Andrew Miller Esq, MP

PPS to Ministers, Department of Trade and Industry

Ellesmere Port and Neston

Lab majority 10,861

A computer-literate ex-union official who has specialised in IT, Andrew

Miller had to wait for his third Parliament before being offered any

form of promotion, finally being appointed Parliamentary Private

Secretary, "team PPS", to Ministers at the Department of Trade and

Industry in 2001.

It was a small reward for his work in information technology on the

Commons Information Committee, and the Science and Technology Committee.

A good organiser and publicist, he is president of Computing for Labour

and a member of Scientists for Labour. He represents heavy industry,

refining, and Vauxhall car-making on Deeside, and his constituency also

has a nuclear plant at Capenhurst.

A southerner who has espoused North West regional causes, he was born

in 1949, went to Hayling Island Secondary School and Highbury Technical

College and took a diploma in industrial relations at the London School

of Economics. He was a technician at Portsmouth Polytechnic, an analyst

in geology and a regional official of the scientific union MSF, before

winning his seat from the Tories in 1992.

He is a member of the Fabians and Action for Southern Africa, and a

member of the board of POST, and council member of PITCOM (both to do

with science and IT). He also chairs the All-Party Group on road

traffic victims, and is vice-chairman of the groups on IT, cricket and

tennis.

In 2000 he came tenth in the private members' ballot and brought in a

Bill to strengthen the copyright law, and increase the penalties for

infringement.

He has spoken on: the chemical industry, pension funds, housing, the

arms trade, the millennium bug, GM foods, NHS drugs, the homosexual age

of consent, road traffic victims, and hereditary peers.

He campaigned for his constituent, the nanny Louise Woodward, who was

convicted of murder in the United States, and organised her press

conference on her return, but fell out with journalists over what

questions should be allowed. One paper said he "lost his cool". He did

research for her US lawyers. He later received threats and hate mail.

He is a tennis and cricket enthusiast, and took part in Lords v Commons

motor race in 1999.