Through a series of news stories and his own website, we have found this out about our new Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Mark Simmonds who has replaced Henry Bellingham

THE FOREIGN Office released on Fri 6 details of Mark Simmonds’ new role in the Government.

The Boston and Skegness MP was yesterday appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State as part of David Cameron’s reshuffle.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office revealed that Mr Simmonds’ responsibilities in the role will include:

*Africa

*Overseas Territories (not Falklands, Sovereign Base Areas or Gibraltar)

*Conflict Issues

*Climate Change

*International Energy

*Consular

*Protocol

*Ministerial Oversight for FCO Services

*The Caribbean (not including Dominican Republic, Haiti or Cuba)

Thursday: PRIME Minister David Cameron has today appointed Boston and Skegness MP Mark Simmonds as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Foreign Office.

Mr Simmonds had been a member of the shadow health team when the Conservative Party was in opposition but missed out on a role in the coalition government after the 2010 General Election.

The party loyalist has today (Wednesday) been rewarded with a role at the Foreign Office as part of the Government reshuffle.

From Website: www.marksimmonds.org/

About Mark

Before Becoming an MP

Mark Simmonds was born in Worksop in 1964 and educated at Worksop College and Trent University. He is married to Lizbeth, and has three children; Isabella, Oriana, and Oliver. Mark is a dedicated husband and father and when asked what he likes doing best he always answers that spending time with his family is his number one priority.

Mark was elected onto Wandsworth Borough Council for the Southfield Ward in Putney in 1990 where he remained 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 from an extensive list of applicants. His victory in 2001 was repeated in 2005 with a massively increased majority and one of the largest swings in the country. Since his election he has worked tirelessly on behalf of his constituents on a wide range of issues.

As an MP

Mark won the seat of Boston and Skegness in the June 2001 General Election. He was made Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Rt. Hon. Michael Ancram MP QC, the Shadow Foreign Secretary. Within 30 months of being elected he was 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 by the leader of the Conservative Party the Rt. Hon. Michael Howard MP. His work focused on international affairs in the Middle East, Africa, Central and South East Asia, and South America.

After 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 Simmonds was promoted to Shadow Minister for Health, where his responsibilities include healthcare commissioning, cancer, NHS information and the relationship with NICE.

Mark’s political interests include foreign affairs, education, agriculture, health and environmental issues.

Voting record (from PublicWhip)

How Mark Simmonds voted on key issues since 2001:

WARNING – HE SEEMS TO LIKE VALUED ADDED TAX

Voted very strongly for greater autonomy for schools.

Voted very strongly for replacing Trident.

Voted against removing hereditary peers from the House of Lords.

Voted moderately for a wholly elected House of Lords.

Has never voted on a transparent Parliament.

Voted strongly against introducing ID cards.

Voted a mixture of for and against automatic enrolment in occupational pensions.

Voted moderately for encouraging occupational pensions.

Voted moderately against equal gay rights.

***VOTED STRONGLY FOR INCREASING THE RATE OF VAT. ***

Voted moderately against more EU integration.

Voted a mixture of for and against a stricter asylum system.

Voted strongly against introducing foundation hospitals.

Voted moderately against Labour’s anti-terrorism laws.

Voted very strongly for the Iraq war.

Voted strongly for an investigation into the Iraq war.

Voted moderately against a smoking ban.

Voted very strongly against a more proportional system for electing MPs.

Voted a mixture of for and against university tuition fees.

Voted for raising England’s undergraduate tuition fee cap to £9,000 per year.

Voted moderately for laws to stop climate change.

Voted very strongly against allowing ministers to intervene in inquests.

Voted strongly against the hunting ban.

Topics of interest

Asks most questions about

            Departments: International Development, Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Health, Education and Skills, Home Department

            Subjects (based on headings added by Hansard): Iraq, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Somalia

(based on written questions asked by Mark Simmonds and answered by departments)

Public Bill Committees (sittings attended)

            Sunbeds (Regulation) Bill Committee (1 out of 1)

            Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill Committee (8 out of 8)

            International Development (Reporting and Transparency) Bill Committee (1 out of 1)

            Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill Committee (4 out of 10)

            Gangmasters (Licensing) Bill Committee (1 out of 1)

            Crime (International Co-operation) Bill Committee (7 out of 8)

            Criminal Justice Bill Committee (28 out of 32)

            Employment Bill Committee (16 out of 17)

AND HE HAS ALREADY BEEN BUSY AT HIS NEW POST:

British Overseas Territories
Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

Andrew Percy (Brigg and Goole, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to strengthen relations between the UK and its Overseas Territories; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds (Boston and Skegness, Conservative)

We published, in June, a White Paper—‘The Overseas Territories: Security, Success and Sustainability’, 28 June 2012, Hansard, column 24WS—setting out a broad and ambitious vision for the Territories in the 21st century. We want the Territories to be vibrant and flourishing communities, proudly retaining aspects of their British identity and generating wider opportunities for their people.

Our strategy for the Territories is based oh three practical policy goals:

to strengthen the engagement and interaction between the UK and the Territories;

to work with Territories to strengthen good governance arrangements, public financial management and economic planning where this is necessary; and

to improve the quality and range of support available to the Territories.

We announced specific plans to :

support the exchange of expertise between UK and Territory public servants through a Jubilee Programme supporting training and work placements;

support the Territories to engage productively with the wider world, particularly the EU and the Commonwealth;

From this year we will upgrade the annual ministerial meeting with Territory leaders to give it a mandate to lead work to review and implement the commitments in the White Paper.

Andrew Percy (Brigg and Goole, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received on the proposed imposition of value added tax in the Turks and Caicos Islands; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds (Boston and Skegness, Conservative)

During the visit of the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend Mr Bellingham, to the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) in June this year, the implementation of VAT was raised with him. It was also a topic for discussion during the recent visit to London by the leader of the Progressive National Party, Dr Ewing. We received copies of letters sent to the TCI Government on this subject, together with correspondence from members of the public.

The British Government has consistently made it clear that the introduction of VAT is a decision for the TCI Government. We support their decision to introduce VAT on the basis of an assessment that it will provide a more stable, fairer and broader based system of revenue.

The VAT Bill was signed into law by the Acting Governor on 18 July 2012.

Andrew Percy (Brigg and Goole, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements his Department made for monitoring the 9 November 2012 elections in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Mark Simmonds (Boston and Skegness, Conservative)

The Turks and Caicos Islands Government is inviting, with our financial support, observers for the forthcoming elections. They have agreed with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (UK) to organise an observer mission including UK and regional monitors.

HE GOT INTO TROUBLE AND HAD TO APOLOGISE EARLIER THIS YEAR

John Bercow (Speaker)

On a point of order relating to the Code of Conduct, on which no further points of order may arise, I call Mr Mark Simmonds.

Mark Simmonds (Boston and Skegness, Conservative)

It has been brought to my attention that on 31 January and 16 March 2011, I inadvertently omitted to draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests relating to strategic advice that I provide to a social enterprise health care provider. I would like to take this opportunity both to correct the record and to apologise.

BBC article concerning this:

MP apologises for failing to mention interest in health firm

Conservative MP and ministerial aide Mark Simmonds has apologised for failing to make clear an interest when speaking in favour of the NHS shake-up.

The Boston and Skegness MP, 47, is parliamentary private secretary to Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman.

The MPs’ register of interest shows he is paid £50,000 a year as a strategic adviser to Circle Healthcare.

Mr Simmonds told MPs he wanted to apologise for “inadvertently” failing to declare his interest.

He made his statement during a Point of Order, referring to Circle as a “social enterprise”. Although he had correctly declared his interest in the register of interests, he did not mention it – as MPs should – when speaking in the debates on the Health and Social Care Bill in January and March last year.

Circle describes itself as a social enterprise because it is 49.9% is owned by a partnership of employees. Others see it as a private business as the rest is owned by its parent company, Circle Holdings, which is listed on the stock market.

Circle was in the news recently when it became the first private firm to run an NHS hospital, Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Cambridgeshire.

For more on this story go to:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17104463

Simmonds has ties to Lord Ashcroft who has just been appointed to the Privy Council. According to the website: Ministry of Truth Simmonds made a visit provided by Ashcroft’s company Flying Lion that he recorded as costing  £4,750.00 but the actual cost was £31,330.56!  See our story today “Tories undeclared £600,000 flight subsidy from Ashcroft”