Stephen TIMMS

Prior to joining the DWP, Stephen Timms served as Financial Secretary to the Treasury. Since May 2002 he has worked at Department of Trade & Industry first as Minister for e-Commerce and Competitiveness and then as Minister of State for Energy, e-Commerce and Postal Services. His previous Ministerial positions included Minister of State for School Standards at the Department for Education and Skills; Financial Secretary to the Treasury; Minister of State at the Department of Social Security and Parliamentary Under Secretary at the Department of Social Security.

He was Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Mo Mowlam from March 1998 to July 1998, following his appointment as PPS to Andrew Smith as Employment Minister between May 1997 and March 1998. He was elected Member of Parliament for East Ham in 1997, and was MP for Newham North East between 1994 and 1997.

He held the position of leader of Newham Council between 1990 and 1994, having been elected to the Council in 1984.

He worked in the computing and telecommunications industry for 15 years before entering Parliament in 1994, first for Logica and then for Ovum. He was educated at Farnborough Grammar School and studied mathematics at Emmanuel College, Cambridge University.

He advised Labour's information society policy forum in Opposition, and has been honorary president of the Telecommunications Users Association and a member of the Council of the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee.