THE PROPORTION of Catholics in the new House of Commons has held steady after the "ins and outs" of the election.
Five Conservative Catholic MPs were elected for the first time: David Amess (Basildon); Joseph Hargreaves (Hyndburn); Jeremy Hayes (Harlow); Gerald Malone (Aberdeen South); and Stefan Terlezki (Cardiff West).
Labour found three more Catholic MPS in its ranks: Thomas Clarke (Monklands West); Frank Cook (Stockton North); and Anthony Lloyd (Stretford).
One Catholic who will not be taking his seat in Parliament is Gerry Adams, who won Belfast West for Provisional Sinn Fein. John Hume, the SDLP victor at Foyle, is also a Catholic.
The Independent Socialist, Gerry Fitt, whom Gerry Adams defeated is a Catholic, but the greatest harvest of Catholic defeats came with the ousting of SDP candidates. The most famous to go was Shirley Williams, but also missing from the new Parliament are James Dunn and Tom McNally.
Stan Cohen, for Labour, and Sir Timothy Kitson, for the Conservatives, did not stand for re-election.
Norman St John-Stevas was returned as MP for Chelmsford by a majority of less than 400. Owen Carron, the Anti-H Blocks candidate at Fermanagh and South Tyrone was narrowly defeated by his Unionist opponent.