Merthyr Tydfil & Aberdare / data
Gerald Jones · Labour Party · sitting since 07 May 2015 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
4006days
from 07 May 2015
Divisions
442
of 504 possible
Attendance
88%
62 absent / paired
Whip alignment
100%
vs party majority
Speeches
66
29 debates
Written Qs
3
3 answered
Committees
2
memberships
Expenses
£281k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 137 claims
Interests
2
2 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 84 | |
| Economy | 78 | |
| Employment | 46 | |
| Crime & Policing | 43 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 31 | |
| Education | 31 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 29 | |
| Housing | 23 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Of Living | 1 | — |
| Transport | 1 | — |
| Economy Jobs | 11 | 3,805 |
| Local Government | 5 | 1,922 |
| Culture Community | 2 | 1,738 |
| Health | 5 | 1,691 |
| Social Care | 3 | 1,509 |
| Energy | 3 | 1,090 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Apr 2026 | Driver and Vehicle Licensing AgencyI congratulate the hon. Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole (Vikki Slade) on securing the debate and the Backbench Business Committee for granting it. As we have heard, the DVLA … TransportHealthCrime | 485 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Welsh Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (2026-04-22)Petra, could you give us some thoughts on the benefits of the digital healthcare system, primarily to patients but also to healthcare professionals and the Government? | 26 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Cost of Living13. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce the cost of living in Wales. Cost Of LivingEconomy JobsLabour Market | 18 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Cost of LivingFree school meals for children, our universal credit uplift, and up to £575 more on the state pension thanks to protecting the triple lock are all great examples of how Labour Gove… Cost Of LivingEconomy JobsLabour Market | 87 |
| 16 Mar 2026 | Defence Jobs: Wales9. What steps he is taking to increase the number of defence jobs in Wales. DefenceEconomy JobsLocal Government | 15 |
| 16 Mar 2026 | Defence Jobs: WalesI welcome and fully endorse the Minister’s comments about the benefits of two Labour Governments working together for the people of Wales. In the 19th century, ironworks in my cons… DefenceEconomy JobsLocal Government | 120 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill — Oral Evidence (HC 1712)Could you give us your view on the progress made by the service justice system on the treatment of victims of service offenders? | 23 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill — Oral Evidence (HC 1712)Is it your feeling that the role of the Commissioner has been significant in all the progress you have described? | 20 |
| 05 Mar 2026 | Business of the HouseMembers will have heard me speak on numerous occasions about the high cost of petrol in Merthyr Tydfil, where prices have for many months been around 10p per litre higher than in m… DefenceEconomy JobsEnergy | 110 |
| 04 Mar 2026 | Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill — Oral Evidence (HC 1712)Thank you for being with us this morning, Sarah. What are your views on what should be included in the service policing protocol to improve working relationships between the variou… | 283 |
| 03 Mar 2026 | Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill — Oral Evidence (HC 1712)The Bill has provisions to amalgamate the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations into a single non-departmental body. Could you give us your thoughts on whether that is a positiv… | 40 |
| 26 Feb 2026 | St David’s Day and Welsh AffairsThe shadow Minister is talking about public services in Wales. Would she care to reflect on the 14 years of austerity and the damage that the Conservatives, along with the Liberal … Economy JobsCulture CommunityLocal Government | 46 |
| 26 Feb 2026 | St David’s Day and Welsh AffairsIt is a pleasure to speak in this St David’s day and Welsh affairs debate. I will raise a number of issues affecting my constituency. I was so pleased that this Labour Government a… Economy JobsCulture CommunityLocal Government | 1,599 |
| 25 Feb 2026 | Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill — Oral Evidence (HC 1712)We have touched on this, but I want to drill down a bit on awareness. Would you outline how your Departments will ensure that policy teams are aware of the Covenant duty and suffic… | 52 |
| 25 Feb 2026 | Welsh Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1696)Just moving the discussion on to discretionary housing payments, what role do they have in addressing housing insecurity and keeping people in their accommodation? Linked to that, … | 42 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | 1 | 33.3% |
| Ministry of Defence | 1 | 33.3% |
| Wales Office | 1 | 33.3% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Mar 2026 | Ministry of Defence | To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether announcements on the Ajax programme can be made during the pre election period. | Answered |
| 24 Feb 2026 | Wales Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases in defence spending on Wales. | Answered |
| 05 Nov 2025 | 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 impact of the Online Safety Act 2023 on protecting children and young people from online harms. | Answered |
E · Committees
| Committee | Role | House | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Select Committee on the Armed Forces BillSelect | Member | Commons | 09 Feb 2026 | present |
| Welsh Affairs CommitteeSelect | Member | Commons | 17 Nov 2025 | 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 | 124 | 30,861 | 11.0% |
| Staffing | 1 | 215,707 | 76.8% |
| Miscellaneous | 1 | 2,700 | 1.0% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 5,285 | 1.9% |
| Accommodation | 0 | 25,743 | 9.2% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 531 | 0.2% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | Office Costs | 9 | 7,919 |
| Pooled staffing services | Staffing | 1 | 4,600 |
| Equipment - hire | Office Costs | 15 | 3,092 |
| Removals | Miscellaneous | 1 | 2,700 |
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Office Costs | 12 | 2,617 |
| Advertising and contact cards | Office Costs | 14 | 2,555 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 25 | 2,533 |
| Postage & couriers | Office Costs | 2 | 2,346 |
| Business rates | Office Costs | 4 | 1,933 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 4 | 1,857 |
| Service charge & ground Rent | Office Costs | 5 | 1,814 |
| Cleaning services | Office Costs | 12 | 1,361 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 205 | Paid |
| 11 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 205 | Paid |
| 11 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 205 | Paid |
| 11 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 167 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline & internet package | 159 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -225 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 208 | Paid |
| 13 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 600 | Paid |
| 05 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Business rates | 24/25 Business rates partial refund of 60232703:2 | 0 | Repaid |
| 04 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | The Labour Party | 29 | Paid |
| 03 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - hire | Printer, photocopier & scanner | 157 | Paid |
| 01 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Business In Focus | 480 | Paid |
| 01 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Service charge & ground Rent | Business in Focus | 240 | Paid |
| 01 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Advertising and contact cards | Parish Magazine | 75 | Paid |
| 18 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline & internet package | 213 | Paid |
| 13 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 600 | Paid |
| 07 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Cleaning services | [***] Cleaning Services | 45 | Paid |
| 07 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 43 | Paid |
| 07 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 19 | Paid |
| 07 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 8 | 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.
8. Miscellaneous1 entry
18 Apr 2024
A Trustee of a local charity, Phillipstown Residents and Community Association.
Date interest arose: 11 May 2018
(Registered 9 March 2023)
9. Family members employed and paid from parliamentary expenses1 entry
18 Apr 2024
Name: Tyrone Powell
Relationship: Partner
Role: Senior Parliamentary Assistant
Working pattern: Full time
(Registered 4 June 2015)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 17 wards, 42 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberaman | Julie Cook | Labour Party | 1,518 | 05 May 2022 |
| Aberaman | Sheryl Evans | Labour Party | 1,447 | 05 May 2022 |
| Aberaman | Tina Williams | Labour Party | 1,472 | 05 May 2022 |
| Aberdare East | Steve Bradwick | Labour Party | 1,147 | 05 May 2022 |
| Aberdare East | Victoria Dunn | Labour Party | 1,000 | 05 May 2022 |
| Aberdare Westllwydcoed | Ann Crimmings | Labour Party | 1,667 | 05 May 2022 |
| Aberdare Westllwydcoed | Gareth Jones | Labour Party | 1,435 | 05 May 2022 |
| Aberdare Westllwydcoed | Sharon Rees | Labour Party | 1,413 | 05 May 2022 |
| Bedlinog Trelewis | Gill Preston | Labour Party | 411 | 05 Sept 2024 |
| Cwmbach | Jeffrey Alan Elliott | Labour Party | 663 | 05 May 2022 |
| Cwmbach | Mustapha Maohoub | Labour Party | 513 | 05 May 2022 |
| Cyfarthfa | Claire Jones | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 701 | 05 May 2022 |
| Cyfarthfa | Geraint Thomas | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 1,031 | 05 May 2022 |
| Cyfarthfa | Michelle Ellen Jones | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 836 | 05 May 2022 |
| Dowlais Pant | David Hughes | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 803 | 05 May 2022 |
| Dowlais Pant | Declan Gerard Sammon | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 1,120 | 05 May 2022 |
| Dowlais Pant | Paula Layton | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 851 | 05 May 2022 |
| Gurnos | Bill Smith | Labour Party | 359 | 05 May 2022 |
| Gurnos | Jeremy Islwyn Trevor Davies | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 519 | 05 May 2022 |
| Gurnos | Lee Davies | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 514 | 05 May 2022 |
| Hirwaun Penderyn Rhigos | Adam Owain Rogers | Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales | 811 | 05 May 2022 |
| Hirwaun Penderyn Rhigos | Karen Morgan | Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales | 1,012 | 05 May 2022 |
| Merthyr Vale | Darren Roberts | Labour Party | 892 | 05 May 2022 |
| Merthyr Vale | Scott Thomas | Labour Party | 716 | 05 May 2022 |
| Park | Clive Thomas Jones | Labour Party | 701 | 05 May 2022 |
| Park | Louise Minett Vokes | Labour Party | 685 | 05 May 2022 |
| Pen Y Waun | Louisa Addiscott | Labour Party | 391 | 05 May 2022 |
| Penydarren | David Gareth Isaac | Labour Party | 650 | 05 May 2022 |
| Penydarren | Jamie Scriven | Labour Party | 508 | 05 May 2022 |
| Penydarren | Kevin Gibbs | Labour Party | 523 | 05 May 2022 |
| Plymouth | Anna Nadine Williams-Price | Labour Party | 879 | 05 May 2022 |
| Plymouth | Brent Anthony Carter | Labour Party | 1,061 | 05 May 2022 |
| Plymouth | Gareth Lewis | Labour Party | 1,138 | 05 May 2022 |
| Town | Andrew David Barry | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 873 | 05 May 2022 |
| Town | Dai Chick Jones | Labour Party | 995 | 05 May 2022 |
| Town | John Thomas | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 943 | 05 May 2022 |
| Town | Julia Jenkins | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 826 | 05 May 2022 |
| Treharris | Ernie Galsworthy | Labour Party | 963 | 05 May 2022 |
| Treharris | Gareth Richards | Labour Party | 1,635 | 05 May 2022 |
| Treharris | Ian David Thomas | Labour Party | 966 | 05 May 2022 |
| Vaynor | Clive Tovey | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 532 | 05 May 2022 |
| Vaynor | Lisa Victoria Mytton | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 655 | 05 May 2022 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 99,628 | Electorate 74,460 (2024) |
| Median age | 41 | years |
| Degree-educated | 25.4% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 97.4% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 64.3% | households |
| Private-rented | 16.1% | households |
| Social-rented | 19.4% | households |
| Employment rate | 52.5% | 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.