In January 2016, Poots was criticised by some for saying that the newly elected First Minister, Arlene Foster’s, most important job was as a “wife, mother and daughter”. Poots defended himself saying it was not sexist and that he considered his most important job to be that of a “husband, father and son”. Others considered his comments were kind and well meaning.

On 23 September 2014, Poots was replaced by Jim Wells as Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.

In September 2013, as Health Minister for Northern Ireland, he fought the ruling that would bring laws around LGBT adoption in N.I. into line with mainland UK.

On June 2011, Poots fired his legal shotgun twice from his upstairs window as a warning to intruders on his property in Lisburn, who then fled. His family called the police and an investigation began. A DUP spokesman said “Given the risk to Mr Poots and his family, a legally held shotgun was safely discharged into the air by Mr Poots from within his house to alert the intruders that their presence was known.”

On 1 July 2009, Poots was returned to the Executive as Minister of the Environment, in charge of the Department of the Environment. In May 2011, he was appointed as Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.

Poots was a member of the Environment Committee and chaired the Committee of the Centre (Committee for the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister) in the 1998–2003 Assembly. On 8 May 2007, he was appointed Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure in the Northern Ireland Executive, a post he held until 9 June 2008, when a cabinet re-shuffle saw this post being reassigned to Gregory Campbell. He was subsequently made Deputy Mayor of Lisburn on 23 June 2008.

Poots was educated at the Wallace High School, Lisburn, and then studied at Greenmount Agricultural College. He is married with four children. He is a farmer and previously served on Lisburn City Council. His father, Charles Poots, was also a DUP politician, having stood in the 1969 Northern Ireland General Election for the Protestant Unionist Party.

Edwin Poots (born 27 April 1965) is a Northern Irish politician. He is a member of the Democratic Unionist Party and is a Member of the Legislative Assembly for Lagan Valley.