Evening Herald (Plymouth), UK
June 9, 2006 Friday

City MP ‘thrilled’ with her new role

Labour’s Alison Seabeck has been given a Government post – only a
year after she was elected as a Plymouth MP.

Mrs Seabeck, MP for Plymouth Devonport, has been appointed the
Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Geoff Hoon MP, in the
Foreign Office.

She told the Evening Herald today that she was ‘delighted’ by the new
role, which will see her advising and assisting the Minister for
Europe as he negotiates the UK’s position with other European
countries.

Mrs Seabeck said: “I am really thrilled and honoured to be offered
the post.

“There is a very important job to be done, promoting and protecting
Britain’s interests within Europe whilst working with our partners in
Europe on major issues like climate change.

“I hope that in my small role as a PPS I can help in that important
work.”

Mrs Seabeck was elected to represent Plymouth Devonport in May last
year and had previously been an advisor to Local Government Minister,
Nick Raynsford.

She said: “This is a whole new ball game for me, but it is not going
to be as time-demanding as the select committees I have sat on.

“It is not going to impinge on my constituency time, which was a
concern of mine. It is an area of policy I am not an expert in, so I
will be on quite a learning curve.”

Mrs Seabeck has wasted no time in getting to grips with the new role,
having assisted Mr Hoon in a Commons debate about Armenia on
Wednesday.

She said: “The work will carry on next week, when we have got a
debate on Europe coming up.

“It will be a steady stream of work, but offset by my probable
withdrawal from one or both of the select committees on which I sit.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress