BROWNE, Desmond Rt Hon

Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun since 1997. Committees: Member, Joint Party Committee on Human Rights 2000-01; Member, Select Committee on Public Administration 1999-2000; Member, Select Committee on Northern Ireland 1997-99; Treasurer, All-Party Parliamentary Group, Scotch Whisky until 2001; Member, APPG, Great Lakes Rwanda until 2001; Member, APPG, Diabetes until 2001. Political career: Secretary of State for Defence 2006-08; Chief Secretary to the Treasury 2005-06; Minister of State, Home Office (Immigration) 2004-05; Minister of State, Work and Pensions Department 2003-04; Parliamentary Secretary to the Northern Ireland Office since 2001-03; Parliamentary Private Secretary to Rt Hon Adam Ingram, Minister of State, Northern Ireland 2000; PPS to Rt Hon Donald Dewar, Secretary of State for Scotland 1998-99; Parliamentary Candidate for Argyll and Bute 1992. Special political interests: Northern Ireland, human rights, Scottish issues, disability. Profession/Trade: Advocate. Education: St Michael-s Secondary, Kilwinning; University of Glasgow, LLB (Hons). Author of: Report for Lord MacAulay-s Working Party on the Prison System (1990). Hobbies: Football, swimming, reading. b. 22 March 1952, Kilwinning, Ayrshire. Married with two sons