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Hon. Dr Jose’ A. Herrera was born on the 16th November 1961 in Sliema. He is the son of the late Judge Joseph Alexander Herrera and Marguerite, nee Galea. He was educated at St Aloysius College and went on to graduate from the University of Malta as Notary Public in 1985 and then as Lawyer in 1986.
For 27 years Hon. Herrera practiced his profession as a lawyer specializing in criminal law, owing a legal office and setting up a law firm.
He was elected the first time he stood for Parliament in 1996, as a Labour Party candidate in the 1st District. He has been returned at every general election since then.
His first front bench role was as Labour’s spokesperson for the Central Bank, Financial Services and Maritime Affairs. He was a member of the Maltese and EU Joint Committee between 1996 and 1998, as well as a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and European Affairs. He was also a member of the Labour Party’s Executive Group, where he represented the Parliamentary Group. During the 2008 – 2013 legislature, Hon. Herrera served as a Shadow Minister for Justice and actively participated as a member of the Committee for the Ratification of Legislations.
Throughout his political career, he has attended various international conferences, and was in the first group of Maltese Members of Parliament to take part in a preliminary session of the European Parliament, held in Strasbourg.
He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Culture and Local Government in March 2013 by the Prime Minister of Malta, Dr Joseph Muscat, following the Labour Party’s election victory. In 2016 he was appointed Minister for Sustainable Development, Environment and Climate Change, a post he still occupies.
now responsible for Competitiveness and Economic Growth. As a Parliamentary Secretary for Competitiveness and Economic Growth he is responsible for the Maritime Policy and Promotion, the Promotional of Financial Services, Information and Communication Strategy and Digital Economy.
Parliamentary Secretary Hon. Jose’ Herrera is married to Alexandra, nee Camilleri Ellul Bonici, and together they have two children, Miguel and Martina.