• Labour MP for Bootle
• Majority: 16,357 votes. — 1st out of 630 MPs.
• Send a message to your MP (via WriteToThem.com)
• Sign up to HearFromYourMP to get messages from your MP
• Email me whenever Joe Benton speaks (no more than once per day)
• Help us add video by matching a speech by Joe Benton

• Voting record
• Committees and topics of interest
• Recent appearances
• Numerology
• Register of Members’ Interests
• Expenses
• Early Day Motions signed by this MP (From edmi.parliament.uk)

How Joe Benton voted on key issues since 2001:

• Has never voted on a transparent Parliament. votes, speeches
• Voted moderately for 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 very strongly for Labour's anti-terrorism laws. votes, speeches
• Voted moderately against the Iraq war. votes, speeches
• Voted very strongly against 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 against equal gay rights. votes, speeches
• Voted moderately 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

• Sometimes rebels against their party in this parliament.

Select Committee membership

• Member, Chairmen's Panel Committee (since 1 Nov 2005)

Asks most questions about

• Departments: Education and Skills, Health, Home Department, Trade and Industry, Treasury

• Subjects (based on headings added by Hansard): Health Services, Transport (Bootle), Bootle Schools, Deportation, Crime Statistics (Bootle)

(based on written questions asked by Joe Benton and answered by departments)

Fire and Rescue Services (South-West) (4 Nov 2008)

“Order. Before I call the next speaker, there is provision for me to request that the Opposition spokespeople confine their winding-up speeches to five minutes, and the Minister to 10 minutes. Because this is such a localised debate, I want to let as many Members speak as possible. If the Opposition spokespeople are agreeable to that, I will proceed in that manner.”

Fire and Rescue Services (South-West) (4 Nov 2008)

“Order. That intervention was too lengthy.”

Fire and Rescue Services (South-West) (4 Nov 2008)

“Order. Before I call the next speaker, I would like to point out to hon. Members that this debate only lasts for an hour and a half. A lot of hon. Members have indicated that they wish to speak. Obviously, I will do my best to get everybody in and to let them speak. However, as I have said, the debate is only one and a half hours' long, so I appeal to hon. Members to try to keep their remarks...”

More of Joe Benton's recent appearances

RSS feed (?)

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 3 debates in the last year — well below average amongst MPs.
• Has received answers to 0 written questions in the last year — well below average amongst MPs.
• Is a member of 1 select committee (0 as chair).
• Replied within 2 or 3 weeks to a high number of messages sent via WriteToThem.com during 2007, according to constituents.
• Has voted in 76% of votes in parliament — above average amongst MPs. (From Public Whip)
  Members of the Chairmen's Panel act for the Speaker when chairing things such as Public Bill Committees, and as such do not vote on Bills they are involved in chairing.
• People have made 0 comments on this MP's speeches — well below average amongst MPs.
• This MP's speeches, in Hansard, are readable by an average 13–14 year old, going by the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score.
• 57 people are tracking whenever this MP speaks — email me whenever Joe Benton speaks.
• Has used three-word alliterative phrases (e.g. "she sells seashells") 16 times in debates — well below average amongst MPs. (Why is this here?)

Nil

Register last updated: 17 Dec 2008. More about the Register

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

Figures in brackets are ranks. Parliament's explanatory notes.

^* Car £1,680 (455th). 3rd party £98 (33rd). Rail £7,277 (85th).