Irene Adams

The Right Honourable
The Baroness Adams of Craigielea
The Right Honourable The Baroness Adams of Craigielea
Lord Temporal
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 28 June 2005
Member of Parliament ; for Paisley North
	In office; 9 November 1990 – 11 April 2005
Preceded by	Allen Adams
Succeeded by	Constituency Abolished
Personal details
Born	27 September 1947 (age 77)
Nationality	British
Political party	Labour
Spouse	Allen Adams

Katherine Patricia Irene Adams, Baroness Adams of Craigielea (born 27 December 1947) is a Scottish Labour Party peer, who served as Member of Parliament in the constituency of Paisley North from 1990 to 2005.

Early life

She was educated at Stanley Green High School in Paisley. In 1970 she was on Paisley Town Council and by 1972 was appointed Justice of the Peace. In 1974 she became a councillor in her local Renfrew District Council and in 1979 went on to Strathclyde Regional Council (succeeding her husband, Allen Adams).

Parliamentary career

Allen Adams was MP for Paisley North, and for the earlier seat of Paisley from 1979 until his death in 1990, whereupon Irene (who had served as his secretary during his time as MP) won the subsequent by-election. While she had a record of loyalty to the party, she was seen as clearly on its left wing, and as one of the more pro-devolution Scottish Labour members.

Her constituency was absorbed into that of Paisley and Renfrewshire North and she was persuaded to stand down with the promise of a peerage, in order to allow sitting West Renfrewshire MP Jim Sheridan to be selected to fight in the May 2005 election.

On 13 May 2005 it was announced that she would be created a life peer as Baroness Adams of Craigielea, of Craigielea in the County of Renfrewshire, on 28 June.^[1]^[2]

Expenses

On 4 February 2010 the BBC reported that Irene Adams had been told by Sir Thomas Legg to repay an amount of 5050 pounds.^[3] The Sunday Post reported in November 2014 that Adams had claimed £53,000 of expenses during a period when she did not speak in debate or submit any written questions.^[4]

Personal life

Lady Adams of Craigielea is widowed and has one son and two daughters. She married Allen Adams on 24 February 1968. She lives in a converted mill in Paisley. ^[5]

Baroness Adams of Craigielea received an Honorary Doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 2011.^[6]

Styles

? birth-1968^{[citation needed]}
Irene Adams JP (1972–1990)
Irene Adams MP (1990–2005)
The Rt. Hon. The Baroness Adams of Craigielea (2005–)

References

^ "No. 57692". The London Gazette. 4 July 2005.
^ "House of Lords; Minutes of Proceedings". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 18 July 2005. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
^ "MPs told to repay expense claims". BBC News. 4 February 2010.
^ "Anger at £250,000 expenses claims of 'lazy Labour lords'". sundaypost.com. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
^ "Baroness Adams: the peer who claimed £200,000 but has spoken only once". Daily Telegraph.
^ [1], Heriot-Watt University, 2011

News items

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Allen Adams	Member of Parliament for Paisley North 1990 – 2005	Constituency abolished

[1] "No. 57692". The London Gazette. 4 July 2005.

[2] "House of Lords; Minutes of Proceedings". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 18 July 2005. Retrieved 2008-09-20.

[3] "MPs told to repay expense claims". BBC News. 4 February 2010.

[4] "Anger at £250,000 expenses claims of 'lazy Labour lords'". sundaypost.com. Retrieved 14 September 2015.

[5] "Baroness Adams: the peer who claimed £200,000 but has spoken only once". Daily Telegraph.

[6] [1], Heriot-Watt University, 2011

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