South West Devon / data
Rebecca Smith · Conservative and Unionist Party · sitting since 04 Jul 2024 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
659days
from 04 Jul 2024
Divisions
358
of 504 possible
Attendance
71%
146 absent / paired
Whip alignment
100%
vs party majority
Speeches
455
142 debates
Written Qs
150
146 answered
Committees
1
memberships
Expenses
£213k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 204 claims
Interests
10
4 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 79 | |
| Economy | 69 | |
| Employment | 49 | |
| Crime & Policing | 43 | |
| Education | 29 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 26 | |
| Housing | 21 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 20 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Social Care | 38 | 27,386 |
| Economy Jobs | 51 | 26,702 |
| Transport | 23 | 24,809 |
| Fiscal Policy | 23 | 20,809 |
| Local Government | 28 | 15,154 |
| Labour Market | 17 | 11,387 |
| Cost Of Living | 12 | 9,917 |
| Crime | 12 | 5,290 |
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 | Allied Health ProfessionalsI start by paying tribute to the allied health professionals in my constituency and across the country, who work so hard to help people to regain and maintain their health. Indeed,… HealthLabour MarketSocial Care | 1,126 |
| 23 Apr 2026 | Driver and Vehicle Licensing AgencyThe hon. Member is making an excellent speech, which has reminded me of a conversation I recently had in my constituency. Drivers in the area of Hooe and Plymstock are showing real… TransportHealthCrime | 73 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Job CreationIn Wales, the south-west and across the UK, nearly 1 million young people are not in education, employment or training. Labour’s jobs tax, failed welfare reforms and damaging energ… Economy JobsLabour MarketDefence | 65 |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Antisemitic AttacksLast week, I had the privilege of visiting Auschwitz, on a visit organised by March of the Living UK. I joined 200 members of the British Jewish community there, and almost 8,000 p… CrimeDefenceCulture Community | 127 |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Local Government ReorganisationThe local government reorganisation consultation for Devon closes today. It has had many responses that have all been completed in good faith. Can the Minister reassure Devonians t… Local GovernmentHousingEconomy Jobs | 80 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Transport Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1583)Just building on what you have all said about the importance of grid connection versus subsidising the vehicles, that makes a huge amount of sense. But one of the things we have he… | 110 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Transport Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1583)Do you have the same issue that car drivers have where, if they are at a public charging space, it is a lot more expensive and you pay a premium, or is the HGV world slightly more … | 38 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Transport Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1583)Particularly on the SME point, David, I have visited one of your members. They might have only two or three trucks and, because of the costs they are facing, they share a unit with… | 67 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Transport Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1583)Has the zero emission HGV and infrastructure demonstrator programme helped to develop the infrastructure needed for HGV transition? I assume that will mean more to you than it does… | 31 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Transport Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1583)I would like to look again at solutions. Colin, sorry to keep coming back to you. A lot of the challenges that people face are in the fact that other parts of Government are not ne… | 318 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Transport Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1583)I am just conscious that what I wanted to ask possibly comes into the others. I am particularly interested in what Colin has just said about the parity between petrol, diesel and E… | 208 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Transport Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1583)Where these sites go in, are they able to be dual-use? The previous panel was more about cars, and obviously one of the challenges is the lack of infrastructure for cars. Is it pos… | 69 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Transport Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1583)No, if you are living in any town or city where you have terraced housing, you do not have private off-street parking, or you have lost your garden to get it, which is a whole othe… | 37 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | DefenceI thank my constituency neighbour for his comments, although if he had been listening, he would have heard me say that I welcome all those things, but without the defence investmen… DefenceFiscal PolicyEconomy Jobs | 323 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | DefenceMy hon. Friend makes a really good point. That is exactly what I am beginning to hear in my constituency. I referred earlier to a queue of companies wanting to come to South West D… DefenceFiscal PolicyEconomy Jobs | 332 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department for Transport | 28 | 18.7% |
| Department of Health and Social Care | 26 | 17.3% |
| Home Office | 17 | 11.3% |
| Department for Education | 14 | 9.3% |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 11 | 7.3% |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 10 | 6.7% |
| Ministry of Defence | 8 | 5.3% |
| Department for Work and Pensions | 8 | 5.3% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Apr 2026 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve (a) access to, and (b) outcomes in, higher education for adopted children. | Pending |
| 23 Apr 2026 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that adopted children receive appropriate pastoral support in schools. | Pending |
| 15 Apr 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 Secretary of State for Business and Trade on improving the recognition of overseas qualifications and reducing barriers to employment in the NHS. | Pending |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of regulatory and accreditation barriers on the level of NHS workforce. | Pending |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Nationwide plans announced to design safer streets as 9 in 10 women report feeling unsafe walking at night, published 25 March 2026, what… | Answered |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Ministry of Defence | To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to HMS Dragon's deployment to the eastern Mediterranean and the planned retirement of Type 23 frigates before the Type 26 and Type 31 replacements enter service, what steps he has ta… | Answered |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish figures for the percentage of Universal Credit claimants who are working, broken down by hourly increments, in each of the past five years. | Answered |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total value of public funding committed to electric vehicle uptake and charging infrastructure is across all schemes since 2024. | Answered |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Department for Business and Trade | To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of individuals who have the legal right to work in the UK but are unable to access employment in their qualified profession due to regulatory or a… | Answered |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available to overseas-qualified doctors who have the right to work in the UK but do not currently meet the requirements to practice in the NHS; and whether he plans t… | Answered |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the potential economic impact of levels of underemployment among refugees with a right to work; and what steps his Department is taking to improve sk… | Answered |
| 19 Mar 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in which month will the first East West Rail services operate from Winslow to Bletchley. | Answered |
| 19 Mar 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 118042, whether the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has set any key performance indicators for recruitment campaigns for driving examiner r… | Answered |
| 17 Mar 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the paragraph entitled East West Rail lease write-offs on page 9 of the National Audit Office’s Department for Transport Overview 2024–25, which states that £2.6 million in leas… | Answered |
| 02 Mar 2026 | Ministry of Defence | To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Royal Navy personnel currently deployed to Bahrain for the decommissioning of HMS Lancaster will be withdrawn for the duration of the current conflict between the United States, Israel, and… | Answered |
E · Committees
| Committee | Role | House | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transport 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 | 135 | 30,541 | 14.3% |
| Accommodation | 31 | 18,683 | 8.8% |
| Staffing | 17 | 152,503 | 71.4% |
| Miscellaneous | 1 | 331 | 0.2% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 8,621 | 4.0% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 2,785 | 1.3% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | Accommodation | 11 | 17,315 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 15 | 8,815 |
| Pooled staffing services | Staffing | 1 | 5,265 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 76 | 3,911 |
| Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | Office Costs | 1 | 3,235 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 5 | 2,075 |
| Utilities | Office Costs | 6 | 1,789 |
| Moving Fees | Office Costs | 2 | 1,080 |
| Utilities | Accommodation | 14 | 750 |
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Office Costs | 7 | 724 |
| Council tax | Accommodation | 1 | 524 |
| Advertising and contact cards | Office Costs | 3 | 497 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Water | 21 | Paid |
| 09 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Electricity | 599 | Paid |
| 05 Apr 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Electricity | 27 | Paid |
| 01 Apr 2025 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 2,000 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Staffing Volunteer - agreed arrangement costs | Repaid volunteer claim - 60276583:2 - Lunch HOC | -4 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Staffing Volunteer - agreed arrangement costs | Repaid volunteer claim - 60276583:3 - Lunch HOC | -6 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Staffing Volunteer - agreed arrangement costs | Repaid volunteer claim - 60276583:7 - Lunch HOC | -6 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Staffing Volunteer - agreed arrangement costs | Repaid volunteer claim - 60276583:6 - Lunch HOC | -6 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Staffing Volunteer - agreed arrangement costs | Repaid volunteer claim - 60276583:1 - Lunch HOC | -6 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Staffing Volunteer - agreed arrangement costs | Repaid volunteer claim - 60276583:5 - Lunch HOC | -7 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Staffing Volunteer - agreed arrangement costs | Repaid volunteer claim - 60276583:4 - Lunch HOC | -7 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -2,000 | Paid |
| 27 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Printer, photocopier & scanner | 5,880 | Paid |
| 17 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline & internet package | 56 | Paid |
| 13 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Software & applications | CANVA [***] [200011725-5669] [200011799-218] | 5 | Paid |
| 06 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Electricity | 27 | Paid |
| 04 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 2,000 | Paid |
| 04 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Service charge & ground Rent | Constituency Office - Quarterly Service Charge [200011797-161] | 23 | Paid |
| 04 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Insurance - buildings | Constituency Office - Quarterly Insurance [200011797-162] | 7 | Paid |
| 01 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Water | 73 | 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.
1. Employment and earnings2 entries
16 Aug 2024
Remuneration: £997 a month
Hours: 15 hrs a week this is estimated. Overlapping between role of Councillor and becoming MP.
Donated to: a community organisation
(Registered 1 August 2024; updated 9 April 2025)
16 Aug 2024
Role, work or services: Member of Plymouth City Council
Payer: Plymouth City Council, Ballard House, West Hoe Road, Plymouth PL1 3BJ
(Registered 1 August 2024)
3. Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources6 entries
15 Jul 2025
Name of donor: Motorsport UK
Address of donor: Bicester Motion, OX27 8FY
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Two tickets with hospitality for the British Grand Prix on 5th July 2025, value £1,400
Date received: 5 July 2025
Date accepted: 5 July 2025
Donor status: company, registration 1344829
(Registered 10 July 2025)
15 Jul 2025
Name of donor: Babcock International Group
Address of donor: 33 Wigmore Street, London, W1U 1QX
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Summer BBQ, value £25
Date received: 4 June 2025
Date accepted: 4 June 2025
Donor status: company, registration 02342138
(Registered 10 July 2025)
15 Jul 2025
Name of donor: Babcock International Group
Address of donor: 33 Wigmore Street, London, W1U 1QX
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Dinner and drinks ahead of constituency visit, value £90
Date received: 9 April 2025
Date accepted: 9 April 2025
Donor status: company, registration 02342138
(Registered 10 July 2025)
15 Jul 2025
Name of donor: Babcock International Group
Address of donor: 33 Wigmore Street, London, W1U 1QX
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Annual dinner and drinks in Parliament with MPs who have a constituency link to Babcock, value £85
Date received: 5 March 2025
Date accepted: 5 March 2025
Donor status: company, registration 02342138
(Registered 10 July 2025)
15 Jul 2025
Name of donor: Babcock International Group
Address of donor: 33 Wigmore Street, London W1U 1QX
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Dinner and drinks, value £140
Date received: 3 July 2025
Date accepted: 3 July 2025
Donor status: company, registration 02342138
(Registered 10 July 2025)
15 Jul 2025
Name of donor: Silverstone Circuits Ltd
Address of donor: The Jimmy Brown Centre Silverstone Circuit Towcester NN12 8TN
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Two tickets with hospitality to the British Grand Prix on 4 July, value £800
Date received: 4 July 2025
Date accepted: 4 July 2025
Donor status: company, registration 00882843
(Registered 10 July 2025)
4. Visits outside the UK1 entry
17 Sept 2025
Name of donor: Conservative Friends of Israel Ltd
Address of donor: PO Box 72288, London SW1P 9LB
Estimate of the probable value (or amount of any donation): Air travel, accommodation and hospitality with an estimated value of £4,500, value £4,500
Destination of visit: Israel and Palestine
Dates of visit: 24 August 2025 to 29 August 2025
Purpose of visit: Fact finding political delegation to Israel and the Palestinian Authorities
(Registered 10 September 2025)
8. Miscellaneous1 entry
15 Jul 2025
Board member of the Policy Research Unit. This is an unpaid role.
Date interest arose: 20 June 2025
(Registered 10 July 2025)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 14 wards, 20 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bickleigh Cornwood | Christopher Michael Oram | Liberal Democrats | 435 | 04 May 2023 |
| Buckland Monachorum | Alastair Clark Cunningham | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 498 | 04 May 2023 |
| Buckland Monachorum | Ric Cheadle | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 873 | 04 May 2023 |
| Burrator | Christopher Paul West | Liberal Democrats | 401 | 15 Jun 2023 |
| Burrator | Nick Viney | Liberal Democrats | 510 | 15 Jun 2023 |
| Ermington Ugborough | Alison Dewynter | Liberal Democrats | 534 | 04 May 2023 |
| Ivybridge East | Matt Steele | Liberal Democrats | 596 | 04 May 2023 |
| Ivybridge East | Victor Abbott | Liberal Democrats | 755 | 04 May 2023 |
| Ivybridge West | Nadine Dommett | Liberal Democrats | 882 | 04 May 2023 |
| Ivybridge West | Pablo Munoz | Liberal Democrats | 810 | 04 May 2023 |
| Newton Yealmpton | Dan Thomas | Liberal Democrats | 1,433 | 04 May 2023 |
| Newton Yealmpton | Tom Edie | Liberal Democrats | 1,225 | 04 May 2023 |
| Plympton Chaddlewood | Lauren McLay | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,063 | 02 May 2024 |
| Plympton Erle | Andrea Victoria Loveridge | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 896 | 02 May 2024 |
| Plympton St Mary | Sally Ann Nicholson | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 1,287 | 02 May 2024 |
| Plymstock Dunstone | Maria Lawson | Labour Party | 1,410 | 02 May 2024 |
| Plymstock Radford | Daniel Steel | Labour Party | 1,452 | 02 May 2024 |
| Wembury Brixton | Alison Nix | Conservative and Unionist Party | 718 | 04 May 2023 |
| Wembury Brixton | Julie Carson | Conservative and Unionist Party | 733 | 04 May 2023 |
| Woolwell | Nicky Hopwood | Conservative and Unionist Party | 526 | 04 May 2023 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 94,723 | Electorate 77,600 (2024) |
| Median age | 47 | years |
| Degree-educated | 32.5% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 97.8% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 78.2% | households |
| Private-rented | 14.3% | households |
| Social-rented | 7.5% | households |
| Employment rate | 56.4% | 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.