Debra Shipley
Encyclopedia
Debra Ann Shipley is a politician in the United Kingdom
. She was Labour Party
Member of Parliament
(MP) for Stourbridge
from 1997 until the 2005 general election
, when she stood down for reasons of ill health. She was succeeded by Lynda Waltho
, also from the Labour Party.
. This method of selection was subsequently declared illegal in January 1996 as it breached sex discrimination laws. Despite the ruling she remained in place as the candidate for the following year's election.
As an MP, Shipley's most significant initiative was the Protection of Children Act
, which passed with cross-party support, it requires that childcare organizations now check new staff against a newly-created registry of child abusers. Shipley was also responsible for the Children's Food Bill, which called for the removal of "unhealthy" food from school vending machine
s and improvements to school meals. The latter bill attracted the support of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver
.
Shipley served on the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee and she was Parliamentary Ambassador for NSPCC, in which capacity she fronted the "Full Stop" Campaign in Parliament. Shipley generally voted along with her party, and consistently voted in favour of equal rights for homosexuals.
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. She was Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Stourbridge
Stourbridge (UK Parliament constituency)
Stourbridge is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
from 1997 until the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, when she stood down for reasons of ill health. She was succeeded by Lynda Waltho
Lynda Waltho
Lynda Ellen Waltho is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Stourbridge from 2005 to 2010 elected after sitting Labour MP Debra Shipley had stepped down due to ill-health just days before the 2005 election was called...
, also from the Labour Party.
Parliament
Shipley was selected to stand for election for Labour through an all-women shortlistAll-women shortlists
The use of all-women shortlists is the political practice intended to increase the proportion of female Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom by allowing only women to stand in particular constituencies for a particular political party. Though the practice is available to all parties, only...
. This method of selection was subsequently declared illegal in January 1996 as it breached sex discrimination laws. Despite the ruling she remained in place as the candidate for the following year's election.
As an MP, Shipley's most significant initiative was the Protection of Children Act
Protection of Children Act
Protection of Children Act is a stock short title used for legislation in the United Kingdom.-List:* The Prevention of Cruelty to, and Protection of, Children Act 1889* The Protection of Children Act 1978* The Protection of Children Act 1986...
, which passed with cross-party support, it requires that childcare organizations now check new staff against a newly-created registry of child abusers. Shipley was also responsible for the Children's Food Bill, which called for the removal of "unhealthy" food from school vending machine
Vending machine
A vending machine is a machine which dispenses items such as snacks, beverages, alcohol, cigarettes, lottery tickets, consumer products and even gold and gems to customers automatically, after the customer inserts currency or credit into the machine....
s and improvements to school meals. The latter bill attracted the support of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver
Jamie Oliver
James "Jamie" Trevor Oliver, MBE , sometimes known as The Naked Chef, is an English chef, restaurateur and media personality, known for his food-focused television shows, cookbooks and more recently his campaign against the use of processed foods in national schools...
.
Shipley served on the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee and she was Parliamentary Ambassador for NSPCC, in which capacity she fronted the "Full Stop" Campaign in Parliament. Shipley generally voted along with her party, and consistently voted in favour of equal rights for homosexuals.
Family
Shipley was married to Simon Molesworth, who died of cancer in 2004, a year prior to her own diagnosis with breast cancerBreast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
.