[cma-l] Angela Evans Smith is new third sector minister

[CMA-L]

Angel Evans Smith, former parliamentary private secretary to Gordon
Brown, replaces Kevin Brennan as the new minister for the third
sector.  Kevin Brennan has moved on to Peter Mandelson's new
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Smith will become a minister of state rather than a parliamentary
under secretary, as Brennan was. She has also been appointed to the
Privy Council, though she will not be a full cabinet minister.

Smith, the MP for Basildon, was first elected to parliament at the
1997 general election. She became a government whip in 2001 before
becoming Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
in 2002. She subsequently moved to the Communities and Local
Government department before becoming Gordon Brown's parliamentary
private secretary when he became Prime Minister in June 2007.

She lists her interests as home affairs, animal welfare, international
development, employment and youth and children's issues, including
child protection. She is a patron of several charities, including
Basildon Home Start, Basildon Women's Refuge, Basildon Age Concern,
the Captive Animals Protection Society and the Burned Children's Club.

Her leisure interests include watching Coronation Street and reading
political biographies and Oscar Wilde novels and plays.

Stuart Etherington, chief executive of sector umbrella body the NCVO,
welcomed Smith's appointment and her promotion to minister of state.
He said: "This reflects the importance of our sector. This is a
crucial time for voluntary and community organisations and Angela will
need to work closely with us all to support civil society through
these turbulent times."

Stephen Brown, director of public affairs at Volunteering England,
said Smith's connections with the Prime Minister were also good news
for the sector. He said: "Prime Ministers only choose people to be
their private secretaries who they trust implicitly and take advice
from."

Last Friday, Tessa Jowell replaced Liam Byrne as Minister for the
Cabinet Office, where the Office of the Third Sector is based.

Source: http://thirdsector.co.uk/news/Article/911701/Angela-Evans-Smith-new-third-sector-minister/

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