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David Laws MP
- Liberal Democrat MP for Yeovil
- Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Children, Schools and Families (since 4 Jul 2007)
- Entered Parliament on 7 June 2001 — General election
- Majority: 8,562 votes. — 332nd out of 632 MPs.
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Voting record (from PublicWhip)
How David Laws voted on key issues since 2001:
- Has never voted on 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 strongly against Labour's anti-terrorism laws. votes, speeches
- Voted very strongly against the Iraq war. votes, speeches
- Voted very strongly for an investigation into the Iraq war. votes, speeches
- Voted very strongly against replacing Trident. votes, speeches
- Voted strongly for the hunting ban. votes, speeches
- Voted moderately for equal gay rights. votes, speeches
Read about how the voting record is decided.
More on well-known issues (from the Guardian) & their full record
- Hardly ever rebels against their party in this parliament.
Committees and topics of interest
Asks most questions about
- Departments: Treasury, Work and Pensions, Children, Schools and Families, Health, Education and Skills
- Subjects (based on headings added by Hansard): Tax Credits, Pensions, Child Support Agency, Parliamentary Questions, Euro
(based on written questions asked by David Laws and answered by departments)
Most recent appearances in parliament
- Oral Answers to Questions — Health: SATs Testing (22 Jul 2008)
“I hope that notwithstanding those comments the Secretary of State will accept that if we are to have a high-stakes national testing system we must have a high-quality marking system that enjoys confidence. I hope that the Secretary of State would acknowledge that this year's marking of the key stage 2 and 3 tests has been nothing short of a complete shambles. The Secretary of State...”
- Oral Answers to Questions — Defence: Helicopters (21 Jul 2008)
“I thank the Secretary of State for meeting me two weeks ago to discuss the Future Lynx order. He will be aware of the concern of many of my constituents about the media speculation surrounding the order. In the light of that, will he be in a position to give a clear green light to the order, which was signed two years ago, before the August holiday period begins?”
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 20 debates in the last year — average amongst MPs.
- Has received answers to 1024 written questions in the last year — well above average amongst MPs.
- Replied within 2 or 3 weeks to a very high number of messages sent via WriteToThem.com during 2007, according to constituents.
- Has voted in 68% of votes in parliament — below average amongst MPs. (From Public Whip)
- People have made 3 comments on this MP's speeches — below average amongst MPs.
- This MP's speeches are understandable to an average 19–20 year old, going by the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score.
- 51 people are tracking whenever this MP speaks — email me whenever David Laws speaks.
- Has used three-word alliterative phrases (e.g. "she sells seashells") 338 times in debates — well above average amongst MPs. (Why is this here?)
Register of Members' Interests
Nil
Register last updated: 22 Jul 2008. More about the Register
Expenses
Figures in brackets are ranks. Parliament's explanatory notes.
| Type | 2006/07 (ranking out of 645) | 2005/06 | 2004/05 (ranking out of 659) | 2003/04 (ranking out of 658) | 2002/03 (ranking out of 657) | 2001/02 (ranking out of 657) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Additional Costs Allowance | £21,065 (344th) | £18,887 | £16,870 (435th) | £13,321 (512th) | £18,459 (396th) | £16,449 (123rd) |
| London Supplement | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Incidental Expenses Provision | £25,795 (79th) | £23,999 | £19,273 (joint 167th) | £18,784 (joint 262nd) | £18,228 (joint 213th) | £20,282 (158th) |
| Staffing Allowance | £81,920 (401st) | £80,068 | £70,378 (321st) | £68,023 (joint 228th) | £65,591 (233rd) | £52,721 (107th) |
| Members' Travel | £6,859 (350th)* | £7,585 | £13,308 (204th) | £10,929 (289th) | £12,811 (207th) | £7,467 (349th) |
| Members' Staff Travel | £230 (joint 313th) | £150 | £347 (314th) | £158 (383rd) | £242 (joint 359th) | £395 (276th) |
| Centrally Purchased Stationery | £1,451 (170th) | £1,334 | £1,235 (joint 221st) | £2,068 (58th) | £1,835 (107th) | £2,080 (65th) |
| Stationery: Associated Postage Costs | £8,325 (53rd) | £6,887 | £6,415 (91st) | £13,694 (10th) | N/A | N/A |
| Centrally Provided Computer Equipment | £1,125 (joint 205th) | £0 | £1,945 (joint 204th) | £1,945 (joint 199th) | £1,945 (joint 196th) | £1,945 (joint 186th) |
| Other Costs | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Total | £146,770 (141st) | £138,910 | £129,771 (198th) | £128,922 (136th) | £119,111 (191st) | £101,339 (75th) |
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More useful links for this person
- David Laws's personal website
- Biography (From The Guardian)
- Biography (From Wikipedia)
- Newspaper articles written by this MP (From Journalisted)
- Parliamentary career (From The Guardian)
- Election results for Yeovil (From The Guardian)
- Previous candidacies (From The Guardian)
- Contact details (From The Guardian)
- General information (From BBC News)
Previous MPs in this constituency
Nearby constituencies
- West Dorset (12 miles)
- Somerton & Frome (17 miles)
- Wells (20 miles)
- East Devon (20 miles)
- Bridgwater (25 miles)
Other offices held in the past
- Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Work & Pensions (1 Jun 2005 to 4 Jul 2007)
- Member, Tax Law Rewrite Bills (Joint Committee) (to 11 Apr 2005)
- Shadow Chief Secretary, Treasury (26 Jan 2004 to 1 Jun 2005)
Journalist?
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