Member for Kilmarnock and Loudon since 1997. Committees: Member, Joint Party Committee on Human Rights 2000-01; Member, Select Committee on Public Administration 1999-2000; Member, Select Committee on Northern Ireland 1997-99; Treasurer, All-Party Parliamentary Group, Scotch Whisky until 2001; Member, APPG, Great Lakes Rwanda until 2001; Member, APPG, Diabetes until 2001. Political career: Parliamentary Secretary to the Northern Ireland Office since 2001; Parliamentary Private Secretary to Rt Hon Adam Ingram, Minister of State, Northern Ireland 2000; PPS to Rt Hon Donald Dewar, Secretary of State for Scotland 1998-99; Parliamentary Candidate for Argyll and Bute 1992. Special political interests: Northern Ireland, human rights, Scottish issues, disability. Profession/Trade: Advocate. Education: St Michael's Secondary, Kilwinning; University of Glasgow, LLB (Hons). Author of: Report for Lord MacAulay's Working Party on the Prison System (1990). Hobbies: Football, swimming, reading.
b. 22 March 1952, Kilwinning, Ayrshire. Married with two children.

2005				2001
LAB HOLD	Votes	%	+/- %	Votes	%
Labour	24,278	58.1	58.1	15,227	54.1
SNP	6,062	14.5	14.5	6,264	22.2
Conservative	4,308	10.3	10.3	3,013	10.7
Lib Dem	5,450	13.0	13.0	2,849	10.1
Scot Soc	666	1.6	1.6	804	2.9
UKIP	516	1.2	-	-	-
Scottish Senior Citizens Party	425	1.0	-	-	-
Independent K	47	0.1	-	-	-
Independent	44	0.1	-	-	-
Majority	18,216	43.6	-	8,963	31.8
Turnout	41,796	58.4	3.8	28,157	54.6