POLITICIANS take plenty of stick these days. Whether it be expenses, working hours, or pay it seems they are forever under fire from some who view them as having a cushy number.

But Conor McGinn, who was elected St Helens North MP in May, appears he is on a mission to change perceptions and is keen to show how constituents he is active in the community.

He has taken the unusual step of releasing a report detailing his work in Parliament and St Helens since he came to office.

Mr McGinn details more than 30 events he has attended, including school visits, charity events and business.

He claims to have dealt with more than 1,000 queries from constituents since his office opened a week after he became MP.

The MP said: "I have published this report so that my constituents can see what I've been doing locally in the community, how I've been helping people who ask my office for assistance and what I've been raising in Parliament at Westminster. I hope people find it useful and am happy to receive any feedback."

In Westminster he has been appointed to the Defence Select Committee where he will scrutinise the Government's policies on defence, national security, the armed forces and veterans. Mr McGinn, who grew up in County Armagh, was also elected by MPs as the chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Irish in Britain, a role which saw him recently meet the President of Ireland Michael D Higgins.

McGinn added: "In the short time I have been an MP I have exposed the lack of government funding for pupils in St Helens compared to the national average, revealed the fact that no funding for homeless armed forces veterans has been made available to the North West, obtained figures that show energy bills on Merseyside have risen by one third since 2010 and questioned ministers about local transport costs, rising child poverty levels in the region and cuts to the local government budget in our borough."