Frank Field endorses our Speaker principles
mySociety asked likely candidates for the post of Speaker to endorse the following principles.
The three principles are:
- Voters have the right to know in detail about the money that is spent to support MPs and run Parliament, and in similar detail how the decisions to spend that money are settled upon.
- Bills being considered must be published online in a much better way than they are now, as the Free Our Bills campaign has been suggesting for some time.
- The Internet is not a threat to a renewal in our democracy, it is one of its best hopes. Parliament should appoint a senior officer with direct working experience of the power of the Internet who reports directly to the Speaker, and who will help Parliament adapt to a new era of transparency and effectiveness.
Update: Frank Field MP replied in 12 days. He broadly endorses the principles. Here's the reply in full:
The answers to your questions are:
- Yes
- We should go much further than this and get MPs to help suggest what future bills might be. The public should then have a say in what should be the topical debate on Thursday.
- The internet is a handmaiden which politicians should warmly grasp as a means of helping develop our ideas of effective democracy.
This data was produced by TheyWorkForYou from a variety of sources.
Frank Field
Labour MP for Birkenhead
- Entered Parliament on 3 May 1979 — General election
- Majority: 12,934 votes. — 16th out of 643 MPs.
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- Voting record
- Committees and topics of interest
- Most recent appearances
- Numerology
- Register of Members’ Interests
- Expenses
- Early Day Motions signed by this MP (From edmi.parliament.uk)
Voting record (from PublicWhip)
How Frank Field voted on key issues since 2001:
- Voted moderately for a transparent Parliament. votes, speeches
- Voted moderately against introducing a smoking ban. votes, speeches
- Voted strongly for introducing ID cards. votes, speeches
- Voted moderately for introducing foundation hospitals. votes, speeches
- Voted strongly for introducing student top-up fees. votes, speeches
- Voted moderately for Labour's anti-terrorism laws. votes, speeches
- Voted very strongly for the Iraq war. votes, speeches
- Voted very strongly against an investigation into the Iraq war. votes, speeches
- Voted very strongly for replacing Trident. votes, speeches
- Voted very strongly for the hunting ban. votes, speeches
- Voted strongly for equal gay rights. votes, speeches
- Has never voted on 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
- Quite often rebels against their party in this parliament.
Committees and topics of interest
Asks most questions about
- Departments: Work and Pensions, Treasury, Health, Home Department, Education and Skills
- Subjects (based on headings added by Hansard): Tax Credits, Child Support Agency, Pensions, Incapacity Benefit, Children: Maintenance
(based on written questions asked by Frank Field and answered by departments)
Public Bill Committees (sittings attended)
- Rights of Savers Bill Committee (0 out of n/a)
- Criminal Law (Amendment) (Householder Protection) Bill Committee (0 out of n/a)
- Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill Committee (3 out of n/a)
- Pension Annuities (Amendment) Bill Committee (1 out of n/a)
Most recent appearances
- Written Answers — Home Department: Cycling (1 Jul 2009)
“To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps have been taken to implement the bicycle purchase initiative in his Department's agencies' offices in Merseyside.”
- Hydrofluorocarbons Limitation: Clause 5 — MPs' financial interests rules (30 Jun 2009)
“In the hope that we can speed on our way through the clause, I wonder whether my right hon. Friend recalls that, yesterday evening, Government Members insisted that it was totally proper that we declare in detail our earnings from other interests, but that we thought unworkable the proposals that we account for the amount of time spent in acquiring those earnings. Has he had further thoughts...”
- Hydrofluorocarbons Limitation: Clause 5 — MPs' financial interests rules (30 Jun 2009)
“May I bring my right hon. Friend back to the matter of timing? He is correct to say that we approved the rules that are coming into force tomorrow, but when we did so we were given four resolutions that we had to accept or reject in their entirety. One of the four stated that we should declare our earnings, which I am totally in favour of, but it also stated that we should declare how much...”
More of Frank Field'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 38 debates in the last year — above average amongst MPs.
- Has received answers to 223 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 2007, according to constituents.
- Has voted in 62% of votes in parliament with this affiliation — below average amongst MPs. (From Public Whip)
- People have made 16 annotations on this MP’s speeches — above average amongst MPs.
- This MP's speeches, in Hansard, are readable by an average 18–19 year old, going by the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score.
- 81 people are tracking whenever this MP speaks — email me whenever Frank Field speaks.
- Has used three-word alliterative phrases (e.g. "she sells seashells") 848 times in debates — well above average amongst MPs. (Why is this here?)
Register of Members' Interests
Register last updated: 24 Jun 2009. 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 – 2007/08 receipts.
| Type | 2007/08 (ranking out of 645) | 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 | £9,573 (560th) | £11,509 (545th) | £12,006 | £11,250 (551st) | £17,246 (402nd) | £16,608 (480th) | £16,451 (122nd) |
| London Supplement | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Incidental Expenses Provision | £8,242 (611th) | £13,770 (572nd) | £17,201 | £16,850 (417th) | £16,549 (542nd) | £9,814 (628th) | £6,999 (592nd) |
| Staffing Allowance | £98,711 (28th) | £93,944 (32nd) | £86,879 | £74,214 (joint 160th) | £68,773 (212th) | £69,148 (114th) | £60,923 (16th) |
| Communications Allowance | £6,663 (387th) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Members' Travel | £8,874 (259th)* | £13,616 (99th)** | £10,903 | £8,733 (joint 386th) | £11,894 (254th) | £11,106 (282nd) | £9,011 (274th) |
| Members' Staff Travel | £362 (249th) | £295 (284th) | £0 | £1,053 (joint 175th) | £512 (264th) | £0 | £228 (339th) |
| Members' Spouse Travel | £0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Members' Family Travel | £0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Centrally Purchased Stationery | £567 (joint 451st) | £653 (joint 442nd) | £722 | £762 (374th) | £580 (471st) | £900 (380th) | £708 (joint 447th) |
| Stationery: Associated Postage Costs | £1,389 (492nd) | £1,235 (547th) | £1,720 | £2,104 (389th) | £1,464 (497th) | N/A | N/A |
| Centrally Provided Computer Equipment | £1,214 (306th) | £1,070 (301st) | £0 | £1,487 (582nd) | £1,487 (568th) | £1,457 (joint 560th) | £1,457 (joint 486th) |
| Other Costs | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Total | £135,595 (468th) | £136,092 (359th) | £129,431 | £116,453 (472nd) | £118,505 (342nd) | £109,033 (415th) | £95,777 (154th) |
* Regular journeys between home/constituency/Westminster: Mileage £1,061 (515th). Rail £5,478 (165th). Other: Rail £2,335 (4th).
** 3rd party £1,236 (11th). Rail £12,203 (11th). Air £177 (212th).