Lagan Valley / data
Sorcha Eastwood · Alliance Party of Northern Ireland · sitting since 04 Jul 2024 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
659days
from 04 Jul 2024
Divisions
60
of 504 possible
Attendance
12%
444 absent / paired
Whip alignment
100%
vs party majority
Speeches
122
56 debates
Written Qs
273
272 answered
Committees
1
memberships
Expenses
£178k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 161 claims
Interests
0
Register
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 14 | |
| Economy | 11 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 11 | |
| Universal Credit | 9 | |
| Defence and Foreign Affairs | 6 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 6 | |
| Veterans | 5 | |
| Employment | 5 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Economy Jobs | 19 | 3,295 |
| Social Care | 10 | 2,360 |
| Local Government | 6 | 2,286 |
| Culture Community | 4 | 2,207 |
| Health | 11 | 2,182 |
| Defence | 11 | 1,952 |
| Crime | 7 | 1,844 |
| Fiscal Policy | 8 | 1,221 |
B · Notable divisions
Free votes, rebellions and high-salience whipped votes — the moments that distinguish this MP from the party machine. The full division-by-division record will follow once the per-MP archive is wired.
No notable votes recorded for this MP yet.
C · Speeches
| Date | Contribution | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Apr 2026 | Middle East: Economic UpdateJust so the Chancellor is aware, my constituents in Lagan Valley did not get £150 off their electricity bills. I am sure the Chancellor knows that that is because Northern Ireland … EnergyEconomy JobsCost Of Living | 110 |
| 21 Apr 2026 | Peter Mandelson: Government AppointmentAs others have already said, we can almost feel like everything has been said at this point. However, one thing that strikes me in all this is that this place is called the House o… Mp PerformanceDefenceEconomy Jobs | 694 |
| 21 Apr 2026 | Peter Mandelson: Government AppointmentThe hon. Gentleman is getting to the nub of the issue. This is about fairness in society. We tell everybody else outside of here, who we make the rules for, to play by the rules, b… Mp PerformanceDefenceEconomy Jobs | 73 |
| 15 Apr 2026 | EngagementsTwo years ago, people voted for change, but what have they got? More of the same. But it is not they who have let down their end of the bargain. My constituents are working themsel… DefenceCost Of LivingHealth | 168 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Northern Ireland Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1341)I am not going to get the nomenclature correct around this, but there is a joint committee here on intelligence and those various issues, but one of my real concerns is the fact th… | 263 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Northern Ireland Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1341)We are possibly at risk of straying into the next question. | 11 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Northern Ireland Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1341)Very briefly, Chair, with your indulgence, I feel it would be a bit remiss and cowardly of me—I am speaking in a personal capacity, not a party-political capacity, and as somebody … | 488 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Northern Ireland Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1341)Thank you, Chief Constable and Assistant Chief Constable. This is an issue that is very close to my heart and very close to my family, in terms of policing recruitment and people f… | 266 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Endometriosis ServicesI really value the hon. Member’s contribution, which has been heartfelt and personal. Does he agree that Endo Warriors Northern Ireland deserves credit and acknowledgment for the w… HealthSocial Care | 45 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Northern Ireland Hospitality Sector: VATI thank the Minister for his response. I have to declare an interest because I started a parliamentary petition exactly on a VAT cut for hospitality in Northern Ireland, the reason… Fiscal PolicyCost Of LivingEnergy | 114 |
| 09 Mar 2026 | Middle East: Economic UpdateI welcome the Chancellor’s statement this afternoon. As she has outlined, Northern Ireland is uniquely exposed, with up to 70% of people across Northern Ireland reliant on home hea… Cost Of LivingEconomy JobsDefence | 65 |
| 04 Mar 2026 | Northern Ireland Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 359)We might even do a sidestep—get it? | 7 |
| 04 Mar 2026 | Northern Ireland Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 359)It’s “Strictly Come Dancing”! | 4 |
| 04 Mar 2026 | Northern Ireland Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 359)For me, the issue of reform is very much linked to the following. I am very passionate about Northern Ireland. I am proud to be Northern Irish. I am also proud to be British and Ir… | 162 |
| 04 Mar 2026 | Northern Ireland Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 359)Good morning, everybody. Colleagues have very helpfully largely covered the ground of my question, so I am going to discuss the same issue but in a slightly different way. A few we… | 430 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Social Care | 48 | 17.6% |
| Treasury | 47 | 17.2% |
| Home Office | 35 | 12.8% |
| Northern Ireland Office | 21 | 7.7% |
| Cabinet Office | 20 | 7.3% |
| Department for Work and Pensions | 20 | 7.3% |
| Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | 19 | 7.0% |
| Department for Business and Trade | 18 | 6.6% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Apr 2026 | Treasury | To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the potential Barnett consequences arising from the proposed expansion of the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme. | Pending |
| 20 Mar 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress her Department has made on the agreed actions in the Motor Insurance Taskforce: Final Report and Actions, published in December 2025. | Answered |
| 20 Mar 2026 | Treasury | To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress her Department has made on the agreed actions in the Motor Insurance Taskforce: Final Report and Actions, published in December 2025. | Answered |
| 16 Mar 2026 | Treasury | To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason Northern Ireland has been allocated £17 million of the £53 million home heating oil support package announced on 16 March 2026; and if she will publish the methodology used to determin… | Answered |
| 13 Mar 2026 | Department for Business and Trade | To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions his Department has had with Ofcom on whether additional regulatory powers are required to enforce Royal Mail’s Universal Service Obligation. | Answered |
| 13 Mar 2026 | Department for Business and Trade | To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with Royal Mail on its planned timeline for publishing the improvement plan requested by Ofcom. | Answered |
| 13 Mar 2026 | Department for Business and Trade | To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of whether the current ownership structure of Royal Mail is compatible with the effective delivery of the Universal Service Obligation. | Answered |
| 20 Feb 2026 | Department for Business and Trade | To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of fireworks noise on the welfare of (a) pets and (b) vulnerable adults. | Answered |
| 20 Feb 2026 | Department for Business and Trade | To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if his Department will review the effectiveness of the Fireworks Regulations 2004 to help prevent the antisocial use of fireworks. | Answered |
| 09 Feb 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's open consultation on Earned Settlement, due to close on 12 February 2026, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing tr… | Answered |
| 03 Feb 2026 | Department for Business and Trade | To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of postal deliveries across Northern Ireland. | Answered |
| 03 Feb 2026 | Department for Business and Trade | To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will have discussions with Royal Mail to encourage timely deliveries in Lagan Valley. | Answered |
| 03 Feb 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what Barnett consequentials arise for Northern Ireland as a result of the £10 million per year funding announced to cover travel costs for children and young people with cancer in En… | Answered |
| 03 Feb 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Department of Health and the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that families of children and young people with cancer in Nort… | Answered |
| 02 Feb 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she is taking to secure an exemption for UK professional HGV and coach drivers from the Schengen 90 days in any 180 rule. | Answered |
E · Committees
| Committee | Role | House | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland Affairs CommitteeSelect | Member | Commons | 28 Oct 2024 | present |
F · Expenses
Every business-cost claim reimbursed by IPSA in the current financial year, grouped by category. “Aggregated” rows are IPSA’s own year-end totals for cost types like payroll and rent that aren’t itemised claim-by-claim.
Category breakdown
| Category | Claims | Paid (£) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office Costs | 130 | 15,983 | 9.0% |
| Accommodation | 23 | 5,610 | 3.2% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 11,711 | 6.6% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 3,221 | 1.8% |
| Staffing | 0 | 141,391 | 79.5% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel - London | Accommodation | 23 | 5,610 |
| Rent | Office Costs | 7 | 4,416 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 88 | 3,633 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 2 | 2,040 |
| Business rates | Office Costs | 1 | 1,557 |
| Utilities | Office Costs | 2 | 1,321 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 12 | 1,243 |
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Office Costs | 2 | 722 |
| Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Office Costs | 11 | 427 |
| Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | Office Costs | 2 | 325 |
| TV licence | Office Costs | 1 | 170 |
| Training - staff | Office Costs | 1 | 120 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02 Jul 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Sundries | 0 | Repaid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -84 | Paid |
| 30 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Hotel - London | [***] [***] [200011725-8372] | 229 | Paid |
| 26 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | 54 | Paid |
| 26 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | 44 | Paid |
| 26 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | 27 | Paid |
| 26 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | 24 | Paid |
| 26 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | [200011725-8149] | 18 | Paid |
| 26 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | 14 | Paid |
| 26 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | 11 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline & internet package | 171 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 150 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Cleaning services | B&M 203 - LISBURN [200011725-8765] | 8 | Paid |
| 19 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Training - staff | Training | 120 | Paid |
| 13 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Hotel - London | [***] [***] [200011725-4200] | 210 | Paid |
| 11 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Electricity | 455 | Paid |
| 09 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Hotel - London | [***] [***] [200011725-4549] | -230 | Paid |
| 07 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Television | 349 | Paid |
| 06 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 750 | Paid |
| 06 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Hotel - London | [***] [***] [200011725-4221] | 210 | Paid |
G · Register of interests
No financial interests declared by this MP.
H · Ward results
Ward-level results have not yet been ingested for this constituency.
I · Demographics
Demographic profile unavailable for this constituency.
J · Public spending
HMT publishes headline spending identifiable by region in PESA. Constituency-level capital allocations (Levelling-Up Fund, Towns Fund, UKSPF, transport capital, BEIS R&D) are published as separate departmental datasets. We are evaluating the cleanest reconciliation for a per-constituency view.