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Photo of Simon Burns

Simon Burns

Conservative MP for West Chelmsford

  • Also represented Chelmsford
  • Whip, Whips (since 16 Dec 2005)
  • Entered Parliament on 11 June 1987 — General election
  • Majority: 9,620 votes. — 304th out of 643 MPs.

Voting record (from PublicWhip)

How Simon Burns voted on key issues since 2001:

  • Voted moderately against a transparent Parliament. votes, speeches
  • Voted moderately against introducing a smoking ban. votes, speeches
  • Voted moderately against introducing ID cards. votes, speeches
  • Voted strongly against introducing foundation hospitals. votes, speeches
  • Voted strongly against introducing student top-up fees. votes, speeches
  • Voted moderately against Labour's anti-terrorism laws. votes, speeches
  • Voted very strongly for the Iraq war. votes, speeches
  • Voted strongly for an investigation into the Iraq war. votes, speeches
  • Voted very strongly for replacing Trident. votes, speeches
  • Voted very strongly against the hunting ban. votes, speeches
  • Voted moderately against equal gay rights. votes, speeches
  • Voted very strongly for laws to stop climate change. votes, speeches

Read about how the voting record is decided.

More on well-known issues (from the Guardian) & their full record

Committees and topics of interest

Asks most questions about

  • Departments: Health, Home Department, Treasury, Work and Pensions, Transport

  • Subjects (based on headings added by Hansard): Correspondence, Parliamentary Questions, Members: Correspondence, Special Advisers, Ministerial Travel

(based on written questions asked by Simon Burns and answered by departments)

Public Bill Committees (sittings attended)

RSS feed Most recent appearances

Written Answers — Work and Pensions: Cold Weather Payments: Chelmsford (18 Mar 2010)

“To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each Chelmsford postcode district received cold weather payments in each of the last six months.”

Written Answers — Home Department: Committees (18 Mar 2010)

“To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State's contribution to the Fifth Delegated Legislation Committee on 9 March 2010 and paragraph 7.2 of the explanatory memorandum to the draft Extradition Act 2003 (Amendment to Designations) Order 2010, what the administrative oversight in respect of the exchange of instruments of...”

Bill Presented — Dementia Strategy Bill: Cluster Munitions (Prohibitions) Bill [ Lords] (17 Mar 2010)

“I was.”

More of Simon Burns's recent appearances

Numerology

Please note that numbers do not measure quality. Also, representatives may do other things not currently covered by this site. (More about this)

  • Has spoken in 41 debates in the last year — well above average amongst MPs.
  • Has received answers to 123 written questions in the last year — well above average amongst MPs.
  • Is a member of 0 select committees (0 as chair).
  • Replied within 2 or 3 weeks to a very high number of messages sent via WriteToThem.com during 2008, according to constituents.
  • Has voted in 72% of votes in parliament with this affiliation — average amongst MPs. (From Public Whip)
  • People have made 2 annotations on this MP’s speeches — well below average amongst MPs.
  • This MP's speeches, in Hansard, are readable by an average 19–20 year old, going by the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score.
  • 97 people are tracking whenever this MP speaks — email me whenever Simon Burns speaks.
  • Has used three-word alliterative phrases (e.g. "she sells seashells") 610 times in debates — above average amongst MPs. (Why is this here?)

Register of Members’ Interests

5. Gifts, benefits and hospitality (UK)
Name of donor: Whitton Investments
Address of donor : Level 33, 25 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5LQ
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: ticket to the Lady Taverners Charity Gala Dinner with guest speaker President Bill Clinton, value £2,000
Date of receipt of donation: 30 October 2009
Date of acceptance of donation: 30 October 2009
Donor status: company
(Registered 3 November 2009)
6. Overseas visits
4-11 April 2009 to China as a guest of the Chinese Association of Friendship and Understanding. Accommodation and food paid for by the Association and flight sponsored by Mr Maurice Bennett; businessman, London. (Registered 13 April 2009)
2-6 May 2009, to Qatar to attend the 9th Conference of Democracy and Security. Flights and accommodation paid for by the Government of Qatar. (Registered 7 May 2009)

Register last updated: 10 Mar 2010. More about the Register

View the history of this MP's entries in the Register

Expenses

Figures in brackets are ranks.Data from parliament.uk (source). Read 2004/05 – 2008/09 and 1st quarter 2009/10 receipts.

Type2008/09 (ranking out of 647)2007/08 (ranking out of 645)2006/07 (ranking out of 645)2005/062004/05 (ranking out of 659)2003/04 (ranking out of 658)2002/03 (ranking out of 657)2001/02 (ranking out of 657)
Staying away from main home£15,949 (412th) £18,908 (420th) £16,061 (490th) £16,610 £17,755 (403rd) £17,935 (374th) £19,722 (joint 1st with 230 others) £12,278 (509th)
London costs£0 £0 £0 £0 £0 £0 £0 £0
Office running costs£14,107 (468th) £18,088 (joint 342nd with 1 other) £17,912 (475th) £19,742 £19,191 (joint 193rd with 1 other) £18,792 (joint 232nd with 5 others) £18,234 (joint 1st with 183 others) £13,857 (385th)
Staffing costs£89,547 (456th) £80,478 (525th) £82,748 (joint 383rd with 1 other) £80,846 £72,871 (227th) £71,773 (joint 85th with 44 others) £69,212 (joint 77th with 28 others) £43,557 (428th)
Communications Allowance£7,659 (376th) £8,096 (325th) N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Members' Travel£4,514 (472nd)1 £4,773 (478th)2 £5,518 (436th)3 £4,852 £8,411 (405th) £7,610 (415th) £7,227 (446th) £6,106 (419th)
Members' Staff Travel£46 (joint 384th with 1 other) £48 (joint 412th with 1 other) £52 (409th) £20 £55 (443rd) £53 (joint 453rd with 1 other) £75 (432nd) £76 (joint 416th with 2 others)
Members' Spouse Travel£0 £0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Members' Family Travel£148 (71st) £110 (81st) N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Centrally Purchased Stationery£3,439 (327th) £661 (joint 387th with 1 other) £664 (433rd) £551 £819 (353rd) £511 (joint 504th with 1 other) £1,296 (218th) £1,545 (joint 158th with 2 others)
Stationery: Associated Postage Costs£3,110 (222nd) £2,267 (371st) £2,146 £2,085 (394th) £1,687 (467th) N/A N/A
Centrally Provided Computer Equipment  £1,265 (joint 232nd with 3 others) £1,058 (joint 320th with 22 others) £0 £1,875 (joint 357th with 7 others) £1,875 (joint 350th with 7 others) £1,875 (joint 342nd with 7 others) £1,875 (joint 322nd with 7 others)
Other Costs£0 £0 £0 £0 £1,303 (76th) £0 £0 £0
Total£135,409 (501st) £135,537 (469th) £126,280 (505th) £124,767 £124,365 (299th) £120,236 (306th) £117,641 (219th) £79,294 (494th)

1 Regular journeys between home/constituency/Westminster: Mileage £4,032 (184th). Rail £362 (525th). Misc £62 (186th). Other: Mileage £58 (68th).

2 Regular journeys between home/constituency/Westminster: Mileage £4,036 (211th). Rail £265 (525th). Misc £270 (102nd). Other: Mileage £202 (30th).

3 Car £5,448 (114th). Rail £70 (560th).