Joan Ruddock

The Right Honourable Dame Joan Ruddock DBE MP
Minister of State for Energy
In office 8 June 2009 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Mike O'Brien
Succeeded by	Charles Hendry
Member of Parliament for Lewisham Deptford
Incumbent
Assumed office 11 June 1987
Preceded by	John Silkin
Majority	12,499 (30.3%)
Personal details
Born	Joan Mary Anthony (1943-12-28) 28 December 1943 Pontypool, Monmouthshire, Wales
Nationality	British
Political party	Labour
Spouse	Frank Doran
Alma mater	Imperial College London
Website	Official website

Dame Joan Ruddock, DBE, MP (née Joan Mary Anthony; born 28 December 1943, Pontypool, Torfaen) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Lewisham Deptford since 1987. Ruddock was Minister of State for Energy at the Department of Energy and Climate Change until 11 May 2010. She is standing down at the next election.

Ruddock was educated at Pontypool Girls grammar school and at Imperial College London. Prior to her election to Parliament, she was chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, a UK pressure group; she resigned in 1985. She was a member of the Socialist Campaign Group but resigned in 1988 in protest at Tony Benn's decision to challenge Neil Kinnock for the leadership.

During the government of Tony Blair, she briefly served as Minister for Women. She returned to government when Gordon Brown appointed her Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at Defra in June 2007 with responsibility for biodiversity, climate change adaptation, waste and domestic forestry. In October 2008 she was transferred to the newly created Department of Energy and Climate Change, continuing in her previous role. In the June 2009 reshuffle she was promoted to Minister of State level, with responsibility for energy policy.

She is an Honorary Fellow of Goldsmiths, University of London, an Honorary Fellow of Laban London and a member of the Board of Trinity Laban.

She was appointed as a Privy Counsellor on 9 June 2010. She was appointed a Dame Commander of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2012 New Year Honours for public and political services.

She is married to the Labour MP for Aberdeen North, Frank Doran.

External links

• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
• Joan Ruddock audio interview on Women's Parliamentary Radio discussing her job as Minister in charge of Climate Change, Waste and Recycling and Biodiversity in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs