Patrick Cormack

MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE

Sir Patrick Cormack was born in 1939 and educated in Grimsby and at the University of Hull, where he graduated with Honours in English and History. Before entering Parliament Sir Patrick was a school master.

He was elected Member of Parliament for Cannock in the General Election of June 1970. Following boundary redistribution he was elected Member for South West Staffordshire in the General Election of July 1974, and has continued to represent this seat, now called South Staffordshire.

In 1974 he founded the All Party Arts and Heritage Group and has been its Chairman since 1979. He is also Chairman of the All Party Groups for Finland and for Bosnia.

He was founder Chairman of the All Party Group for the Release of Soviet Jewry; and Chairman of the Widows and One Parent Families Group and of the Parliamentary Group of the Anti Slavery Society. He was a member of the Council of the Winston Churchill memorial Trust from 1983-1993. In 1984 he was a visiting lecturer at the University of Texas, and in 1985 made an Honorary Citizen of that State.

He was a member of the Speaker's Panel of Chairmen from 1983 until 1997 and Chairman of the Party's Advisory Committee on the Arts and Heritage from 1987 to 1999. He has served on the House of Commons Select Committee on Education, Science and the Arts. From 1987 to 2001 he was Chairman of the House of Commons Works of Art Committee and in that capacity was responsible for all the works of art within the House of Commons.

From 1997 until 2000 he was Deputy Shadow Leader of the House and Spokesman on Constitutional Affairs.

He was appointed Chairman of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee in 2005 and has been a member of the Liaison Committee from that point. He was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee from 2001-2003 and a member of the House of Commons Commission from 2002-2005, a position he left after becoming Chairman of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee.

He was appointed Chairman of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee in 2005 and has been a member of the Liaison Committee from that point. He was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee from 2001-2003 and a member of the House of Commons Commission from 2002-2005, a position he left after becoming Chairman of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee.

He is a member of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, the Chairman of the History of Parliament Trust, and a Trustee of the Historic Churches Preservation Trust. He is also President of the Staffordshire Historic Churches Trust and Vice President of the Lincolnshire Trust. He is a Director of the Parliamentary Broadcasting Unit and he has written and broadcast extensively. Among his books are WESTMINSTER: PALACE AND PARLIAMENT, ENGLISH CATHEDRALS and BRITISH CASTLES. He is a regular on the BBC programme Parliamentary Questions.

Sir Patrick is a Freeman of the City of London and he was Knighted in the New Year's Honours List of 1995. In 1995 he was elected to The General Synod of the Church of England. In 1998 he was made a Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland. In 1999 he became a Governor of the English Speaking Union.