 he was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Perth and Kinross.[10]

In April 2023, he became Convenor of the Crossbench Peers and as a consequence in June 2023 stepped down as Chair of the European Affairs Committee and as Vice Chair of the UK delegation to the Parliamentary Partnership Assembly. At the same time he was appointed to the House of Lords Commission.

Family

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He is the son of the William Hay, 15th Earl of Kinnoull, and Ann (née Lowson), daughter of Sir Denys Lowson, 1st Baronet.

In 2002, he married Clare, daughter of the circuit judge William Hamilton Crawford, QC, and his wife, Marilyn Jean Colville. The couple has four children:

  • Lady Alice Hay (b. 25 Sep 2003)
  • Lady Catriona Hay (b. 25 Sep 2003)
  • Lady Auriol Hay (b. 15 Mar 2007)
  • William Hay, Viscount Dupplin (b. 24 Jun 2011)

Charity

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The earl serves as president of the Royal Caledonian Ball Trust, which organises an annual ball to benefit Scottish charities.[11] He is the chairman of the Red Squirrel Survival Trust, a wildlife conservation trust.[12] He is also the chair of Culture Perth & Kinross, which is a Trust running museums and libraries.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Daily Hansard". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "Kinnoull". Kinnoull, 16th Earl of, (Charles William Harley Hay) (Born 20 Dec. 1962). Who's Who. 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U14388.
  3. ^ "Crossbench hereditary peers' by-election" (PDF). Parliament of the United Kingdom. 14 January 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  4. ^ "Obituary". The Times. 13 June 2013.
  5. ^ "MPs back mitochondrial donation law by majority of 254". The Guardian. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  6. ^ "Crossbench hereditary peers' by-election, February 2015: result" (PDF). Parliament of the United Kingdom. 3 February 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Contact information for The Earl of Kinnoull - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament". members.parliament.uk.
  8. ^ "Chair of the European Union Committee - Hansard". hansard.parliament.uk. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  9. ^ "Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament".
  10. ^ "No. 62172". The London Gazette. 15 January 2018. p. 706.
  11. ^ "London's Royal Caledonian Ball supports small Scottish charities". The Edinburgh Reporter. 14 November 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  12. ^ "RSST Board of Trustees". Red Squirrel Survival Trust. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
[edit]
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Earl of Kinnoull
2013–present
Incumbent
Heir apparent:
William Hay, Viscount Dupplin
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by Baron Hay of Pedwardine
2013–present
Incumbent
Heir apparent:
William Hay, Viscount Dupplin
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Elected hereditary peer to the House of Lords
under the House of Lords Act 1999
2015–present
Incumbent
Other offices
Preceded by Convenor of the Crossbench Peers
2023–present
Incumbent