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Mr David Heath

Mr David Heath

Last served Somerton and Frome (1997-05-01 – 2015-03-30)
64.7
Leaning conservative
34 coded votes
2,123
Total votes
1,051
Ayes
1,072
Noes
0
Other

Parliamentary History

1 May 1997 – 30 Mar 2015 (17 yrs 10 mo)

Ideology spectrum

64.7
ProgressiveCentreConservative

Leaning conservative — based on 34 coded votes across 3 axes (2% coverage).

Policy axis scores

0 = progressive, 50 = centre, 100 = conservative. Based on coded division votes.

Economic policy 60
Medium confidence 10 votes
Civil liberties 100
Low confidence 1 votes
Climate / energy 65
Medium confidence 23 votes

Voting trends (most recent 12 months of activity)

Voting record

October 2014 6 votes
Division Date Vote
“My HIA Inquiry panel colleagues and I welcome the written statement made by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to the House of Commons in which she has given assurances that all So Sir Anthony Hart appears to be robust in his determination, as we are in ours, to uncover the truth about this horrible matter. Taking all these strands together, I hope that this reassures those on both sides... 22 Oct 2014 AYE
“whether the person, in carrying out the activity in the course of which the negligence or breach of statutory duty took place, demonstrated a generally responsible approach towards protecting the safety or other interests of others.” We heard a degree of teasing from the Opposition about the “generally responsible approach”, but I am afraid that the issue is a bit too serious for teasing. I want ... 20 Oct 2014 NO
If the hon. Lady has concerns about local commissioning decisions, she should take them up with local commissioners. Time forbids me from going into the rationing of services by the previous Labour Government. It is important that clinical services are now designed and delivered by front-line health care professionals, and if she is concerned about them, I am sure she will take that up with her lo... 15 Oct 2014 NO
Travel times are a genuine issue. If somebody is expected to travel—during the day as part of their work, rather than to and from work—that time should be included for minimum wage calculation purposes. I shall repeat the number for the pay and work rights helpline, which investigates these complaints: 0800 917 2368. Zero-hours contracts will be discussed in more detail in the Small Business, Ente... 15 Oct 2014 NO
Division 56 15 Oct 2014 NO
Division 54 13 Oct 2014 AYE
September 2014 8 votes
Division Date Vote
Question accordingly agreed to. Question put accordingly, That the Bill be now read a Second time. 12 Sep 2014 AYE
This Government have made such an effort to stop welfare dependency at home, and I support everything that the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has done to try to stop a culture of welfare dependency in this country. People cannot expect to sit and wait for their next handout from the state. How one earth can a Government who have done so much on welfare dependency— [ Interruption .] I jus... 12 Sep 2014 AYE
I beg to move, That the House sit in private. Question put forthwith ( Standing Order No. 163 ). 12 Sep 2014 NO
It is up to CCGs to set out terms of reference for any joint committee arrangement, such as the scope for decision taking, and arrangements for membership or voting. They may also determine situations in which a CCG would wish to withdraw from a joint committee arrangement. The hon. Gentleman was worried that one CCG might feel oppressed or bullied by others, but it could set the terms of referenc... 9 Sep 2014 AYE
Question accordingly agreed to. Bill read a Second time. On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. During the debate, many points of great interest have been raised and it has been suggested that further amendments will be made. I therefore think it would be highly beneficial if the Bill were referred to a Select Committee. I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for giving me notice of his intention... 5 Sep 2014 NO
Question accordingly agreed to. Question put accordingly, That the Bill be now read a Second Time. 5 Sep 2014 AYE
The hon. Member for Leeds North East made a candid speech about the surplus places rule and about the fact it is short-termist to close schools when rolls are falling. If there is clear evidence that in a few years the rolls will rise again, it is better just to close a classroom, turn off the heating in that room and wait. He also talked about siblings not being able to attend the same school, bu... 3 Sep 2014 NO
First, may I congratulate my hon. Friend on a fantastic debut at the Dispatch Box? She is going to make a great Minister. She is also absolutely right to draw the House’s attention to Labour’s knee-jerk reaching for regulation. We on this side of the House are committed to helping the consumer by creating dynamic competition and crowding in disruptive new entrants, whereas Labour will always reach... 3 Sep 2014 NO
July 2014 15 votes
Division Date Vote
North, which is an important partner both in the consultation process and in the long-term future of the operation of the franchises. I commend the local councils of the Members in the Chamber. The councils have been assiduous in campaigning for the rail links and will work hard throughout the consultation process. However, I emphasise that there is nothing to stop those councils, or indeed anybod... 16 Jul 2014 AYE
sure it works for smaller pub companies and the smaller brewers, as well as the big pubcos. On the issue of franchises, most also have ties, particularly for the beer arrangements, and that is why we have included them. Several Members asked for more details. We are consulting on the level of the fines and will bring forward more details in due course. That amounts to huge progress, and it matters... 16 Jul 2014 AYE
I hope that we can finally agree on three things today: first, that the wider debate is needed to keep up with the changing world and to ensure that there is public confidence and consent for the vital work that the police and agencies do; secondly, that this last-minute process has not been a good one, and that we really should not do it again; and thirdly, that this temporary legislation, with i... 15 Jul 2014 AYE
I warmly endorse what the hon. Gentleman is saying. Does he agree that if more examples were given of a collated nature—such as those we read about frequently in individual criminal court cases—about the vital role that such data play, that would go a long way to allay unnecessary public suspicion about the importance of having such data available for the forces of law and order? The hon. Gentlema... 15 Jul 2014 NO
As you know, Madam Deputy Speaker, we are here because of the European Court of Justice and its decision to strike down regulations to enable internet providers to retain communications data for law enforcement purposes for up to 12 months. That is an issue we must address for the reasons the Home Secretary and the Minister have outlined. We also need to ensure that the Government respond to the n... 15 Jul 2014 AYE
The other point that I am afraid is not very pleasant about the way Ministers are handling this matter is them bringing the Bill forward a week before the Session As for the Lib Dems—I do not want to sound naive, but their brand has always been that they are the defenders of the nation’s liberties, yet they are colluding with the Government on this guillotine motion. Whatever we think of the conte... 15 Jul 2014 NO
see the need for it, and where we have responded by arranging for an urban development corporation to provide it. It is in between. Oh, it is in between! Everything is “in between” when the detail becomes awkward, but the detail is the responsibility of Government. We cannot smoosh around the words and hide among the vagaries when we are in government, which is why that policy, too, is a dangerous... 9 Jul 2014 NO
The second test is fairness. The new system must be fair, with those on middle and low incomes still being able to access products that give them the certainty they want in retirement. The billions we spend on pension tax relief must not benefit only those at the very top. We have talked about a report and analysis. Even though the statistics now show that after a 33-week consultation only five of... 2 Jul 2014 AYE
work and about the amount of any tax liability will not be changed. The taxpayer would have already paid the money had they not entered an avoidance scheme. The taxpayer can continue to dispute the case, and will be paid back with interest should they win. We are not restricting people’s rights. Prudent taxpayers should recognise that tax avoidance carries a significant risk of not working and tha... 2 Jul 2014 AYE
I will give way one last time. The Minister seems to imply that the worldwide downturn—the economic recession that was a consequence of the banking crash—was the responsibility of the previous Labour Government. It is a ludicrous assertion. Surely he will accept that there was an international banking crash that led to the economic difficulties with which the Labour Government were faced in 2007. ... 2 Jul 2014 NO
I have some sympathy with what the hon. Gentleman is saying about the fact that these pensions provisions are being handled by the Treasury. Does he agree that the two pensions Bills announced in the Queen’s speech appear to pull in different directions? One is about giving people more control over their money, while the other is about collective direct contribution schemes, which are the opposite... 2 Jul 2014 NO
It is a disgrace that while millions of ordinary people suffer the privations of wage cuts, unemployment and poverty, a rich minority is avoiding and evading taxes. I am talking about corporates and billionaires. There is indeed one law for the rich and one for the poor, the poor being the great majority of wage and salary earners. They are not necessarily poor in the specific sense, but they pay ... 1 Jul 2014 NO
is outdated and time consuming for businesses. Data on employee shareholder status will therefore be picked up from companies’ annual share scheme returns to HMRC. As I said, the scheme has been in place only since the beginning of September 2013, so we have not even reached the deadline by which companies must submit their returns to HMRC for that period. It is far too early to finalise any detai... 1 Jul 2014 NO
It is striking that time and again senior figures in the Labour party went around describing this as a tax cut for hedge funds. It is to the credit of the hon. Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun that she refused to repeat that accusation. Although she did not quite go as far as she might have done towards putting the record straight, at least she did not repeat the accusation despite being given mu... 1 Jul 2014 NO
New clause 14 calls for the Chancellor to— Will the Minister give way? I think I should. Can the Minister identify anything I said that was factually incorrect? [Interruption.] Someone says most of it, but in the time available, I ought to turn to the new clause. 1 Jul 2014 NO
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