Dan Norris

Dan Norris
Member of Parliament for Wansdyke
In office 1 May 1997 – 6 May 2010
Preceded by	Jack Aspinwall
Succeeded by	Constituency Abolished
Personal details
Born	(1960-01-28) 28 January 1960 London, UK, UK
Political party	Labour
Alma mater	University of Sussex
Website	www.dannorris.org.uk

Dan Norris (born 28 January 1960) is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wansdyke from 1997 until 2010. He was also a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Early life

Norris was educated at Chipping Sodbury Comprehensive School and the University of Sussex, where he read a Master's in Social Work (MSW). Dan is a former teacher and child protection officer having trained with the NSPCC.

Before Parliament

Norris was a councillor on Bristol City Council from 1989-92 / 1995-97 and Avon County Council from 1994–96, and he is a member of the GMB Union.

Parliamentary career

Norris first stood for parliament in the constituency of Northavon in 1987, losing against the conservative incumbent, Sir John Cope. In 1992, he was the Labour candidate for Wansdyke, but again lost against the conservative incumbent, Jack Aspinwall.

He contested the Wansdyke seat once more in the 1997 election, and this time succeeded in taking a traditionally safe Conservative seat by 4,799 votes, overturning a majority of 11,770 votes. Whilst Norris went on to increase his majority to 5,613 in the 2001 election, the 2005 election saw his lead over the Conservatives fall to 1,839. Due to changes made by the Boundary Commission for England, the Wansdyke constituency was abolished at the 2010 election. Norris stood instead for North East Somerset, but was defeated by Jacob Rees-Mogg (C).

During his time in parliament, Norris was an assistant whip from 2001 to 2003. In July 2007 he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, a role he had previously performed for Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Peter Hain. In the reshuffle of June 2009 Norris entered the Government as a minister for the first time, becoming Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

During the parliamentary year of 2006/07, as a backbench MP, he had the 4th highest expenditure for any Member of Parliament – a total of £172,733, of which £4,271 was spent on centrally purchased stationery, £16,287 on the associated postage cost, and £22,110 as part of the "additional costs allowance".

As a backbencher, prior to taking on a PPS role in June 2006, Norris had the highest voting record of any MP - attending 97% of all votes however since then his voting record dropped to 83%. Norris' voting records show that he is in favour of: crime reduction measures; a tougher line being taken against child sexual abuse; the smoking ban; the introduction of ID cards, rather than a UK Border police force; introducing additional GP hours to allow patient access during evenings and at weekends, patient choice of hospital, and cutting NHS waiting list times; introducing foundation hospitals; student top-up fees; anti-terrorism laws and migration controls; the Iraq war; not having an investigation into the Iraq war; replacing trident; the hunting ban and animal welfare measures; and gay rights.

Norris was one of just 25 out of the 121 MPs who voted on Freedom of Information laws supporting its application to MPs' allowances at the Third Reading vote on 18 May 2007. Norris has a particular interest in child safety and regularly campaigns against child sexual abuse, having co-written a free booklet on its prevention. He also co-wrote and produced a booklet aimed at giving practical advice to children about dealing with bullying entitled 'Don't Bully Me.

Following his defeat at the 2010 general election, Norris turned his attention to working for former Foreign Secretary David Miliband in his ultimately unsuccessful bid for the Labour leadership.

Norris is an ambassador for the children's charity Kidscape.

Bibliography

• Violence Against Social Workers: The Implications for Practice, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 1989 (with Carol Kedward). ISBN 978-1-85302-041-4

External links

• Dan Norris official site
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Dan Norris
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Dan Norris MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Dan Norris MP
• Voting record at the Public Whip
• BBC Politics page

News items

• Attacked during outside TV broadcast, Gloucestershire in 2005