DEFRA MINISTERIAL TEAM ANNOUNCED

13 May 2005 01:45 PM

Margaret Beckett, Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has today announced the ministerial responsibilities of her newly appointed team.

Margaret Beckett said:

"The ministerial team and I are looking forward to the important challenges which lie ahead in delivering the priorities set out in Defra's Five Year Strategy.

And the UK's forthcoming presidency of the EU offers new opportunities for global leadership on agriculture, climate change and environmental protection.

With commitment and determination we will continue to work for a better environment and quality of life for everyone."

Ministerial Portfolios

Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The Secretary of State has overall responsibility for all Departmental issues. Mrs Beckett represents the UK at the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council and at the EU Environment Council, chairing both Councils during the UK Presidency. Mrs Beckett leads for the UK in other international negotiations on sustainable development and climate change.

Elliot Morley - Minister of State (Climate Change and Environment)

* Climate Change Review and follow-up (incl. emissions trading) * Climate change aspects of agriculture and land use
* Energy issues (incl. energy efficiency)
* Radioactive substances
* Fuel poverty
* Transport and the environment
* Sustainable Consumption and Production
* Sustainable Development Strategy (incl. sustainable procurement) * Business and the environment (incl. environmental industries) * Business continuity/resilience
* Horizontal and international environmental issues (incl. environmental justice, environmental liability, illegal logging) * Water issues
* Floods and coastal defence
* Environment Agency
* Chemical, Biological and Radionuclear incidents (CBRN) * Genetic Modification
* UK spokesperson at Environment Council during UK Presidency * Chair of Green Ministers

Ben Bradshaw - Parliamentary Secretary (Commons) (Local Environment, Marine and Animal Welfare)

* Local environmental quality
* Air quality and noise
* Waste
* Lead role on planning, regional and local government issues * Animal Health and Welfare Strategy (incl. Over Thirty Month Scheme) * Animal Welfare Bill
* State Veterinary Service (SVS), Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA), Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD)
* Marine issues (incl. Marine Bill and OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic) * Fisheries
* Departmental Green Minister
* UK spokesperson at Agriculture Council and Chair of Fisheries part of Council during EU Presidency

Lord Bach of Lutterworth - Parliamentary Secretary (Lords) (Sustainable Farming and Food)

* Sustainable farming and food strategy
* Common Agriculture Policy (CAP), Rural Payments Agency (RPA) * Agri-environment
* Trade issues
* Food industry
* Levy bodies
* Non-food crops (incl. biomass)
* Organics
* Plant health, plant varieties and seeds
* Departmental science (incl. Central Science Laboratory (CSL) and Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) * Chemicals
* Pesticides, Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD)
* Nano-technology
* Kew
* Covent Garden Market Authority
* Regulation
* Departmental admin./efficiency (Gershon)/Freedom of Information

Jim Knight - Parliamentary Secretary (Commons) (Rural Affairs, Landscape and Biodiversity)

* Sustainable Rural Communities
* Commission for Rural Communities
* Natural Resource Protection
* Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Bill, Natural England, Rural Development Service (RDS)
* England Rural Development Programme (ERDP)
* Global and national biodiversity (incl. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) & Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)), National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) * Horse Issues
* Forestry
* Access, rights of way, Common Land (incl. Commons Bill) * Inland Waterways, British Waterways
* UK spokesperson at Fisheries part of Agriculture and Fisheries Council during EU Presidency

Biographies

The Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP has been Secretary of State for Defra since 8 June 2001. Before entering Parliament, Mrs Beckett completed an engineering apprenticeship, specialising in metallurgy, at AEI Manchester. She went on to work as a Metallurgist at Manchester University.

She became a Research Assistant for the Labour Party in 1970 and served as a Political Advisor to the Ministry for Overseas Development in 1974. She was PPS to the then Minister of Overseas Development (Mrs Judith Hart) between 1974-75. She served as a Government Whip in 1975 and was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Education and Science in 1976, serving in that position until 1979.

Between 1979 and 1983, Mrs Beckett worked as Principal Researcher for Granada Television. Mrs Beckett was appointed shadow Minister for Social Security from 1984-1989, shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 1989-1992, and shadow Leader of the House from 1992-1994.

She was elected as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party between 1992-1994 and became Leader between May and July 1994 after the death of the Rt Hon John Smith MP. She then served as shadow Secretary of State for Health from 1994-1995, and shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry from 1995-1997. She was appointed President of the Board of Trade and Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the Labour Party was elected to Government in May 1997, and served in that post until July 1998 when she was appointed President of the Privy Council and Leader of the House of Commons.

She was appointed Secretary of State for the newly formed Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, upon the Labour Government's re-election in June 2001. Mrs Beckett, born 15 January 1943 in Ashton-Under-Lyne Lancashire, has been Member of Parliament for Derby South, since 1983. She was previously MP for Lincoln from 1974 until 1979. She is Honorary President of Labour Friends of India. She is married to Leo.

Elliot Morley MP

Elliot Morley was Minister of State for Environment and
Agri-Environment at Defra between June 2003 and May 2005. He was responsible for climate change, waste issues, global and marine biodiversity, as well as water and flood and coastal defence. Between 1997 and June 2003 Mr Morley was the Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and at Defra.

Born on 6 July 1952, Mr Morley was educated at St Margaret's High School, Liverpool and Hull College of Education (B.Ed.) and was a head of department at Greatfield High School. A former president of Hull Teachers' Association, he was a Councillor for Hull City Council from 1979-86. He is MP for Scunthorpe.

In Opposition, Mr Morley was spokesman on food, agriculture and rural affairs with special responsibility for animal welfare and fisheries from 1989-97. Previously, he was also a member of the Agriculture Select Committee.

He is married with two children.

Mr Morley's interests include countryside issues, ornithology and conservation. He is a vice-president of the Wildlife and Countryside Link and a former member of the councils of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and British Trust for Ornithology. He is also a vice-president of the Association of Drainage Authorities.

Ben Bradshaw MP

Mr Bradshaw was Minister for Nature Conservation and Fisheries at Defra between June 2003 and May 2005. He came to Defra from the Privy Council Office where he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary on 29 May 2002. Previously he was Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

Mr Bradshaw was elected as MP for Exeter on 1 May 1997. Before his election he worked as a journalist, training on the Express & Echo in Exeter before working for BBC Radio Devon and going on to be the BBC's Berlin correspondent.

Born on 30 August, 1960, Mr Bradshaw was educated at Thorpe St Andrew School, Norwich and Sussex University. His policy interests include environmental issues, particularly green transport. He is a keen cyclist and enjoys walking, particularly on Dartmoor, music and cooking. He lives in Exeter and London with his partner.

Lord Bach

Lord (Willy) Bach of Lutterworth served as Parliamentary Secretary at the Lord Chancellor's Department from November 2000 before being appointed Under Secretary of State and Minister of Defence Procurement in June 2001.

He was born William Stephen Goulden Bach in London on 25 December 1946 and lives near Lutterworth in Leicestershire. Educated at Westminster School, London, and New College, Oxford University, Lord Bach was called to the Bar in 1972. He was Head of Chambers in Leicester on the Midland and Oxford Circuit from 1996 until the date of his Ministerial appointment.

Lord Bach was raised to the peerage in 1998, and was appointed a Lord in Waiting (Government Whip) the following year.

Lord Bach is married with three children. He lists his interests in Who's Who as watching football and cricket (he supports Leicester City FC) and reading hard-boiled American crime fiction.

Jim Knight MP

Jim Knight was elected MP for Dorset South in June 2001. He served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Rosie Winterton at the Department of Health between 2003 and 2004, before going on to serve as PPS to the Department of Health's Ministerial Team. Mr Knight, 40, was educated at Cambridge. Before entering Parliament, he managed a publishing company, based in the West Country, for 10 years. Prior to that, Jim Knight managed arts venues and worked for a small scale travelling theatre company. Jim Knight is married with two children.

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