Meg Munn - Parliamentary Career

Parliamentary Career

As a backbencher Munn served on the Education and Skills Select Committee 2001–03, and the Procedure Select Committee 2001–02. She was closely involved with the Adoption and Children Act 2002; changing national regulations to allow Local Authorities to register body piercing studios; supporting small business, including co-operative and mutual enterprises; encouraging women to go into business; and House of Lord's reform. She also served as Chair of the Women's Committee of the Parliamentary Labour Party (2003–05) and Chair of the Parliamentary Co-operative Group (2004–05). She has been Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel, a Vice-Chair of the group Progress and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Voice group.

Munn served as Team Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) at the Department for Education and Skills July 2003 to February 2004, then as PPS to Margaret Hodge, the Minister for Children, from February 2004 to May 2005. Munn was Minister for Women and Equality, based at the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) from May 2005 until June 2007. Munn introduced Civil Partnerships in the UK in December 2005. She was responsible for the Equality Act 2006, and involved in the Work and Families Act 2006. She established the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

On 29 June 2007, Munn was appointed as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. She had responsibility for Overseas Territories, South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Caribbean and Central America among other things. She stood down from the government in October 2008.

She was Chair of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy October 2008 to July 2010, subsequently Vice-Chair July 2010 to October 2012. The Foundation was established in 1992 to promote democracy mainly in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It is a cross-party political organisation that provides funds, supports projects and arranges training in the nuts and bolts of establishing and keeping democratic forms of government.

Munn is Chair of the Child Protection All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), Chair of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq APPG, Chair of the Methodist APPG, Vice-Chair of the Women in Enterprise APPG, Vice-Chair of the Engineering and Information Technology APPG, Vice-Chair of the Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire APPG, and Vice-Chair of the Mexican APPG. On Thursday 12 March 2009 Munn met with Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Region in the Houses of Parliament. In an interview with Raz Jabary for SOMA Digest Munn expressed her support of Article 140 to be carried out regarding the normalisation of Kirkuk and other Arabised areas, in accordance with the Iraqi constitution.