Fiona Hall (née Cutts) was born on 15th July 1955, in Swinton, Manchester. She was educated at Worsley Wardley Grammar School in Swinton and Eccles College. She graduated in Modern Languages at Oxford University (St Hugh’s College) and then gained a Postgraduate Certificate in Education at Oxford Polytechnic.
After leaving University, Fiona taught in a squatter settlement in Botswana for two years. On her return to England, she worked in Northumberland as a play group leader and part-time supply teacher.
In the early 1990s Fiona chaired the Druridge Bay campaign to stop nuclear power and sand extraction on the Northumberland coast.
Fiona then moved to work for the Liberal Democrats, firstly as a press/political officer to Lembit Öpik MP and Richard Livsey MP from 1997-1999 and then until 2004 as a parliamentary researcher and press officer to Rt Hon Alan Beith MP. In November 2001, Fiona acted as an International Polling Station Supervisor in the elections in Kosovo, working for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Fiona was elected as a Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament for the North East of England in June 2004. She was also a candidate in the 1999 European Elections.
In the European Parliament, Fiona is a full member of the Industry, Research and Energy Committee and a substitute member of the Development Committee. Since June 2004 she has
- led the Liberals and Democrats Group on energy saving, fighting for binding targets on energy efficiency.
- worked in the European Parliament and in the North East to improve small business access to European Research money.
- supported the expansion of renewable energy, including biodiesel from oil seed rape grown in the North East.
- taken the lead in pushing forward proposals to stop illegal logging and save the rainforest - the forest law enforcement, governance and trade initiative (FLEGT).
- visited refugee camps in Darfur (Sudan) and Eastern Chad, schools projects in Mali and a farmer support project in Senegal.
- observed the May 2005 elections in Ethiopia as a member of the EU Election Observation Mission.
Fiona is married and lives in Whittingham, Northumberland. She has two grown-up daughters who work in London.