Ministers
Leader of the House of Commons, Lord Privy Seal and Minister for
Women and Equality is The Rt. Hon. Harriet Harman QC MP and is
supported by Maria Eagle MP, who is Minister of State at the GEO
and Ministry of Justice, and Michael Foster MP, who is
Parliamentary Secretary for Equality at the
GEO. Vera Baird QC MP (Solicitor-General) leads on the
Equality Bill.
The Rt. Hon. Harriet Harman QC
MP
The Rt Hon Harriet Harman QC MP was
appointed Leader of the House of Commons, Lord Privy Seal,
Minister for Women, and Cabinet Minister for Equality on 26 July
2007.
Leads on:
- MInister for Women
and Equality
- Government's
legislative programme
- Managing the
business of the House of Commons
- Government's
representative in the House of Commons
- House of Commons
representative in government
- Modernisation of
the House of Commons
- MPs/MEPs pay, allowances and
pensions
- Chair of the Board of Trustees for Chevening Estate
Harriet qualified as a lawyer, worked at Brent Law Centre
in London, then became legal officer at the National Council for
Civil Liberties and was elected MP for Camberwell and Peckham
following a by-election in 1982. In 1984 she was appointed to
the Labour front-bench as spokesperson for Social Services,
becoming Spokesperson for Health in 1987 and Shadow Chief Secretary
to the Treasury in Labour's Shadow Cabinet in 1992.
Previously she was appointed as Secretary of State for Social
Security in 1997 and Minister for Women in the same year; appointed
Solicitor General in June 2001; appointed Minister of State at the
Department for Constitutional Affairs on 9 May 2005; appointed as
Minister of State at the new Ministry of Justice on 9 May
2007.
Maria Eagle MP
Maria Eagle is Minister of State at the
Government Equalities Office and Ministry of Justice.
Leads on:
Maria worked at the Northern Ireland
Office (2005-2006) with responsibility for criminal justice and
political development and, prior to devolution, also had several
other portfolios including education; employment and learning;
trade enterprise and investment; and culture, arts, leisure and
children.
Her previous posts include Minister for
Children, Young People and Families at the Department of Education
and Skills (2005-2006), Minister for Disabled People at the
Department for Work and Pensions (2001-2005) and Parliamentary
Private Secretary to John Hutton as Health Minister
(1999-2001).
She was educated at Formby High School;
Pembroke College, Oxford; and Lancaster Gate College of Law.
Maria qualified as a solicitor in 1992 specialising in employment
law, civil personal injury, medical negligence and housing law.
Maria was elected Member of Parliament for
Liverpool Garston in 1997.
Her interests include chess, cricket,
Liverpool Football Club, cinema and fitness.
Vera Baird QC MP
Vera Baird QC MP was appointed as the Solicitor General on the
2nd July 2007 by the Prime Minister.
The Solicitor General is the
Attorney General's deputy. Under the Law Officers Act 1997, the
Solicitor General, as deputy, can discharge any of the functions of
the Attorney General for England and Wales, and of the Attorney
General for Northern Ireland.
The Attorney General fulfils the
role of chief legal adviser to the government and is superintendent
of prosecuting authorities within England, Wales and Northern
Ireland. The Attorney General also has overall responsibility
for the Treasury Solicitor’s department and has functions as
guardian of the public interest.
In 2006 Ms Baird was appointed
Parliamentary Under Secretary in the Department for Constitutional
Affairs, now Ministry of Justice. Her responsibilities included the
reform of the legal aid system. She was also the minister
responsible for equalities, civil justice, social exclusion, women
and sentencing. She was previously Parliamentary Private Secretary
to the Home Secretary.
From 1999 – 2002 she was a Human
Rights Law Trainer for the Criminal Bar Association. In 1999 she
was a visiting Law Fellow at St Hilda’s College, Oxford where she
undertook research on reforming the law on homicide. She is now an
Honorary Fellow of St. Hilda’s and of Teesside University. Ms Baird
is also a visiting Professor at London South Bank University.
Michael Foster DL MP LL.M
ACIArb
Michael Foster was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the
Government Equalities Office in June 2009. His responsibilities
include support on the Equality Bill, and policy areas including
age, disability and religion and belief.
Michael was first elected Member of Parliament for Hastings and
Rye on the 1st May 1997. Married to wife, Rosemary, they have two
sons, five grandchildren, and live in St Leonards on Sea.
He is a Solicitor and an Employment Law Specialist holding a
Master of Laws Degree in Employment Law. He is a member of the
Society of Labour Lawyers, the Christian Socialist Movement, the
Fabian Society and Park Road Methodist Church in St Leonards.
He was Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Attorney General
from 1997 to 2004 when he resigned as a result of the Iraq
conflict. He served on the Select Committee for Standards and
Privileges from 1997 to 2003 and the Select Committee on Works and
Pensions from 2005 to 2009.
He takes special interest in Poverty issues, equality issues,
climate change and Animal Welfare. He was made a Deputy Lieutenant
of the County of Sussex. His hobbies include tennis, table tennis
and walking.