Mark Harper
 | This article is an autobiography or has been extensively edited by the subject or by someone connected to the subject. (June 2010) |
Mark Harper | |
|---|---|
| File:Mark Harper pic1.jpg | |
| Parliamentary under Secretary for Constitutional and Political Reform | |
| Assumed office 11 May 2010 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Member of Parliament for Forest of Dean | |
| Assumed office 5 May 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Diana Mary Organ |
| Majority | 11,064 (22.7%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 February 1970 Swindon, Wiltshire |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Margaret Harper |
| Alma mater | Brasenose College, Oxford |
Mark James Harper (born 26 February 1970) British politician and accountant. He is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Forest of Dean. He is currently the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Cabinet Office, with ministerial responsibility for Political and Constitutional Reform.[1]
Early life and career
Mark Harper was born in Swindon, Wiltshire, he was educated at the Headlands Comprehensive School and Swindon College. He then studied philosophy, politics and economics at Brasenose College, Oxford, where like David Cameron he studied under Professor Vernon Bogdanor.
On graduation in 1991 he joined KPMG as an auditor. After qualifying as a chartered accountant, in 1995 he joined Intel Corporation as a senior financial analyst, becoming the finance manager in 1997, and operations manager from 2000. In 2002 he left Intel to set up his own accountancy practice.
Harper married his wife, Margaret, in July 1999 in Swindon. The couple live in Newham Bottom, and have two Labrador dogs. He was a governor of Newent Community School from 2000 to 2005, and is a member of The Freedom Association.
Political career
Harper became the treasurer of the Swindon Conservative Association in 1993, and from 1997 to the new Swindon South Conservative Association, becoming the vice chairman for a year in 1998. He contested the Gloucestershire seat of Forest of Dean at the 2001 General Election but was defeated by the sitting Labour MP Diana Organ by 2,049 votes. Organ retired at the 2005 General Election and Harper gained the seat for the Tories with a majority of 2,049, exactly the same number of votes by which he was defeated at the previous election.[2]
Parliamentary career
Harper made his maiden speech on 24 May, 2005, in which he concentrated on the education needs of his constituents with learning disabilities.[3] In Parliament, he served on the administration select committee from 2005 to 2006. In December 2005 he was promoted to the front bench by David Cameron as a spokesman on defence and Veterans. On 15 May 2006, he hosted the first Conservative Party Veterans Summit, bringing together organisations from across the country to discuss the issues facing war veterans and established a platform from which to develop Conservative Party policy on the issue. On 11 April 2007, David Cameron appointed Mark to the position of Shadow Minister for Forces Families & Welfare. In this capacity he will lead an investigation into a number of areas, resulting from the issue of overstretch which impacts on the performance of, and recruitment and retention in, the British Armed Forces. The end result will be the Forces Families Manifesto that will lay out what the next Conservative Government will do in these areas.
In July 2007, Harper was appointed Shadow Minister for Disabled People in David Cameron's frontbench reshuffle.
Harper has campaigned hard to protect local health services following announcements that local health trusts planned to close the local Sir Charles Dilke Memorial Hospital and replace the Lydney and District Hospital with a new centre.
He is a strong supporter of Israel and is a member of Conservative Friends of Israel.
Issues
Characterization of people collecting disability benefits
On 10 September 2010 Harper stated on BBC Radio 4 Any Questions [4] that "There are definitely some people in our country, and everyone in every community knows who they are, who are able to work, and don't" After the angered questioner challenged these words as being "outrageous", Mr Harper then went on to repeat the notion with the words "Everybody knows them, able-bodied people..." And yet Mr Harper does not appear to have any qualifications or competence in diagnosis or assessment of disability, any more than "everyone" does. And being able-bodied does not prove absence of severe disability.
Defence
From December 2005 to July 2007, Harper was Shadow Defence Minister with special responsibility for the Forces' Families manifesto. He also regularly takes an interest in his local regiment, The Rifles, based at Beachley Barracks.
Harper is a strong supporter of renewing the Trident nuclear missile system. On 19 January, 2007, he spoke at a debate in Gloucestershire in favour of Trident renewal alongside Dr Lee Willett from the Royal United Services Institute; speaking against the motion was former Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament chair Bruce Kent, and Michael Meacher MP. Harper has written several articles in support of Trident renewal for local newspapers The Citizen and The Forester. On 25 January, 2007, he visited the submarine base at Faslane, Scotland.
Road Safety
Harper has played a leading role in improving road safety in the Forest of Dean. He believes that the best way forward is to improve driver education and behaviour. Harper has urged local council officers to go for new funding available to groups that are promoting road safety.
Harper has also spearheaded the effort to have speed limit reduced from 60 mph to 40 mph following on the A48 between Lydney and Aylburton following the death of a school boy in a traffic accident.
Harper has supported local charity "Time and Place," that was set up by a group of driving instructors in response to the deaths of 19 young drivers in 2005 on local roads.
Harriet the Cow
Harper had been working to save the life of Harriet, a pet Jersey cow owned by Mr. and Mrs. Price, who live near Newent, Gloucestershire. Another calf, born on the same farm as Harriet, later became infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Under European and national regulations, all cohort animals must be slaughtered and, at the moment Harriet is within that description.[5] On 23 March 2007, Harriet the Cow was put down by the family vet because of kidney failure. Following tests after her death, it was discovered that Harriet never had BSE.
References
- ^ http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/government-business/government-ministers-responsibilities.aspx/
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/england/4520687.stm
- ^ http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/cm050524/debtext/50524-16.htm#50524-16_spnew0
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qgvj/episodes/player
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/6487967.stm
External links
- Mark Harper MP official site
- Mark Harper MP biography at the site of the Conservative Party
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Mark Harper MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Mark Harper MP
- Forest of Dean Conservatives
- The Public Whip - Mark Harper MP voting record
- BBC Politics page
- [1] Cabinet Office