Q: What do I do if I want to visit Parliament?
A:
If you would like to come to Parliament for a tour, debate or meeting with Paul, please contact the Westminster office on 020 7219 8296 or paul@paulrowen.co.uk
We can arrange the following types of visit:
Tours of the Palace of Westminster: Tours include the House of Commons, House of Lords and Royal Apartments and will be conducted by a House of Commons guide or a member of Paul Rowen's staff.
Watching Debates: UK residents can watch laws being made and debates in both Houses. We are also allocated a small number of tickets over the year for constituents to attend Ministerial Questions which are distributed on a first come first served basis.
Clock Tower and Big Ben: UK residents over the age of 11 can take guided tours up the clock tower. More information on Tours on the Visiting pages of the Parliamentary website here.
Demand for tours for large groups and tickets for Ministerial Questions is very high, so please contact us as far in advance as possible to secure your preferred dates and times.
Q: How do I contact Paul?
A:
There are many ways to contact Paul. You can write to him at:
142a, Drake Street, Rochdale, OL16 1PS
You can phone him on: 01706 712 186
You email him: paul@paulrowen.co.uk
You can fax him on 01706 646 370.
You can send him a message on FACEBOOK.
Q: Is Paul Rowen my MP? How do I find out?
A:
If you are not sure whether you live in Rochdale, check the Constituency Locator. Simply type your postcode into the locator and it will tell you whether I am your MP.
Paul Rowen represents the Rochdale Constituency where he was born and bred. It currently features the Electoral Ward of Healey, Kingsway, Milkstone and Deeplish, Balderstone and Kirkholt, Spotland and Falinge, Central, Smallbridge and Firgrove, Littleborough Lakeside, Wardle and West Littleborough and parts of Norden and Bamford.
Due to Boundary Changes - Bamford and Norden will be going into Heywood and Middleton and Milnrow and Newhey will be coming into Rochdale.
Q: How much are you paid, and what other allowances do you get and what are your expenses?
A:
How much are you paid, and what other allowances do you get? Salary: From 1 November 2007, Paul Rowen MP's salary is £61,820.
Pension: Since the 1997 election, MPs were required to contribute 6% of their salaries towards the Parliamentary pension scheme. Recently, new rules were drawn up to improve MPs' pensions and increase their contributions to 9%. I voted against this measure, and remain on the 6% level.
Paul Rowen MP's expenses can be viewed by clicking here. You can also see Paul's declaration of interests on this website.
Q: How do you tackle issues as our MP?
A:
Paul tackles issues in a variety of ways. Firstly, through his dedicated casework team that are based at Drake Street in Rochdale - Mon to Fri 10am-5pm. You can also visit Paul at his weekly advice surgeries which you can find here.
Paul often speaks out in Parliament about issues that affect Rochdale. Click here to link to debates that Paul has contributed to in Parliament and see answers to Parliamentary Questions he has asked.
Paul also raises issues through Early Day Motions (EDMs). You can view them here. Already this session he has written popular motions on the UN Day of Peace and Non-Violence, the continuing use of asbestos and the Co-Operative Heritage Lottery Grant as well as supporting motions as diverse as bullying, video games, the Post Office Card Accounts as well as dozens more.
You can find out more about EDMs by dowloading this factsheet.
Q: Are you a spokesman for your party in the House of Commons?
A:
I am a member of the Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Team and a whip for the party.