Richard Younger-Ross MP
Member of Parliament for Teignbridge
Incumbent
Assumed office  7 June 2001
Preceded by	Patrick Nicholls
Majority	6,215 (10.2%)
Born	29 January 1953 (1953-01-29) (age 56) Surrey
Nationality	British
Political party	Liberal Democrat
Spouse(s)	Susan Younger (married 1982)
Religion	Roman Catholic

Richard Alan Younger-Ross (born Richard Alan Ross, January 29, 1953, Surrey) is a politician in England. He is the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Teignbridge, having fought the seat in 1992 and 1997, finally winning in the 2001 election, and was re-elected in 2005, when he beat off Boris Johnson's father Stanley.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Parliamentary career 3 Personal life 4 Expenses Controversy 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Early life

He went to Walton County Secondary School for Boys (a secondary modern, became Ambleside Junior School, then Walton Oak primary school) on Ambleside Avenue in Walton on Thames, Brooklands Technical College on Heath Road in Weybridge, then Ewell Technical College (now called North East Surrey College Of Technology - NESCOT) in Ewell. He studied at the now Oxford Brookes University. Before becoming a politician, he was an architectural consultant.

[edit] Parliamentary career

He was a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee between 2005-2008. Following the Liberal Democrat reshuffle after the election of Nick Clegg as Party Leader; Richard was appointed to the Defence Select Committee, giving his place on the Foreign Affairs committee to Ming Campbell. Richard also sits on the European Scrutiny Committee since 2005, and is also a shadow minister for Culture, Media and Sport.

In 2006, Younger-Ross proposed a Ten Minute Rule Bill restricting Sunday trading hours in the UK for shops, arguing that without such legislation the British people would lose "rhythm of life" (House of Commons Debate, 24/05/2006). He is a member of the Beveridge Group.^[1]

[edit] Personal life

Richard moved to Teignmouth, Devon in 1989, with his wife, Susan Younger, who he married in 1982 in Oxford. Younger-Ross is a Roman Catholic, attending a church in Teignmouth.

[edit] Expenses Controversy

On 16 May 2009, The Daily Telegraph released details of several of Mr Younger-Ross's parliamentary expense claims.^[2] The disclosures were part of the newspaper's wider disclosure of expenses of British Members of Parliament.

Mr Younger-Ross was reported to have claimed more than £1200 for several mirrors to furnish his London flat, on which the rent was £1566 per month. A further £1475 was claimed for a single chest of drawers, which along with the most expensive of the mirrors was made from solid cherrywood and built by exclusive French furniture maker Brigitte Forestier. These claims were submitted and approved by the Fees Office despite the fact that the so-called 'John Lewis List' issued to MPs to guide them in their expense claims explicitly states that MPs should not spend more than £500 on chests of drawers or more than £300 on mirrors.^[3]

The MP also claimed more than £1100 for what the Telegraph called a 'top of the range stereo system'.^[4] Once again, this amount exceeded the limit prescribed by the John Lewis List, which sets the maximum cost of stereo systems at £750. Claims were also submitted for lace curtains, as well as for £500 towards the cost of a 'Don Juan' bookcase from Lombok^[5]. A claim of £100 for 'luggage' made in 2008 was rejected by the Fees Office on the grounds that it constituted “personal costs not related to second home”.^[6]

The Telegraph interpreted the claims as excessive, stating that they were "in clear breach of guidelines that state members must not use public funds for “extravagant or luxurious” goods."^[7]

In response to the release of the claims, Mr Younger-Ross agreed to repay £4,333.35.

On 17 May 2009, Younger-Ross made a statement to the Press Association on the matter, saying: "At the time I did not think these were luxury items. Clearly people think they are. If I got that wrong, I apologise. Many MPs come from middle-class and upper-class backgrounds so our idea of what a luxury item is is probably different to someone who is struggling. Our perception is wrong."^[8]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Richard Younger-Ross MP profile at the site of Liberal Democrats
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Richard Younger-Ross MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Richard Younger-Ross MP
• The Public Whip - Richard Younger-Ross MP voting record
• BBC News - Richard Younger-Ross profile 30 March 2006

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Patrick Nicholls	Member of Parliament for Teignbridge 2001–present	Incumbent