About Fiona

Fiona Hall (née Cutts) was born on 15th July 1955, in Swinton, Manchester. She has lived in Whittingham, Northumberland for over twenty years.

Education

Fiona was educated at Worsley Wardley Grammar School in Swinton and Eccles College. She graduated in Modern Languages at Oxford University (St Hugh’s College) and then gained a Postgraduate Certificate in Education at Oxford Polytechnic.

After leaving University, Fiona taught in a squatter settlement in Botswana for two years.  On her return to England, she worked in Northumberland as a play group leader and part-time supply teacher.

Experience

In the early 1990s Fiona chaired the Druridge Bay campaign to stop nuclear power and sand extraction on the Northumberland coast. 

Fiona then moved to work for the Liberal Democrats, firstly as a press/political officer to Lembit Opik MP and Richard Livsey MP from 1997-1999 and then until 2004 as a parliamentary researcher and press officer to Rt Hon Alan Beith MP. In November 2001, Fiona acted as an International Polling Station Supervisor in the elections in Kosovo, working for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Fiona was elected as a Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament for the North East of England in June 2004.

Recent action around the region has included:

• Fighting with local campaigners in Bishop Auckland against ward closures in Bishop Auckland General Hospital.
• Fighting against ex-mines in Billingham being re-opened for toxic or nuclear waste.
• Promoting Fair Trade including working with the City of Durham's Fair Trade Partnership group who have recently achieved Fair Trade status on behalf of the city.
• Running an online petition calling for an EU wide ban on incandescent light bulbs.  
• Calling for ‘action, not talk’ on energy efficiency to make sure that North East businesses and households are helped with practical measures to save energy and money.
• Conducted a survey that revealed an overwhelming support for home renewable energy.
• Lobbying the Government to halt deportation back to the Democratic Republic of Congo, on behalf of Congolese refugees in Stockton. Read the recent news that the High Court has stopped deportation, ruling it to be un safe for returnees.
• Joining the Option C car club in Durham.
• Supporting the North East's bid to be the UK's energy capital.
• Taking action on a European level to tackle the growing surge in patients suffering with high blood pressure in the North East.
• Supporting local efforts to reduce the amount of waste going into landfill.
• Campaigning with Liberal Democrats across the North East to achieve a great progress in the local elections and in the Sedgefield by election.

In the European Parliament Fiona is a member of the Industry Research and Energy and Development Committees and the Election Co-ordination Group. Since June 2004:

On Industry Research and Energy:

• Reached a final compromise last November on Energy End-Use Efficiency.
• Writing the European Parliament's report on energy efficiency.
• Fiona was the ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe) shadow on reports on Heating and Cooling from Renewables and the Commission’s Green Paper on Energy Efficiency and also on a number of non-energy portfolios relating to waste, air traffic control, and the Galileo EU satellite navigation project.
• The European Parliament have adopted Fiona's report on radio spectrum policy.
• Fiona has been taking up North East energy concerns, including high gas prices and the functioning of the gas interconnector between the UK and the continent.  
• Fiona addressed the Parliamentary Renewable and Sustainable Energy Group (PRAESEG) in London. 

On Development:

• Fiona chaired a session of the ALDE seminar on the peace process in the Great Lakes region of Africa.
• She acted as co-rapporteur on a report on climate change and natural disasters for the November 2005 EU-ACP Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Edinburgh.  
• Fiona was the Lib Dem shadow on a Fair Trade report.
• Development charity Practial Action took Fiona to see the consequences of climate change in Kenya.
• Fiona has been leading on efforts to protect rainforests.
• Campaigning against Child Labour and the exploitation of children in the production of toys in the European Parliament.

On Election Observations:

• Observed elections in Haiti (February and April) and Democratic Republic of Congo (July and October)
• Worked with cross-party MEPs to highlight increased violence in Ethiopia following last year's elections.

Fiona lives in Whittingham, Northumberland and has two grown-up daughters.

Please browse through Fiona's photo gallery and news stories.