Quin was educated at Whitley Bay Grammar School and Newcastle University, where she gained first-class honours in French and came top in her year.

She subsequently gained an Master of Science (MSc) degree in international relations at the London School of Economics.

In 1979, she tabled the resolution to set up a Register of Members' Interests which was eventually accepted by the European Parliament.

She had intended to stand for membership of a North East Regional Assembly on her retirement from Westminster, but the proposed body was rejected by a margin of 4–1 in a referendum in November 2004.

She successfully lobbied Chancellor Gordon Brown to bring in the nationwide concessionary bus travel scheme for pensioners [1] In April 2006, it was announced that Quin had been nominated for a life peerage by the Labour Party.

[3] Quin was appointed a shadow Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs minister by Harriet Harman in May 2010, and was retained in that role by Ed Miliband after his election as Leader of the Labour Party.