Actually no. When I arrived in parliament I was quite shocked by the level of need for recognition by some of my colleagues by the need to become a 'Minister'. I was quite fortunate that as I was put onto the Campaign Team I was working closely with Ministerial teams from the start. I could honestly say that it is far from glamorous. In fact it is hard work for little recognition being a junior minister. The longer I worked in a department and with different ministers the more I was resolved never to take a job I didn't want.

There are two very simple reasons. One is time. A Minister works 15 hours a day 6-7 days a week. I have a young family and you only get one chance to see them grow up.

The second is about where I best feel I can make a difference. I simply enjoy being a good constituency MP. That is ambitious enough for me. It is an honour and a pleasure to do this and that should be enough to satify anybody. So why would I want to give up my life and time in the constituency to be an unknown junior minister in the Deaprtment of Work and Pensions for example?

However, having said all of this I will be very honest and say that if offered the job of Sports Minister I would think carefully about taking it - as I have a passion for sport that means I could do the job with drive and enthusiasm and would be willing to make sacrifices.

I served Ministers in the official position of PPS. So I worked closely with them on the day to day decision making process and the political assesments. I have seen the life of Ministers and SoSs very close up.

After I resigned as PPS to a Secretary of State I effectively gave up any chance of that ever happening. It is sad that in politics the greasy pole up is very greasy, which means once at the bottom again it is hard to get back to the top. So for the remainder of my political life I will enjoy the obscurity of back bench life and represetning my wonderful constituency. That is enough of an honour for anybody.

I started years ago to publish details of the Allowances we are given to run our offices and in light or recent stories I am happy to do so again. Below are details of the staff I employ. I am not willing to say exactly how much each person is paid - as this is personal information I would require their permission to produce. I have though included details of their pay scale.

I have also produced a breakdown of the ACA allowance and the Office Budget for information. These are based on legitimate claims made to the Fees Office and verified by them.

I find this one of the dafter questions I am asked. If the majority of people who get involved in politics were only interested in themselves it would not be politics they would have chosen.

What does one get out of it that makes it so great?

The pay and conditions of an MP are clearly no secret. They are frequently talked about in the media. I have never made any secret of the fact that I beleive that the pay is adequate. At 2003 prices an MP is paid £55,000 per annum. Everyone will have an opinion if this is too much or about right. Whatever your own view it is not worth trying to convince you either way.

I am usually asked this question in schools where the perception sems to be that MPs are millionaires. I get this from constituents too. When I point out that I earn less than their Head Teacher for example people are quite surprised.

The main problems arise when lazy journalist (whose own expenses probably wouldn't last a 30 second inspection) lump allowances into the our pay. The truth is that things like the staffing allowance (about £60,000 pa) is paid directly to staff. It is the equivalannt of about 2.5 to 3 Full time staff per office. It is not paid to MPs.

The Incidental Expenses Budget (c £18,000 pa) is recliamable monies for running the constituency office. It pays for telephone, fax, office rent, computers etc. Again it is not for the MP but for running an office. In fact it is not enough to run an office for a busy constituency so I have used £20,000 of my own money in the last few years to subsidise the office and staffing. The media are never interested in this side of the story!

Finally there are genuine expenses for travel and overnight stays in London. These are based on normal public sector rates.

Yes I do. I have employed my wife for a number of years and have noting to hide in the working relationship.

She has a full job description, Contract of Employment and is employed as my PA to deal with non Westminster Diary, finance, & personnel issues for example.

I am perfectly happy with this contract of employment as she is the best placed person to do the various tasks as unsocial hours I demand. The job was openly advertised and filled - as are all of my jobs.

All team members are aware of her work and liaise with her on a daily basis.

I fully understand why the public question this arrangement after all that is written in the papers. However, it is important to remember the unique role of an MP and the need to be in different parts of the country - working unsocial hours. For example I usually deal with many of the administrative tasks allocated on a Sunday evening! I don't know many PAs willing to work 2 hours at this time in the evening and at weekends.

I pay her the going rate for the job in the office on a part-time basis.

Generally I do enjoy being a Member of Parliament. It is a great honour to serve a constituency like Loughborough. Like many jobs there are times that are really tough. Being apart from family and on call all of the time is the worst part.

Quite simply no. I have never had to knowingly mislead anybody. In fact I can be very blunt and honest with people. Perhaps too honest at times. I feel it is better to be honest even if this means being blunt. If I can't win a case or can't help I will say so from the start, rather than raise hopes artificially. If I also think somebody is being racist or abusive I will tell them. I don't think it is right to pander to somebody and their offensive views. I would rather they go and vote for somebody else, and I have told people so!

I think generally there is merit in a cohesive Party policy, but at times there should be free votes.

I also think, as I proved over my decision to resign over Iraq, that when there is a clash between party and the intersts of the nation or ones own personal conscience, the Party should come second

This is hard. I hate being judged by the actions of others and the media. I know I ahve never lied and I would challenge anybody to prove otherwise, but it is the pathetic portrayal of politicians as schemers and liars by the media that gives completely the wrong impressioni. I am writing this surrounded by other hard working MPs on their keyboards, and I would trust those around me here more than any of the journalists I have ever met.

But I do understand that there is an image problem. It is probably the single biggest reason why I want to get out of politics in this country. But then I stop and say - no why should good people be pushed out by the media. Suerly it is best to stand and fight for your values. At the end of the day though my lone voice on this web site v the concentrated power of the media is a lonely battle.

There is no such thing as a typical week but there are patterns to work in London and the constituency.

When Parliament is sitting I will be there from Monday until Thursday evening. There are some Friday sittings, but I have always prioritised my constituency engagements for these days.

When we are in recess the work does not stop - in fact it can often be busier in the constituency.

I will add further details here later.

This is the question I am most frequently asked in school visits.

It really does depend on what is happening. Sometimes I can go weeks without seeing Tony, and then I can have a number of meetings over a couple of weeks. As well as serious political issues of the day we swap stories about our children like most proud fathers.

In politics I find I meet and listen to a lot more than most people in 'real life'. I bet I know the views of a lot more of my constituents than anybody who peddles this old chestnut! And I know and meet a much wider circle of people than most.

If you are interested in visiting the House of Commons please email using the form above or visit the information site at the House of Commons website for more details see: 'Touring the House of Commons' on http://www.parliament.uk.

I have a passion for dealing with poverty inequality and injustice. Many people do. But I recognised that my passion had to be channeled. Like many people I joined pressure groups and lobby organisations on a wide variety of issues.

I still feel that passion today. I get depressd about the way the media treat politics and the label that goes with the term 'politician'. I don't wake up every morning thinking I am a politician. I just see myself as a pretty ordinary bloke from Loughborough who happens to be an MP so that I can get things done locally, nationally and internationally.

I always find it fascinating to hear how people think we lead our lives. Like most families we do ordinary family things at home. I play sport in the sme place I have played for 20 years, I am found at the garden centre at the weekend like lots of other people or at the domestic tip! People always look surprised to see me in my shorts or jeans doing the shopping - but where do they think I shop?

For me home is a semi in Quorn. I have always lived locally - Birstall, Sileby and now Quorn. I do have to stay in London when the House of Commons is sitting, but I am always desperate to get home to the family and the constituency.

I worked voluntarily for John Smith MP as part of his Leadership campaign team in 1992. I was a great admirer of John and his honesty, integrity and sincerity. We will never know what would have happened if he had not sadly passed away when leader of the Labour Party, but I will always admire and respect him and his contribution to politics.

As a teenager in the 1980s I was moved by the plight of millions starving in Africa, when we had food mountains in Europe. It seemed to me that this was injustice at its worst.

I joined campaigns to highlight this - but it seemed that the best way was for me to change the world, so I joined the Labour Party in 1983/84. It didn't seem enough for me to simply write to my MP.

My philosophical and ethical and moral position stems from this period. I would describe myself as a democratic socialist based on co-operation and mutuality. My Christian faith also influences my core moral beliefs about society.

My recent trip in April 2003 to Ethiopia confirmed to me that the basic injustices still exist and that my desire to change the world is still there.

Again I find this a rather tired cliche that bears no sense of reality. Whilst it may true that some of the big ideological differences have been narrowed amongst the main political parties to suggest the Labour, Tory, Liberal Democrat, Green, UKIP or BNP are all the same is quite ridiculous.

I have absolutely nothing in common with the BNP or UKIP and I would fight tooth and nail to prevent their politics of fear and hatred. Whilst I have civilised bone in my body I would campaign against them. So to suggest we are all the same is insulting to everybody.