Daniel was previously a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, which examines the expenditure, administration and policy of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). Other bodies associated with the Foreign Office and thereby within the Committee's remit, include the British Council. The FCO is also responsible for UK participation in international and regional multilateral organisations such as the United Nations, the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), NATO and the European Union.
The Committee is appointed by the House of Commons. It comprises of 11 backbench Members of Parliament from Government and Opposition parties and is calculated to reflect the membership of the House as a whole. For more information on the Committee and its inquiries and other work please see the following link: http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-sele...(link is external)
Daniel has previously sat on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, which was central to developing his close involvement in farming issues.
He was a former member of the International Development Select Committee, as well as having served on William Hague's Shadow Foreign Affairs team in opposition.
All Party Parliamentary Groups
Daniel belongs to various All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) which are groups of MPs (and Lords) who have an interest in particular topics. Many of the APPGs are in connection with particular foreign countries or regions of the world and Daniel is involved with several of these, given that he is a member of the Shadow Foreign Affairs Team and has a strong personal interest in international politics.
Daniel is an office holder in the following APPGs (the official purpose of the Group is given in brackets).
•Poland (chair) (fosters the good relationship between Poland and the United Kingdom, promotes the contribution of the Polish community to the UK and bilateral trade.)
•Russia (vice-chair) (To foster good relations between the UK and the Russian Federation.)
•Saudi Arabia (vice-chair) (To encourage and develop diplomatic, cultural and social exchanges between the Royal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UK with the aim of achieving greater understanding and fostering mutual respect.)
WHAT IS AN ALL PARTY PARLIAMENTARY GROUP?
All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) are informal groups run by and for MPs and Lords that have no official status within Parliament, but allow a wide range of topics to be addressed by MPs and Lords who are interested. Activities of APPGs include lobbying, research, discussions and dissemination of relevant information.
APPGs must be cross-party and there is a register kept of groups which are recognised by Parliament. The register shows who the officers and key supporting MPs and Peers of each group are, and what support they receive from outside of Parliament.