Member for Somerton and Frome since 2001. Committees: Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Group on Eye Health and Visual Impairment; Member, APPGs on Pharmacy, Diabetes, the United Nations, Romania; LD Member, Commons Select Committee on Foreign Affairs. Political career: Member, Home Affairs team since 2002; Spokesperson on Lord Chancellors Department since 2002; Spokesperson, Science since 2002; LD Shadow Science Minister 2001; LD Spokesperson for Shadow Work and Pensions team; Member, Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE; Member, LD Foreign Affairs, Defence and Europe team; Member, Somerset County Council 1985-97; Member, Avon and Somerset Police Academy 1992-97; Leader, Somerset County Council 1985-89; Chair, Avon and Somerset Police Authority 1993-96; Chair, Education Committee, Somerset County Council 1996-97; Member, Audit Commission 1994-97. Special political interests: Education, local government, rural affairs. Profession/Trade: Qualified optician. Title/Honours/Decorations: CBE 1989. Education: Millfield School; St John's College, Oxford, MA Physiological Sciences; The City University, London. Hobbies: Rugby, cricket, pig breeding.
b. 16 March 1954, Westbury-sub-Mendip, Somerset. Married with two children.

2005				2001
LIB DEM HOLD	Votes	%	+/- %	Votes	%
Lib Dem	23,759	44.1	0.4	22,983	43.6
Conservative	22,947	42.6	0.2	22,315	42.4
Labour	5,685	10.5	-1.1	6,113	11.6
UKIP	1,047	1.9	0.2	919	1.7
Veritas	484	0.9	-	-	-
Liberal Party	-	-	-	354	0.7
Majority	812	1.5		668	1.3
Turnout	53,922	69.3	-1.0	52,684	70.3