Lowestoft / data
Jess Asato · Labour Party · sitting since 04 Jul 2024 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
660days
from 04 Jul 2024
Divisions
409
of 504 possible
Attendance
81%
95 absent / paired
Whip alignment
97%
vs party majority
Speeches
238
64 debates
Written Qs
148
148 answered
Committees
1
memberships
Expenses
£200k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 151 claims
Interests
3
2 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 86 | |
| Economy | 82 | |
| Employment | 52 | |
| Crime & Policing | 45 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 30 | |
| Education | 25 | |
| Pensions | 23 | |
| Housing | 22 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Transport | 1 | — |
| Social Care | 18 | 7,199 |
| Crime | 17 | 6,659 |
| Health | 10 | 3,696 |
| Education | 8 | 2,468 |
| Culture Community | 3 | 585 |
| Economy Jobs | 7 | 569 |
| Fiscal Policy | 3 | 312 |
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.
| Date | Division | Whip | MP voted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Third ReadingMPs voted on the Third Reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill — the final Commons vote on whether to pass the assisted dyin… | Free vote | No |
| 20 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: New Clause 16A procedural vote on whether to allow New Clause 16 to be formally considered as part of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill at Rep… | Free vote | Aye |
| 20 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 77Vote on an amendment to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill that would prevent someone from qualifying as 'terminally ill' under th… | Free vote | No |
C · Speeches
| Date | Contribution | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Apr 2026 | Crime and Policing BillI welcome the Bill before us today. It contains a multitude of crucial measures to tackle issues from non-consensual intimate images to retail worker assault, child criminal exploi… CrimeTechnologyCulture Community | 1,109 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Education Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1819)The Committee has previously received evidence highlighting wide and persistent inconsistencies in the quality and availability of ordinarily available provision. How confident are… | 48 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Education Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1819)The Committee has previously received evidence highlighting wide and persistent inconsistencies in the quality and availability of ordinarily available provision. How confident are… | 48 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Work and Pensions Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1683)In similar vein, now that the strategy has been published, do you think this work is still a priority for Secretaries of State? It is really important that this is truly cross-gove… | 124 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Work and Pensions Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1683)In similar vein, now that the strategy has been published, do you think this work is still a priority for Secretaries of State? It is really important that this is truly cross-gove… | 124 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Education Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1713)Based on your organisations’ experiences, what factors most commonly influence whether reunions between adoptees and birth relatives are positive, difficult or unsuccessful? What s… | 59 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Education Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1713)We have heard that mothers and adoptees are frequently placed on generic NHS pathways that do not recognise adoption-related trauma, leading to misdiagnosis, delayed treatment and … | 56 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Education Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1713)Is the problem not that, as we have heard, there is no trauma-informed pathway, and that there are very few counselling services that recognise trauma due to adoption? Is there not… | 120 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Education Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1713)It was about the independence of the organisations providing the records. | 11 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Education Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1713)It was about what we have just heard: that there is a UK and Ireland records database. If you have not heard of that, it might be useful for the organisation to follow up with you … | 37 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Education Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1713)To follow up on that, it is important that the organisations supplying the information and support to survivors are trusted and independent. It is important to get your reflections… | 84 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Education Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1713)Is the problem not that, as we have heard, there is no trauma-informed pathway, and that there are very few counselling services that recognise trauma due to adoption? Is there not… | 120 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Education Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1713)It was about the independence of the organisations providing the records. | 11 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Education Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1713)To follow up on that, it is important that the organisations supplying the information and support to survivors are trusted and independent. It is important to get your reflections… | 84 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Education Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1713)It was about what we have just heard: that there is a UK and Ireland records database. If you have not heard of that, it might be useful for the organisation to follow up with you … | 37 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Social Care | 31 | 20.9% |
| Department for Education | 24 | 16.2% |
| Home Office | 19 | 12.8% |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 14 | 9.5% |
| Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | 12 | 8.1% |
| Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | 9 | 6.1% |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 8 | 5.4% |
| Department for Work and Pensions | 8 | 5.4% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Mar 2026 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her department has made of the potential impact on mothers who are prosecuted for their child’s truancy from school. | Answered |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will take steps to help to minimise the potential impact on mothers who are prosecuted for their child’s truancy from school. | Answered |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will commission an analysis of areas with the highest levels of prosecutions for truancy, to examine the contributing social, economic, and institutional factors, to help inform evidence-b… | Answered |
| 03 Mar 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any police forces have instigated an investigation into trafficking crimes committed as part of the Epstein scandal. | Answered |
| 04 Feb 2026 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to develop a National Trauma Strategy for England. | Answered |
| 21 Jan 2026 | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of making UK AISI / Thorn's guidance entitled Recommended Practice for AI-G CSEA Prevention, published in… | Answered |
| 10 Dec 2025 | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions she has had with Ofcom on the disproportionate impact Physical Infrastructure Access costs have on the deployment of fibre optic broadband in rura… | Answered |
| 10 Dec 2025 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the introduction of digital and AI tools in mental health care enhances rather than replaces the work of qualified counsellors and… | Answered |
| 09 Dec 2025 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when statutory guidance will be produced on the duty to collaborate under the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024; and what plans the Government has to ensure its implementation following the decision t… | Answered |
| 24 Nov 2025 | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when her Department plans to publish the review on the impact of social media on young people’s wellbeing and mental health commissioned in November 2024. | Answered |
| 13 Nov 2025 | Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to extend support for anaerobic digestion plants due to expire under the Renewables Obligation. | Answered |
| 12 Nov 2025 | Wales Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether her Department has (a) implemented a domestic abuse policy for staff and (b) trained line managers to effectively respond to staff who are experiencing domestic abuse. | Answered |
| 12 Nov 2025 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has (a) implemented a domestic abuse policy for staff and (b) trained line managers to effectively respond to staff who are experiencing domestic abuse. | Answered |
| 12 Nov 2025 | Department for Business and Trade | To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has (a) implemented a domestic abuse policy for staff and (b) trained line managers to effectively respond to staff who are experiencing domestic abuse. | Answered |
| 12 Nov 2025 | Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to support the (a) development of the anaerobic digestion and biomethane sector, (b) design of support mechanisms for that sector and (c) in… | Answered |
E · Committees
| Committee | Role | House | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education CommitteeSelect | Member | Commons | 21 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 | 118 | 25,823 | 12.9% |
| Accommodation | 15 | 10,320 | 5.2% |
| Staffing | 4 | 158,810 | 79.4% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 1,491 | 0.7% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 3,386 | 1.7% |
| Dependant Travel | 0 | 86 | 0.0% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | Accommodation | 10 | 8,295 |
| Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | Office Costs | 4 | 7,997 |
| Bought-in services | Staffing | 3 | 7,000 |
| Rent | Office Costs | 9 | 5,942 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 56 | 4,149 |
| Pooled staffing services | Staffing | 1 | 3,000 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 4 | 2,368 |
| Council tax | Accommodation | 3 | 1,559 |
| Recruitment Services &Costs | Office Costs | 1 | 900 |
| Landline phone & internet - installation & equipment purchase | Office Costs | 5 | 636 |
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Office Costs | 4 | 601 |
| Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Office Costs | 10 | 586 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -458 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -794 | Paid |
| 28 Mar 2025 | Staffing Bought-in services | Professional & consultancy | 2,500 | Paid |
| 28 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | Installation of door to enable access to casework room for wheelchair users [200011803-343] | 1,870 | Paid |
| 27 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 950 | Paid |
| 26 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | WWW.AMAZON. [***] [200011725-8163] | 23 | Paid |
| 25 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline & internet package | 180 | Paid |
| 21 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | office refurbishment [200012951-1] | 5,000 | Paid |
| 21 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | WWW.AMAZON. [***] [200011725-10568] | 1,340 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 800 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 53 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 41 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 26 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 26 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 17 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 12 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 11 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 8 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 7 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 7 | Paid |
G · Register of interests
Every financial interest declared by the MP, grouped under the Register’s official categories. Retracted entries are hidden but counted above.
3. Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources1 entry
13 May 2025
Name of donor: Channel Four Television Company Limited
Address of donor: 124 Horseferry Road, London SW1P 2TX
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Ticket to the BAFTA Television Award with drinks reception, red carpet experience and awards dinner, value £750
Date received: 29 April 2025 to 11 May 2025
Date accepted: 2 May 2025
Donor status: company, registration 01533774
(Registered 6 May 2025)
8. Miscellaneous2 entries
08 Apr 2025
Appointed as a Director for The Social Market Foundation (SMF) which is widely recognised as Britain’s leading cross-party think tank. Its mission is to ensure that markets and government can work in partnership to serve the interests of society. The SMF pursues this goal by producing high-quality, independent, and pragmatic public policy research and fostering debate across a broad range of social and economic issues.
Date interest arose: 18 March 2025
(Registered 25 March 2025)
02 Oct 2024
Trustee of The Dartmouth Street Trust, which makes grants for the promotion of studies in political, economic and social science and cognate educational subjects, and for the promotion of education and dissemination of knowledge in such science and subjects.
(Registered 30 September 2024)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 9 wards, 19 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beccles Worlingham | Caroline Ann Topping | Green Party of England and Wales | 2,792 | 04 May 2023 |
| Beccles Worlingham | Sarah Plummer | Green Party of England and Wales | 2,673 | 04 May 2023 |
| Beccles Worlingham | Sheryl Rumble | Green Party of England and Wales | 2,471 | 04 May 2023 |
| Carlton Colville | Letitia Vanessa Smith | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,474 | 04 Jul 2024 |
| Carlton Whitton | Jamie Myles Starling | Conservative and Unionist Party | 904 | 04 May 2023 |
| Carlton Whitton | Jenny Ceresa | Conservative and Unionist Party | 879 | 04 May 2023 |
| Gunton St Margarets | George King | Labour Party | 1,020 | 04 May 2023 |
| Gunton St Margarets | Graham Reginald Parker | Labour Party | 960 | 04 May 2023 |
| Harbour Normanston | Janet Elizabeth Craig | Labour Party | 1,117 | 04 May 2023 |
| Harbour Normanston | Keith John Patience | Labour Party | 1,109 | 04 May 2023 |
| Harbour Normanston | Tess Gandy | Labour Party | 1,088 | 04 May 2023 |
| Kessingland | Alan Green | Labour Party | 398 | 04 May 2023 |
| Kirkley Pakefield | Louise Jane Gooch | Labour Party | 1,422 | 04 May 2023 |
| Kirkley Pakefield | Malcolm Pitchers | Labour Party | 1,239 | 04 May 2023 |
| Kirkley Pakefield | Peter Allen Byatt | Labour Party | 1,421 | 04 May 2023 |
| Lothingland | Paul Geoffrey Ashdown | Conservative and Unionist Party | 434 | 04 May 2023 |
| Oulton Broad | Andrée Marise Diana Gee | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,304 | 04 May 2023 |
| Oulton Broad | Edward Nicholas Maillard Back | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,403 | 04 May 2023 |
| Oulton Broad | Keith Gordon Robinson | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,329 | 04 May 2023 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 96,163 | Electorate 74,332 (2024) |
| Median age | 47 | years |
| Degree-educated | 21.1% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 97.0% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 65.8% | households |
| Private-rented | 19.8% | households |
| Social-rented | 14.2% | households |
| Employment rate | 49.8% | 16-64 in work |
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.