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Home , Alan Milburn, Beverley Hughes, Caroline Flint, Hazel Blears, Iain Wright, John Healey (politician)

Ministerial, Shadow and regional responsibilities July 2007 - LGIU Page 1 of 5

LGIU Local Government Information Unit

Independent Intelligent Information Ministerial, Shadow and regional responsibilities July 2007 (LGIUandSTEER)

9/7/2007 Author: Hilary Kitchin Reference No: PB 1526/07L This covers: and Wales Overview

This briefing provides an outline of new ministerial and shadow responsibilities in Communities and Local Government. There is as yet no timetable for publication of ministers' full range of responsibilities.

Ministerial biographies of the DCLG team and and the names of ministers with regional responsibilities are set out in the main part of the briefing.

Ministerial team at the Department for Communities and Local Government

Secretary of State: The Right Hon MP

Minister of State - MP - housing

Minister of State - MP - local government

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Baroness Andrews OBE

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - MP - cohesion and neighbourhoods

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - MP - planning

Special advisors to Hazel Blears: Paul Richards and Andy Bagnall, former councillors at Lewisham and Croydon respectively.

Opposition changes of direct relevance to local government:

Conservative Party responsibilities: MP will replace MP as Shadow Communities Secretary. The front bench team is made up of MPs , , Paul Goodman, Bob Neil, and Jacqui Lait.

Sayeeda Warsi, currently a Vice Chairman of the Party, will be given a peerage to take up a role as Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion

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Liberal Democrat responsibilities: Andrew Stunell MP retains his position as Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. Other members of the team are MPs Tom Brake, Paul Holmes, and Jo Swinson. Briefing in full

Regional Responsibilities

Among the first group of ministers appointed in June 2007, were nine regional ministers, now responsible for the English regions, with a brief to:

• provide a sense of strategic direction

• give citizens a voice in central government

• ensure that government policy takes account of the differing needs of the nine English regions

• raise the profile central government in the regions.

Regional responsibilities are as follows:

Minister of State at the and Minister for the West Midlands - MP

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Minister for the South West - MP

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Minister for the South East - Jonathan Shaw MP

Minister of State at the Department for Work and Pensions and Minister for Yorkshire and the Humber - MP

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions and Minister for the East of England - Barbara Follett MP

Minister of State at the Department for Children, Schools and Families and Minister for the North West - The Rt Hon MP

Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office and Minister for the East Midlands - Gillian Merron MP

Minister for the Olympics and Minister for () - The Rt Hon MP

Deputy Chief Whip and Minister for the North East of England - The Rt Hon MP

In a reply to questions on 6 July, reported that discussions will take place on how the work of regional ministers will be scrutinised by the House of Commons. The possibility of regional select committees is also being discussed.

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Biographies of the new ministerial team at the DCLG

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government: The Right Hon Hazel Blears MP

Commons Career:

PPS to : Minister of State, Department of Health 1998, Chief Secretary, HM Treasury January-October 1999; Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health 2001-03: (Health 2001-02, Public Health 2002-03); Minister of State, Home Office 2003-06: (Crime Reduction, Policing, Community Safety and Counter-Terrorism 2003-05, Policing, Security and Community Safety 2005-06); Minister without Portfolio 2006-07; Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 2007-

Non-political career

Trainee solicitor, Council 1978-80; Private practice solicitor 1980-81; Solicitor: Rossendale Council 1981-83, Wigan Council 1983-85; Principal solicitor, 1985-97.

Hazel Blears was a member of 1984-92.

Minister of State - Yvette Cooper MP

Commons Career

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Department of Health (Public Health) 1999-2002; Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department 2002-03; Office of the Deputy Prime Minister/Department for Communities and Local Government 2003-: Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State 2003-05, Minister of State (Minister for Housing and Planning) 2005-07.

Non-political career

Economic researcher for John Smith MP 1990-92; Domestic policy specialist, presidential campaign 1992; Policy adviser to Labour Treasury teams 1992-94; Economic columnist/Leader writer, "" 1995-97.

Minister of State - John Healey MP

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Commons Career

PPS to as Chancellor of the Exchequer 1999-2001; Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, and Skills (Adult Skills) 2001-02; HM Treasury 2002-: Economic Secretary 2002-05, Financial Secretary 2005-07.

Non-political career

Journalist/deputy editor "House Magazine" 1983-84; Disability campaigner for three national charities 1984-90; Tutor Business School 1989-92; Campaigns manager Issue Communications 1990-92; Head of communications MSF Union 1992-94; Campaigns and communications director TUC 1994-97.

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Baroness Andrews OBE

Lords career

Government Whip 2002-05; Government Spokesperson for: Health 2002-05, Work and Pensions 2002-05, Education and Skills 2003-05, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister/Department for Communities and Local Government 2005-; Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister/Department for Communities and Local Government 2005-07.

Non-political career

Fellow, Science Policy Research Unit, Sussex University 1968-70; Parliamentary Clerk 1970-85; Policy adviser to as Leader of the Opposition 1985-92; Founder and Director, Education Extra 1992-2002.

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Parmjit Dhanda MP

Commons Career

PPS to as Minister of State, Department for Education and Skills 2004-05; Assistant Government Whip 2005-06; Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Children, Young People and Families) 2006-07.

Non-political career

TUC trainer; Organiser Labour Party West London, and Wiltshire 1996-98; Assistant national organiser Connect 1998-2001.

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Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Iain Wright MP

Commons Career

PPS to as Minister of State, Department of Health 2005-06.

Non-political career

Audit manager Enterprise Risk Services Deloitte & Touche 1996-2003; Governance manager OneNorthEast (Regional Development Agency) 2003-04.

Additional Information Covers

z Trade Union and Workforce issues z Skills, Training, Economy, Environment, Regeneration (STEER) z Housing z Finance, Charging and trading z Equalities, Social inclusion, Community cohesion z Democracy, Governance, Councillor issues, Standards board, Neighbourhood governance, Regional governance, Local government information z Culture, Libraries, Sport z Crime and Community Safety z Corporate management, Audit and Inspection, Evaluation, Targets, Procurement z Community planning and well-being z Community involvement, Partnerships and LSPs, Voluntary sector Question

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http://www.lgiu.gov.uk/briefing-detail.jsp?&id=1526&md=0§ion=briefing 09/07/2007