Jowell takes over after Smith is lost in reshuffle

14 June 2001
Jowell takes over after Smith is lost in reshuffle

Tessa Jowell was appointed secretary of state at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) - also responsible for tourism - following a personnel clear-out in the wake of Labour's election victory last week.

Additions to the department's responsibilities, also announced on Friday (8 June), are policy on gambling, licensing, horse-racing, censorship and video classification.

Jowell will be in charge of planning the Queen's golden jubilee celebrations, which take place next year.

She commented: "It makes good sense for the department to take on its new responsibilities, in particular to develop the synergies with our existing work on broadcasting, tourism, sport and the national lottery. They are all areas which I feel are the natural territory of the DCMS."

Jowell has been the MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, London, since 1992.

Previously she was minister of state for employment, Welfare to Work and equal opportunities at the Department for Education & Employment (1999-2001) and minister of state for public health at the Department of Health (1997-99).

Before that she had a career in psychiatric social work, social policy and public sector management.

Parliamentary undersecretary Dr Kim Howells is expected to cover tourism.

He comes from the Department of Trade and Industry, where he was minister for consumer and corporate affairs.

Former secretary of state Chris Smith and undersecretary for tourism Janet Anderson were both sacked along with the entire ministerial team.

By Ben Walker

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