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Cardiff North 2015: What Does an MP Do?

What does an MP do? header

As part of our election coverage, we asked two previous MPs to tell us what they did when they represented Cardiff North in Parliament.

Julie Morgan AM – Labour Party

Julie served as the Cardiff North MP from 1997 to 2010.

Now an Assembly Member, Julie explained that an MP’s job is actually two jobs in one: there’s the work in Westminster and the work in the constituency. These are some of the things she did in her time as an MP:

  • Presented a Bill to regulate the use of sunbeds, that was passed and is now law.
  • Served on three Select Committees: Welsh Affairs, Public Administration, and the Justice Committee.
  • Chaired three All-Party Parliamentary Groups: Children in Wales, Sex Equality, and Gypsy and Traveller Law Reform.
  • Met constituents, community and school groups in the Houses of Parliament.

Constituency work includes casework, campaigning and attending meetings and events. Julie was involved in campaigns for:

You can read more about Julie’s time as an MP on her website.

Jonathan Evans – Conservative Party

Jonathan served as the Cardiff North MP from 2010 to 2015.

Jonathan’s senior caseworker explained that, “The job of an MP is first and foremost to represent their constituents, not just in Parliament but through government departments, local authorities, public and private organisations, and other stakeholders. MPs must also represent the views of their constituents and party when voting and debating issues in the House of Commons.”

Over the last five years Jonathan has taken up a wide range of issues on behalf of constituents, including:

  • Health
  • Potholes
  • Immigration
  • Social housing
  • Welfare benefits
  • Child Support Agency
  • Planning
  • Assisting local businesses
  • Responding to constituents’ requests for views on issues

He has also been involved in local campaigns, including:

  • Libraries
  • The Local Development Plan (LDP)
  • First Friends nursery in Llanishen

In Parliament Jonathan has:

  • Led debates on Llanishen reservoir.
  • Led debates on fire safety regulations.
  • Introduced a Private Members’ Bill on better access to cancer drugs.

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Jack

Jack is the editor of Tongwynlais.com and CastellCoch.com.

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