Yvette Del Agua is a

Gibraltarian The Gibraltarians (Spanish: ''gibraltareños'', colloquially: '' llanitos'') are an ethnic group native to Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance to the Mediterran ...

legal executive Legal executives are a form of trained legal professional in certain jurisdictions. They often specialise in a particular area of law. The training that a Legal Executive undertakes usually includes both vocational training (a minimum of 3 years ...

and former

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. She served as a Minister for the

Government of Gibraltar His Majesty's Government of Gibraltar is the democratically elected government of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. The head of state is King Charles III who is represented by the Governor. Elections in Gibraltar are held every four ...

from 2000 to 2011.

Biography

Yvette Del Agua was born in

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

on 21 October 1957, daughter to Joseph and Lourdes Montegriffo. She attended St. Mary's Infant School, Loreto High School and the Commercial & Secretarial School ( Town Range). She started working at age 17 as a clerical assistant. Del Agua married in 1976 to Clive Del Agua, with whom she had three daughters, Zillah, Danielle and Gail. For several years, she devoted herself entirely to their family, and only returned to work in 1983, when she was hired as a production secretary for the

Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation The Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) is Gibraltar's public service broadcaster. It has provided the community with a radio and television service since 1963. History Modelled on the BBC, the Corporation was established in 1963 with ...

. Ten years later, she went to work for the law firm Marrache & Co Barristers and Solicitors. In 1999 she graduated as a legal executive, after four years of study at the Gibraltar College of Further Education. Del Agua became spokesperson for the Voice of Gibraltar Group which was founded in 1996 by her husband Clive. She held the position until the

2000 Gibraltar general election General elections were held in Gibraltar in 2000. They were won by Peter Caruana's incumbent Gibraltar Social Democrats (GSD), which received over 50% of the popular vote and won eight of the fifteen seats. Results By candidate The first fift ...

, when she was first elected to the Gibraltar House of Assembly (now the Gibraltar Parliament) as a government minister for the

Gibraltar Social Democrats The Gibraltar Social Democrats (GSD) is a liberal-conservative, centre-right political party in Gibraltar. The GSD was the governing party for four successive terms in office under the leadership of Peter Caruana, from the 1996 general electi ...

(GSD), being appointed Minister for Social Affairs. Del Agua was re-elected at the

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and 2007 general elections, having only left government following the

Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party The Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP) is a social-democratic political party in Gibraltar. The GSLP is the oldest surviving active political party in Gibraltar. Its roots are based in the trade union movement, as its founder and former lea ...

Liberal Party of Gibraltar The Liberal Party of Gibraltar (Libs or LPG) is a liberal political party in Gibraltar. It was founded in 1991 as the Gibraltar National Party and is led by Dr. Joseph Garcia. The LPG forms the GSLP–Liberal Alliance in partnership with the Gibr ...

alliance's victory at the 2011 general election.

Controversies

During her long period as part of the GSD government, Del Agua was involved in several controversies. Among other things, she was accused of lack of respect for the rights of

disabled people Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...

, lying about the numbers of the children's dental care program and neglecting the working conditions of

prison warden The warden (United States, US, Canada) or governor (United Kingdom, UK, Australia), also known as a superintendent (US, South Asia) or director (UK, New Zealand), is the official who is in charge of a prison. Name In the United States and Canad ...

s as well as the escape of inmates in custody at HMP Moorish Castle.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Del Agua, Yvette 1957 births Living people Gibraltar Social Democrats politicians Women government ministers of Gibraltar 20th-century British women politicians 21st-century British women politicians Government ministers of Gibraltar