Diana Organ

Diana Mary Organ
Member of Parliament for Forest of Dean
In office 1 May 1997 – 5 May 2005
Preceded by	Constituency Established
Succeeded by	Mark Harper
Personal details
Born	21 February 1951 (1951-02-21) (age 60)
Nationality	British
Political party	Labour
Alma mater	St Hugh's College, Oxford University of Bath Bristol Polytechnic

Diana Mary Organ (born 21 February 1952) is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Forest of Dean from 1997 to 2005.

Early life

Her father was Finance Controller of GKN. She went to the independent Edgbaston Church of England College for Girls on Calthorpe Road in Edgbaston, Birmingham (which became the co-ed St. Georges School, Birmingham in 1999). At (then all female) St Hugh's College, Oxford, she gained a BA in Geography in 1973. At the School of Education at the University of Bath, she gained a PGCE in 1974. From Bristol Polytechnic in 1981, she gained a Diploma in Special Education.^[1]

From 1974–77, she was an assistant special needs teacher. She was deputy head of St Germans primary school near Saltash, Cornwall from 1977–9. From 1979–82, she was Head of a Special Needs Unit in Somerset. She worked on supply in special schools in Somerset from 1982–8. She was an assistant English teacher in Somerset from 1988–92. She worked as a political researcher for Oxfordshire County Council from 1992–5.^[1]

Parliamentary career

Organ first contested Forest of Dean in 1992, but was not successful. In 1995 she was again selected to stand for Labour through this time through all-women shortlist.^[2] This method of selection was subsequently declared illegal in January 1996 as it breached sex discrimination laws.^[3] Despite the ruling she remained in place as the candidate for the following year's election. She was Labour Party Member of Parliament for the Forest of Dean from the 1997 election until she stepped down at the 2005 election, citing changing family circumstances.

Expenses

Main article: United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal

In February 2010 it was revealed that Organ is required to repay £15,964.01 in respect of wrongly claimed expenses relating to mortgage interest payments. However she has refused to repay the money so far.^[4][5]

Personal life

She married Richard in 1975. They have two daughters.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/vote2001/candidates/candidates/2/25705.stm. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
2. ^ . http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19960109/ai_n9634358?tag=content;col1. ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ "Labour blow as all-women lists outlawed". The Independent (Bnet.com). 9 January 1996. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19960109/ai_n9634289. ^{[dead link]}
4. ^ "What MPs have been asked to repay". The Independent (London). 4 February 2010. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/what-mps-have-been-asked-to-repay-1889590.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
5. ^ Wright, Stephen; Chapman, James (5 February 2010). "Shaming of the 389 greedy MPs who went too far". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1248648/Expenses-Two-MPs-face-fraud-charges-389-shamed.html. 

External links

• They Work For You
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Diana Organ
• Ask Aristotle

Persondata
Name	Organ, Diana Mary
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	21 February 1951
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death