About Mark Hendrick

Mark studied electrical and electronic engineering at Liverpool Polytechnic obtaining a BSc (Hons). He later completed an MSc degree in Computer Science at Manchester University. Mark qualified as a Chartered Engineer two years after finishing his Masters degree. He also holds the University of Manchester Certificate in Education teaching qualification.

From 1994 – 1999 he was Preston's Member of the European Parliament (Lancashire Central Constituency). In November 2000, Mark was elected to the House of Commons in the Preston by-election to become Member of Parliament for Preston, Walton-le-Dale and Bamber Bridge. Mark was re-elected in 2001, he served for two years on the European Scrutiny Select Committee and in 2003 was also appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Margaret Beckett MP, the then Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

In 2005 Mark was re-elected, as a Member of Parliament for Preston, Walton-le-Dale and Bamber Bridge and was re-appointed PPS to Margaret Beckett MP, in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in 2006. Mark moved with Margaret Beckett to the Foreign Office as her PPS when she became Foreign Secretary.

Following the change over from Prime Minister, Tony Blair to Gordon Brown, Mark was moved to become PPS to Jack Straw the Lord High Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Justice in the re-shuffle that followed. Mark served as a PPS to Jack Straw, Minister of Justice, for one year.

Mark has served at the Foreign Office as PPS to Ivan Lewis, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. Mark has also served on the influential Select Committee for International Development. The role of the Committee is to examine the spending and policies of the government's Department for International Development and its associated public bodies. The government also takes an interest in the policies and procedures of international and non-governmental organisations to which the Department for International Development contribute to.

Mark was appointed to the front bench by Labour Leader Ed Miliband as a whip in November 2010 to the summer of 2012 but is now a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.

Mark’s political interests include: Economic, Monetary and Industrial Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Defence, Europe and International Development.

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