Stephen Williams | ProjectParly

Parliamentary History

Liberal Democrat

Bristol West

5 May 2005 – 30 Mar 2015 (9 yrs 10 mo)

Ideology spectrum

63.0

ProgressiveCentreConservative

Leaning conservative — based on 35 coded votes across 3 axes (2% coverage).

Policy axis scores

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

Economic policy 57

Low confidence 7 votes

Civil liberties 100

Low confidence 3 votes

Climate / energy 60

High confidence 25 votes

Voting trends (most recent 12 months of activity)

Voting record

September 2014 7 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
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
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
I will speak to Government amendments 7 and 8 and new clause 7, which were tabled by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary. I will also address the provisions that have been tabled by Opposition Front Benchers before turning to the issues with the timetable and the sunset clause. The Government amendments provide for a review of the powers and capabilities. I am grateful to the right hon. Member...	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	AYE
I am incredulous about what the Minister has just said. If Navitus Bay has paid for the assessment, how on earth can it be independent? I am not the planning Minister, but as far as I am aware, it is normal practice for the developer to pay for the independent assessment. The assessment is still independent and is effectively done at arm’s length from the developer. My hon. Friend the Member for B...	9 Jul 2014	AYE
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

June 2014 8 votes

Division	Date	Vote
Will the Minister give way? No, I have already given way. The hon. Member for Plymouth, Moor View (Alison Seabeck) — [ Interruption. ] I am trying to respond to the debate. The hon. Lady asked about a constituent who had had to travel a long distance for a PIP assessment. Clearly, it is unacceptable that someone should have to travel that far. The guidance is that people should not have to travel ...	30 Jun 2014	NO
The head of the OBR also made it clear that there were risks involved, and that those advocating this step would find it would be better not to rush into it, but to do it after the next election, and that is the position we take. This issue should be looked at again after the next election. The reality is that Labour does not have economic credibility. It borrowed too much in the good times when i...	25 Jun 2014	NO
Local authorities have a critical role in the sector, and we expect them to use the powers that are available to them to tackle the bad practice that sadly exists. Last Will the Minister give way? I will take only one intervention, as I am up against the buffers. The Minister talks about rogue landlords. Can he tell us what specific legislation exists to deal with rogue landlords who manage housin...	25 Jun 2014	NO
“particular taxes as devolved taxes”— (Mr David Jones.) This amendment clarifies that Chapters 3 and 4 of Part 4A of GOWA 2006 deal with devolved taxes. This distinguishes devolved taxes from the local taxes (such as council tax and non-domestic rates) over which the Assembly already has legislative competence under paragraph 12 of Part 1 of Schedule 7 to that Act. Amendment made: 2, page 18, line...	24 Jun 2014	NO
It is no wonder that the public see us politicians as a bit devious and above and beyond the basic rules, because we always apply rules that suit us. That is what the public see this as, purely and simply: politicians having a second bite of the cherry when they do not. I ask the Secretary of State to reconsider the amendment and to consider our proposals seriously. With your permission, Madam Dep...	24 Jun 2014	NO
We must also learn the lesson that we need a different model. We need a reserved powers model to form the bedrock of our developing devolution settlement in the United Kingdom. I have no qualms at all about talking about England, because we are a United Kingdom, but if I deviated from my notes and spoke at length about England you, Madam Deputy Speaker, would take me to task pretty quickly,. Welsh...	24 Jun 2014	NO
“It takes four fifths of a second for the British economy…to generate that potential saving”.—[ Official Report , 3 February 2014; Vol. 575, c. 97 .] Over the weekend, the Prime Minister’s enterprise adviser, Lord Young said: “Of course there’s a cost of living crisis”, so it has taken him four years to come round from “They’ve never had it so good,” to “Of course there’s a cost of living crisis.”...	23 Jun 2014	AYE
() in subsection (1) (fees for grant or maintenance of recognition of professional body), in paragraph (b) (power to refuse recognition, or revoke order of recognition, where fee not paid), after “391(1)” insert “or (2)”;”.— (The Solicitor-General.) This amendment allows the Secretary of State to revoke or refuse recognition of a professional body recognised for the purpose of authorising partiall...	23 Jun 2014	NO

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