This debate took place in March 2010, prior to the May 2010 General Election.

Ben Bradshaw , Former Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

Ben Bradshaw was appointed Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in June 2009. He was elected as MP for Exeter on 1 May 1997.
Prior to that Ben was: Minister of State for Health Services and with additional responsibility as Minister for the South West at the Department of Health  (July 2007 to June 2009); Minister for Local Environment, Marine and Animal Welfare at Defra, joining that Department initially as Nature Conservation and Fisheries Minister in June 2003;  Parliamentary Secretary the Privy Council Office where he was appointed in May 2002. Previously he was Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
Before his election as MP for Exeter Ben worked as a journalist, training on the Express & Echo in Exeter before working for BBC Radio Devon and going on to be the BBC's Berlin correspondent.
Born on 30 August, 1960, Ben Bradshaw was educated at Thorpe St Andrew School, Norwich and Sussex University.
He is a keen cyclist and enjoys walking, particularly on Dartmoor, music and cooking. He lives in Exeter and London with his partner.

Jeremy Hunt, Former Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport

Jeremy was elected Conservative Member of Parliament for South West Surrey in May 2005. In July 2007 Jeremy was promoted to the Shadow Cabinet by David Cameron to take on the role of Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport.  He had previously served from December 2005 to July 2007 as Shadow Minister for Disabled People. As well as the vital Olympics brief, Jeremy sees the role as having a major relevance to the quality of life agenda.  He is also interested in international development, was a member of the International Development Select Committee. His particular area of focus has been HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Jeremy went to school in South West Surrey, and then studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Magdalen College, Oxford, gaining a first class honours degree. After a brief period as a management consultant he went to Japan for two years where he supported himself teaching English whilst he learnt Japanese. He then returned to the UK and with a business partner set up Hotcourses Ltd, the UK’s largest publisher of guides and websites to help people choose the right school, college, university or course.

Don Foster, Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

Don was born in Preston, Lancashire, in 1947, and educated at the Lancaster Royal Grammar School before attending Keele University where he was awarded a BSc degree in Physics and Psychology in 1969. He studied later for his MEd in Education at the University of Bath in 1981.
After graduating as a teacher, Don took up a position at the Sevenoaks School in Kent in 1969, before becoming a science project director with the Avon Education Authority in 1975. He became a lecturer in education at the University of Bristol in 1980, before joining Pannell Kerr Forster as a management consultant in 1989.
In 1992 Don beat fierce competition from the Conservative favourite, and then Chairman of the Party, Chris Patten to take the parliamentary constituency of Bath, taking up his seat in the House of Commons. Don has since been returned to Westminster on three different occasions, 1997, 2001 and 2005 and hopes to be reelected again at the next General Election.
In Parliament Don has held several different positions within the Liberal Democrats; including Education Spokesman and his current role as Lib Dem Shadow Culture, Media and Sports Secretary. An avid Bath Rugby fan, Don tries to get to as many matches at the Rec as possible. He also supports several local charities, such as Ted’s Big Day Out and Julian House, as well as being actively involved in international projects such as WaterAid and charities including Amnesty International.
Don is married to Victoria, and has two children and three grandchildren.