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Sir Stuart Bell MP
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Second Church Estates Commissioner & Member of Parliament for Middlesbrough |
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How long have you been a Member of Parliament ?Stuart Bell has been a Member of Parliament since 1983, for the Middlesbrough constituency in the North East of England. Previously, he stood as a candidate at Hexham in Northumberland as the Labour Party candidate in 1979. Middlesbrough can be found at the Mouth of the River Tees in the North east of England and a profile of the area and constituency can be found on this site. The constituency has over 70,000 voters and in each of the four general elections since 1983, Mr Bell has been returned overwhelmingly. The results of recent general elections are available on this site, as well as recent news features in the local and national press about Mr Bell. You can also find an archive of press coverage that goes back over the last 12 months. Back to TopWhere can I contact the constituency and parliamentary office?The constituency office is based in the heart of Middlesbrough and can be contacted by ringing the telephone number which is 01642 851 252. Quite often the office can get very busy so please, if it is an answer machine, please leave a message that describes your enquiry, your address and telephone number where you may be reached. Someone will the call you back as soon as possible. Alternatively you may wish to send a fax to the constituency office which may be reached at 01642 850 170. Please dial these numbers carefully. If you would like to write to Mr Bell, please send any letters to the following address which is;
You are also encouraged to send any enquiries via e-mail. Please send these to enquiry@stuartbellmp.org and they will, depending on their nature, be forwarded to the correct office either in Westminster or in the constituency. Alternatively, you may fill in a constituents enquiry form here. Back to TopWhat is the Church Commissioners ?The Church of England is an 'established' church and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. The monarch is responsible for the appointment of archbishops, bishops and deans of cathedrals on the advice of the Prime Minister. The position of Second Church Estates Commissioner is also appointed by Her Majesty the Queen. This position as well as the the two archbishops and 24 senior bishops that sit in the House of Lords, make a major contribution to Parliament's work. The Church of England is episcopally led with some 108 bishops and synodically governed. The General Synod is elected from the laity and clergy of each diocese and meets in London or York at least twice annually to consider legislation for the good of the Church. he Church Commissioners were formed in 1948 by joining together two bodies - Queen Anne's Bounty and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. Their role is to manage the Church's historic assets, which total some £4.5bn and are today invested in equity markets and property. The commissioners are also responsible for the financial support for the ministry of the Church of England, particularly in areas of need and opportunity. Also, the provision of central services required by the Church in areas such as clergy housing, pastoral reorganisation, redundant churches and the stipends and pensions payroll. Every first Monday of the Month, Stuart Bell as Second Church Estates Commissioner takes questions from Members of Parliament concerning the work of the Church Commissioners. This question time may be viewed and heard from this web site. Back to TopWhat responsibilities do you have in the house ?Stuart Bell has been an MP since 1983 and firstly, represents his constituents of Middlesbrough. In addition to this role, he also represents the Church Commissioners which has been described above, since 1997. This arises because of the nature of the Church and state relationship in the UK and as a Church Commissioner, Mr Bell is responsible for answering the questions of Members of Parliament about the work of the Church Commissioners on the floor of the House of Commons once each month on a Monday while the House is sitting. Since 2000, Mr Bell has also been Chairman of the House of Commons Commission that oversees the administration of the House of Commons. This body meets regularly with the Speaker and the Leader of the House. In addition, Mr Bell is also Chairman of the Finance and Services Committee which oversees the monetary management of the House of Commons and its budget. Other interests include Europe and the Single currency, trade and industry and affairs in the Middle East. All full biography of Mr Bell is available on this web site which describes not only his career in parliament but also a description of the other elements of his life. In 2000, Mr Bell wrote the book 'Tony Really Loves Me' which is his biography told through short stories. Back to TopWhat are your greatest achievements in politics?When I first became Prospective Parliamentary Labour Candidate for Hexham, I involved myself with thalidomide children who were not recognized as such. They were declared to be ‘border-line’ cases. I involved myself with a number of these and after some years of battling the pharmaceutical company responsible for putting thalidomide on the market agreed to consider them as thalidomide children, thus opening the way to their families receiving compensation to assist in their upkeep. Also, in 1987 I quit the Labour front bench to deal with the case of children unlawfully taken from their homes by social workers. They had allegedly been abused. Some 119 cases were involved, it took four and a half years to resolve, through court cases, through a public enquiry, through a new Act of Parliament – the Children Act 1989 – and through compensation for the children and their families. Back to Top
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Stuart
Bell
Alex
Finn
Keith
Miller
Geoffrey
Morgan
Kai Anderson
