Caroline Flint
Caroline Flint has been the UK Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Don Valley since 1997.
In October 2011 Flint was appointed shadow secretary of state for energy & climate change, in Ed Miliband's Shadow Cabinet - a role which she left in September 2015.
Flint retained her constituency seat in the 2015 general election, gaining a majority of 8,885 and 46 per cent of the vote. [1]
In May 2015 Flint announced that she will stand in the contest for Labour's deputy leadership. [2]
She joined the Public Accounts Committee in November 2015. [3]
Contents
Political career
According to her website:
- In October 2010, Caroline was elected to Labour's Shadow Cabinet and was subsequently apppointed as shadow secretary of state for communities and local government by Labour Leader Ed Miliband.
- Having served as the minister for Europe at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from October 2008, Caroline left the Government on 5 June 2009.
- From January - October 2008, Caroline Flint was appointed to the post of minister for housing. As housing minister, Caroline's achievements included: a £1billion housing package, new shared ownership and shared equity schemes to help first time buyers and a mortgage rescue scheme. She also shortlisted 15 locations for future eco-towns - the future of low carbon living in Britain.
- Between June 2007 and January 2008 Caroline was minister of state for employment and welfare reform. Her ministerial responsibilities included the labour market, welfare to work and child poverty. Caroline was also minister for Yorkshire and the Humber between June 2007 and January 2008.
- From 2005-2007 Caroline was minister for public health, first as parliamentary under secretary and then as minister of state.
- Her first Ministerial appointment, in 2003, was as parliamentary under secretary of state at the Home Office, before being moved to the Department of Health in 2005. [4]
Stance on fracking
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This article is part of the Spinwatch Fracking Portal and project |
Flint has expressed both concern and limited support for fracking. In January 2015, commenting on Cuadrilla's application to frack in Lancashire, she said:
- 'David Cameron has repeatedly ignored people’s genuine and legitimate environmental concerns over shale gas. Despite clear evidence that existing regulations for shale gas are not fit for purpose, the government seems prepared to push ahead with fracking at any cost.' [5]
Flint's constituency includes four oil and gas licence blocks, awarded by the Oil and Gas Authority under the 14th licensing round in 2015. Two shale licences were awarded to IGas, one to Cuadrilla, and one abandoned mine methane vent licence to Alkane Energy. There are plans for three shale wells, one hrz frac well and 2D and 3D seismic surveying; no applications are currently underway. [6]
Voting record
Flint has a mixed voting record on fracking. [7]
- 26 January 2015: voted in favour of making fracking companies apply for an environmental permit before conducting exploratory drilling. She was absent for a vote on an amendment to the Infrastructure Bill to include an 18 month moratorium on fracking.
- 11 February 2015: voted against requiring more pre-conditions for where fracking can take place.
- 16 December 2015: voted against weakening regulations on fracking in protected areas and national parks.
Affiliations
Resources
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This article is part of the Nuclear Spin project of Spinwatch. |
Caroline Flint, Nuclear power is not the only answer – but it’s an important part of our future, Labour List, 21 October 2013
Contact
- Twitter: @CarolineFlintMP
- Website: http://carolineflintdonvalley.com/
Notes
- ↑ Reports: Labour's Caroline Flint holds Don Valley ITV News, 8 May 2015, accessed 14 May 2015
- ↑ Caroline Flint launches bid for Labour's deputy leadership NewStatesman, 16 May 2015, accessed 21 May 2015
- ↑ Dods people, 'Arrivals, moves and departures', Civil Service World, accessed 3 November 2015
- ↑ About Caroline, personal website, acc 22 October 2013
- ↑ Andrew Bounds, Cuadrilla asks to delay application to frack in Lancashire, Financial Times, 25 January 2015, accessed 28 December 2016.
- ↑ Oil and gas: licensing rounds, GOV.uk, accessed 14 November 2016.
- ↑ TheyWorkForYou | Caroline Flint, TheyWorkForYou, accessed 28 December 2016.