John McFall, Baron McFall of Alcluith
Lord Speaker of the House of Lords | |
|---|---|
| Assumed office 1 May 2021 | |
| Monarchs | |
| Deputy | Lord Temporal |
| Assumed office 6 July 2010 Life peerage | |
| Member of Parliament for West Dunbartonshire Dumbarton (1987–2005) | |
| In office 11 June 1987 – 12 April 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Ian Campbell |
| Succeeded by | Gemma Doyle |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 October 1944 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Political party | None |
| Other political affiliations |
|
| Spouse | Joan Ward |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | |
John Francis McFall, Baron McFall of Alcluith
Early life
McFall went to a boys' school, St Patrick's Secondary School (since merged with Notre Dame High School to form
At the age of 24, he studied at Paisley College of Technology (now the
Political career
He was first elected for the Dumbarton constituency, Scotland, at the 1987 general election, after the previous MP, Ian Campbell retired. His original majority was a little over 2,000. Dumbarton constituency was replaced with the new West Dunbartonshire constituency for the 2005 general election, which McFall won with a majority over 12,500.
In 1995 he introduced a private member's bill, the Wild Mammals (Protection) Bill which, although unsuccessful, informed the Hunting Act 2004 outlawing the hunting of mammals by dogs in England and Wales.[1]
He was a whip and junior minister (for Education, Training and Employment, Health and Community Relations, then in 1999 for Economy and Education) at the Northern Ireland Office from 1998–99.
In 2001 he was appointed Chair of the
On 29 January 2010, McFall announced his intention to stand down as an MP at the 2010 general election.[2]
House of Lords
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On 17 June 2010, he was created a life peer as Baron McFall of Alcluith, of Dumbarton in Dunbartonshire,[3] and was introduced in the House of Lords on 6 July 2010.[4]
He is currently the Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Overseas Development (Apgood).[5]
In July 2016, he was appointed as
In the
In 2023 he suggested the House of Lords needs more independent, expert peers. Lord McFall stated he was making no direct criticism of recent peerage choices, but the upper house was in danger of becoming "out of sync" with its balance of legislators. McFall plans to meet Rishi Sunak to lift a cap limiting the number of new, non-party expert peers that can be created by the House of Lords Appointments Commission, currently set at a maximum of two a year.[8]
Other activities
He was Chair of the Scotch Whisky and Spirits
He was Chairman of Strathleven Regeneration Company and of Clydebank re-built, two development companies based in his constituency.
He gave his backing to Dumpster Kids, a not-for-profit organisation aimed at rescuing abandoned children, in January 2011.
Personal life
McFall's family lived in Bellsmyre, Dumbarton, where he met and married Joan Ward. They have three sons and a daughter.[9]
Publications
- Workplace Retirement Income Commission, Building a Strong, Stable and Transparent Pension System: Final Report (August 2011)
See also
References
- ^ "Timeline: Hunting row". BBC News. 17 February 2005. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "'Consumer champion' MP to stand down". BBC News. 29 January 2010.
- ^ "No. 59466". The London Gazette. 22 June 2010. p. 11706.
- ^ House of Lords Business, 22 June 2010
- ^ "Executive - All Party Parliamentary Group on Overseas Development". Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ^ House of Lords Minutes of Proceedings of Thursday 21 July 2016
- UK Parliament. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ House of Lords needs more experts, says speaker, as former PMs line up allies
- ^ Bailey, Georgina (22 April 2021). "Westminster: Lord McFall of Alcuith Has Been Confirmed As New Lord Speaker". The Democrat. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
External links
- Official Website Archived 8 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- Guardian Unlimited Politics – Ask Aristotle: John McFall MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com – John McFall MP
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John McFall
- Treasury Select Committee
News items
- 4 May 2008 – Treasury hard man is really a softy at heart
- 19 April 2008 – John McFall urges clarity on tax rates
- 7 April 2008 – Government must gauge effect of winter heating payments on fuel poverty
- 10 March 2008 – Added value Archived 14 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- 5 March 2008 – Helping people back into work
- 3 March 2008 – Banks "refused to believe the good times were about to end"
- Telegraph interview December 2007
- Criticising banks in 2006 for being unsympathetic
- Advising that bank ATMs should explicitly mention charges in 2005
- Little praise for the savings industry in 2004
- High credit card charges in 2003
- Confusing bank charges in 2002
- New Economy minister in Northern Ireland in 1999
- Wanting lifelong learning in Northern Ireland in 1998
Video clips
Lord Speakers of the House of Lords | ||
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