Profile: Mike Penning MP, Minister For Disabled People, Oct 2013-

As of yesterday, for the first time since I’ve been following politics, the Minister For Us Lot is a man, Mike Penning MP.

The profile on his official website says:

Mike Penning is the Member of Parliament for the Hemel Hempstead constituency. He was first elected in May 2005. After the May 2010 election he was appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport and in September 2012 he was promoted to Minister of State for Northern Ireland. In the reshuffle in October 2013 he was appointed as one of the two Ministers of State for Work and Pensions.

He has previously served on the Health Select Committee and as executive member of the Conservative 1922 Committee. He was a Shadow Minister for Health from 2007 to 2010.

Mike was born in North London in 1957 and educated in Essex at Appleton and King Edmund Comprehensive Schools. He is married to Angela and has two daughters Adele and Abby. They live in the Old Town in Hemel.

Mike joined the Army as a boy soldier and served with the Grenadier Guards in Northern Ireland, Kenya and Germany; he also undertook ceremonial duties in London including Trooping of the Colour. On leaving the Army Mike served as a full time fireman in Essex for many years before going into the family business and later, after several career changes, into political journalism.

Mike won the Hemel Hempstead seat in 2005 having previously stood in Thurrock. In 2010 he increased his majority from 499 to 13,406 despite boundary changes that reduced the size of the constituency. He achieved the largest Lab-Con swing in the country.

Mike has many interests outside of politics. Along with being a dedicated family man, he is passionate about sport, especially Rugby Union and Football.

Has he previously said anything/done anything on Disability Issues?