Biography
Michael Fallon has been MP for Sevenoaks since 1997. He was an Education Minister in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major, and is now a senior Parliamentarian.
Personal
Michael was born in Scotland in 1952, and educated at Epsom College. He graduated Honours MA in Classics and Ancient History from St Andrews University.
He is married to Wendy and they have two sons; their home is in Sundridge, in the heart of the constituency. Locally, Michael is a Patron of the Rockdale House Appeal, Honorary Member of the Darenth Valley Rotary Club, Patron of Darenth Valley Youth Music, President of the Friends of Sundridge Church, and a member of The Sevenoaks Society.
Michael is a regular writer and broadcaster on politics, economics and education. His publications include The Caravan Moves On, The Quango Explosion, Sovereign Members, and Brighter Schools. He is also chairman of the All-Party Classics Group.
Business career
Michael Fallon is a former director of two companies: Quality Care Homes plc (nursing homes), and Just Learning Ltd (nurseries) and currently non-executive director of Tullett Prebon plc (inter-dealing broking) and Attendo AB (Scandinavian social and health care).
Political career
He was first elected to the House of Commons in 1983 for the marginal seat of Darlington. He was Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Rt Hon Cecil Parkinson, Secretary of State for Energy, from 1987 to 1988. He then joined the government, first as a Government Whip and was promoted to Lord Commissioner of the Treasury. In 1990 he became Schools Minister, a position he held until 1992.
During his time at the Department of Education he introduced Local Management of Schools, giving 20,000 primary schools their own budgets for the first time, and he began the reform of teacher training.
In 1997 he won the Sevenoaks seat with a 10,461 majority; he was re-elected in 2001, and again for a third time in 2005 with a majority of 12,970. He is currently the senior Tory member of the Treasury Select Committee and chairs the Treasury sub-committee, responsible for overseeing HM Revenue and Customs.
Since becoming MP for Sevenoaks, Michael has been at the forefront of many successful local campaigns:
- he led the campaign to save Sevenoaks Hospital, culminating in the May 2007 decision of West Kent Primary Care Trust to secure its long-term future.
- he gained a £1 million government grant to build the new Riverhead Infants School
- he fought the closure of Sevenoaks Police Station, leading to the decision to open a new police office in the town centre
- he campaigned to save the Lullingstone Visitors Centre, under threat of closure, which led to it being taken over by Kent County Council
- he has also taken up the fight for better noise protection for residents living near the three motorways (M25, M20 & M26) that cut across the constituency, winning a new environmental barrier for Swanley and Swanley Village as part of the M25 widening
- he has campaigned to save the five post offices threatened with closure at Farningham, Eynsford, Seal, Sevenoaks St Botolphs and Sevenoaks High Street
- he has backed villagers fighting illegal travellers’ sites in the Green Belt, and called for the planning laws to be tightened
- for the last ten years he has successfully assisted hundreds of constituents who have had problems with government bureaucracy