Mark Simmonds

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Biographical Information

"Mark Simmonds MP was elected onto Wandsworth Borough Council for the Southfield Ward in Putney in 1990 which he represented until 1994, when he stepped down to pursue a parliamentary career. In the 1997 General election he fought against Geoff Hoon in Ashfield. Following this, he was selected for Boston and Skegness and was elected in 2001. He was made Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Rt. Hon. Michael Ancram MP QC, the Shadow Foreign Secretary and was then promoted to the front bench as the Shadow Minister for Education. This position enabled him to capitalise on his special interest in local and national educational issues. He was also a member of the Education and Skills Select Committee and the Environmental Audit Select Committee.

"In September 2004 Mark was appointed Shadow Foreign Office Minister. His work focused on international affairs in the Middle East, Africa, Central and South East Asia, and South America. Following his re-election in May 2005 Mark was made Shadow Minister for International Development, where his role focuses on the important issues of aid, trade and debt. Mark is also Secretary of the All Party Parliamentary Latin American Group. In July 2007 Mark was promoted to Shadow Minister for Health, where his responsibilities included healthcare commissioning, cancer, NHS information and the relationship with NICE."

"The Conservative MP for Boston and Skegness is paid £50,000 a year for 10 hours a month as a strategic advisor to Circle Health, the first firm to win control of an NHS hospital. The former shadow minister for health recently had to apologise to the House of Commons, for ‘inadvertently’ failing to declare his interest when talking in favour of the NHS reforms." [1]

Affiliations

• Co-chair, Associate Parliamentary Health Group
• Advisory board, Invest Africa