FABRICANT, Michael

Member for Lichfield since 1997. Committees: Member, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee 2001-05; Member, Finance and Services Select Committee 2001-04; Chairman, House of Commons Information Select Committee 2001-03; Co-Chairman, All-Party Internet Group; Co- Chairman, Royal Marines All-Party Group (served with the Royal Marines in 1998 as part of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme); Officer on a number of All-Party Parliamentary Committees including the Film Industry, Men-s Health, Obesity; Treasurer, All-Party Cable and Satellite Committee; Treasurer, All-Party Motorcycle Group; Member, All-Party Iceland Group; former Member, European Scrutiny Committee B (Foreign and Affairs and Trade); former Member of the National Heritage Select Committee; Deputy Chairman, Conservative Parliamentary Media committee; Secretary, Conservative Parliamentary Education and Employment Committee; Member, Backbench Trade and Industry and Tourism. Political career: Opposition Whip since 2005; Shadow Minister for Economic Affairs 2003-05; Shadow Minister for Trade and Industry 2003; Parliamentary Private Secretary to Michael Jack as Financial Secretary to the Treasury 1996-97; Member for Staffordshire, Mid 1992-97; contested South Shields 1987. Special political interests: Trade (especially promotion of exports and high technology), foreign relations (especially with the United States and EU). Profession/Trade: Chartered engineer; Fellow of the Institution of Electrical Engineers; unpaid Director of the Engineering and Technology Board; former broadcaster, economist. Education: University of Loughborough, BSc Economics and Law; University of Sussex, MSc Operations Research; Oxford University; London University; University of Southern California in Los Angeles, doctoral research in Economics and Forecasting. Languages spoken: French, German, Dutch (a little), Russian (a little). Author of: various magazines and newspaper articles. Hobbies: Fell-walking, canal-boating, reading, skiing, Mozart operas, listening to the omnibus edition of The Archers, eating out. b. 12 June 1950, Brighton. Single.