Educated at Queen's University, Belfast, where he served as President of the Students' Union, he later became a practising solicitor.

[1] In 1997, he participated in negotiations for the first Nationalist Mayor of Belfast, having failed to secure his own nomination for the post within his political grouping.

Attwood was a member of the SDLP Talks Team, playing a key negotiating role on policing, human rights and justice issues.

[3] As Environment Minister, he has faced some opposition when trying to set up two national parks in Northern Ireland from the Ulster Farmer's Union.

The president of the UFU, Harry Sinclair, said: "We have consistently highlighted that there are genuine and deep-seated concerns from our members across a very wide range of issues particularly on the areas of bureaucracy, additional restrictions, governance, access, liability, and the impact on the social structure of these areas.