Neil Parish

Neil Parish

Neil Parish (born 26 May 1956, Bridgwater) is a British MP and a former MEP (1999-2009) from the Conservative and Unionist Party.

Parish was elected MP for Tiverton and Honiton on 6th May 2010 with 27,614 votes - a 50.3 per cent share of the overall votes cast. He won with a majority of 9,320 votes.

In the 2015 general election, Parish retained his seat with a majority of 20,173.

Affiliations

• All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science and Technology in Agriculture - Member

As a UK MP

• Member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, selected as chair in June 2015
• Associate Parliamentary Group for Energy Studies

MEP Parliamentary Affiliations

Chair:

22.09.2004 / 14.02.2007 : Delegation for relations with Australia and New Zealand

01.02.2007 / 13.07.2009 : Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

Member:

20.07.1999 / 19.07.2004 : Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats

21.07.1999 / 14.01.2002 : Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

06.10.1999 / 14.01.2002 : Delegation to the EU-Bulgaria Joint Parliamentary Committee

17.01.2002 / 17.12.2002 : Temporary committee on foot and mouth disease

17.01.2002 / 19.07.2004 : Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

07.03.2002 / 19.07.2004 : Delegation for relations with Israel

20.07.2004 / 14.02.2007 : Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats

21.07.2004 / 14.01.2007 : Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

21.07.2004 / 14.01.2007 : Committee on Fisheries

15.09.2004 / 21.09.2004 : Delegation for relations with Australia and New Zealand

22.09.2004 / 14.02.2007 : Conference of Delegation Chairmen

01.02.2006 / 19.06.2007 : Committee of Inquiry into the crisis of the Equitable Life Assurance Society

15.01.2007 / 30.01.2007 : Committee on Fisheries

15.01.2007 / 30.01.2007 : Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

31.01.2007 / 31.01.2007 : Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

01.02.2007 / 13.07.2009 : Conference of Committee Chairmen

15.02.2007 / 13.03.2007 : Delegation for relations with Australia and New Zealand

15.02.2007 / 13.07.2009 : Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats

14.03.2007 / 15.01.2008 : Delegation for relations with Australia and New Zealand

16.01.2008 / 13.07.2009 : Delegation for relations with the People's Republic of China

Substitute:

21.07.1999 / 14.01.2002 : Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

08.10.1999 / 14.01.2002 : Delegation to the EU-Czech Republic Joint Parliamentary Committee

17.01.2002 / 19.07.2004 : Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy

16.05.2002 / 19.07.2004 : Committee on Fisheries

15.09.2004 / 06.04.2008 : Delegation for relations with Switzerland, Iceland and Norway and to the European Economic Area (EEA) Joint Parliamentary Committee

28.09.2004 / 13.03.2007 : Delegation for relations with the Gulf States, including Yemen

19.01.2006 / 31.01.2006 : Committee of Inquiry into the crisis of the Equitable Life Assurance Society

31.01.2007 / 13.07.2009 : Committee on Fisheries

14.03.2007 / 13.07.2009 : Delegation for relations with the Gulf States, including Yemen

07.04.2008 / 13.07.2009 : Delegation for relations with Canada

Record and Controversies

Declaration of Financial Interests

Financial Support Received in Connection with Political Activities:

• Car Park Pass at Bristol Airport

Further Information:

• My paying agent and service provider since I was elected in 1999 id Guy Hall of MJ Dodden & co, chartered accountants of Bridgwater, Somerset. He manages all contracts with my staff and administers all salary, tax and national insurance payments.
• I employ the following staff, in descending otder of salary, as assistants who work in my offices in the UK, Brussels and Strasbourg:

Daniel Dalton - Head of Office, Senior Political Researcher and Press Officer

Joseph Buxton - Political Assistant and Agricultural Advisor

Joyce Grant - Constituency Assistant

Susan Parish - Translator and Constituency Assistant (salary between £10,001-£20,000)

• I also employ the following service providers who also assist me with my parliamentary work:

Jim Cobley

• There are in addition occasional short term stagiere posts.
• I do employ my wife, Susan Parish, on a yearly salary of between £10,001-£20,000. She does translation work for me and is a qualified linguist who has a degree in both French and German. She also does constituency correspondance, my UK diary and organises visitor groups to the Parliament.

Record of Parliamentary Votes

• Voted in favour of the directive on "establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy" (A5-0027/2000). The directive covers all water management aspects in order to achieve a 'good status' of all waters by 2015.
• Voted in favour of the directive on "national emission ceilings for certain atmospheric pollutants" (A5-0063/2000). The amendment allows setting less ambitious national emission ceilings for sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), ammonia (NH3) and volatile organic compounds (VOC), which would result in more damage to human health and the environment.
• Voted in favour of the Commission White Paper on "Strategy for a future Chemicals Policy" (A5-0356/2001). The amendment helps avoid the necessary precautionary approach towards some chemical substances that are not proven to be completely safe.
• Voted against the directive on "waste electrical and electronic equipment" (A5-0100/2002). The amendment sets higher reuse and recycling rates for IT and telecommunication equipment. Rejected due to lack of absolute majority.
• Voted in favour of the report on "Community guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network" (A5-0135/2002). The Trans-European Network of Transport (TEN-T) is a network of so-called 'transport corridors' through Europe. This amendment calls for a full Strategic Environmental Assessment of these transport corridors and calls on the Commission to improve methods for analysing the environmental and economic impact of the TEN-T.
• Voted against the regulation concerning "traceability and labelling of genetically modified organisms and traceability of food and feed products produced from genetically modified organisms" (A5-0229/2002). The amendment allows customers the right to choose GM free food.
• Voted against the report towards a "thematic strategy on the sustainable use of pesticides" (A5-0061/2003). The amendment proposes to ban or severely restrict use of pesticides in areas around sources of drinking water and nature protected zones.
• Voted against the directive on "environmental liability with regard to the prevention and remedying of environmental damage" (A5-0145/2003). According to the amendment, polluters have to pay for environmental clean-up, and it supports an EU-wide regime which makes polluters liable for the damage they cause to wildlife, water and land.
• Voted against the amendment on Bulgaria’s progress towards accession (A5-0105/2004). The report objects to extending the life of the nuclear power stations in Bulgaria.

Personal Information

Curriculum Vitae

• Farmer.
• Deputy Chairman, Bridgwater constituency (1995-1997).
• Chairman, Bridgwater constituency (1997-1999).
• Councillor, Sedgemoor District Council (1983-1995).
• Deputy Leader, Sedgemoor District Council (1989-1995).
• Councillor, Somerset County Council (1989-1993).
• Member of the European Parliament (since 1999).

Contact

Address:

Phone:

Email:

Website:

http://www.neilparish.co.uk

This article is part of the MEPedia project of Spinwatch.

Resources

• European Parliament, Declaration of Members' Financial Interests: Neil Parish, 16 December 2008, accessed 10 February 2009.
• European Parliament, MEP Directory: Neil Parish, accessed 10 February 2009.
• European Parliament, MEP Directory: Neil Parish, accessed 02 December 2010.
• Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 10 February 2009.