Lord Hunt of Kings Heath became a Minister in the Ministry of Justice when new Prime Minister Gordon Brown reshuffled his Government.
As a Parliamentary Under-secretary of State he is on one of the most junior rungs of the Government ladder, but his duties include the key role of overseeing reform of the House of Lords, in partnership with the Justice Secretary, Jack Straw.
His other duties include responsibility of legal aid and the legal Services Commission.
Born on May 19 1949, Lord Hunt educated at Oxford School and studied politics at Leeds University.
Before entering politics he was a senior NHS official working for the National Association of Health Authorities and Trusts before becoming Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation in 1996.
He was also a member of Birmingham City Council from 1980 to 1982.
In 1997 Tony Blair made him a peer, as Baron Hunt of Kings Heath. In 1998 and he became a Government whip and in 1999 he joined the Department of Health as a Minister.
His political career stalled in 2003 when he quit the Government in protest at the Iraq war. But in 2005 he was back, first as a Minister for Work and Pensions and then returning to Health.
Lord Hunt is a Birmingham City supporter who lists his other hobbies as cycling, swimming and music.
He was president of the Family Planning Association between 1997 and 1998 and co-chair of the Association for Public Health from 1994-1998.
Living in Birmingham, Lord Hunt is married to Selina Stewart. He has two daughters and three sons.
