MPs’ expenses revealed
The House of Commons has today revealed that MPs claimed £78 million in expenses last year.
The average amount claimed by MPs was £118,361. The average MP spent: £16,509 on staying away from home; £17,436 on offices and/or surgeries; £66,623 on staff costs; £10,640 on travel; £1,094 on stationery; and £3,343 on postage in addition to a basic salary of £57,485.
There is, however, a wide variation in these figures. Labour MP Clair Curtis-Thomas, for Crosby near Liverpool, tops the list of MPs claiming the most in expenses at £168,889. In fact all of the highest-spending MPs in a crude expenditure level come from northern or Scottish constituencies, explaining the additional costs of travel and a second home.
Tony Blair makes it into the list of MPs claiming the least in expenses with a claim of £80,836; the lowest though is Mr Michael Trend who claimed £56,657. He, however, recently repaid £90,000 after he falsely claimed for a London home he did not possess. Mr Trend is not standing at the next election.
The majority of the London MPs did not claim any allowance for a second home, although there were exceptions.
Disclosure of such figures will become mandatory under the Freedom of Information Act, which comes into force in January next year, but the House of Commons Commission, which runs Westminster, decided to publish the information earlier in the interests of open democracy.
Welcoming the publication, Sir Archy Kirkwood, who speaks for the House of Commons Commission which approved the publication, said that the publication was a “significant step towards openness and accountability.”
Continuing, he said: “The tax payer can really see how their money is being spent.
“These tables show essential expenses needed by politicians to operate in a fast moving high pressure environment. Members are like 659 individual small businesses, working under an ever increasing load and more complex environment.
“They now deal with issues, and communicate in ways unheard of a few years ago. They require more back-up staff, more computer resources, and more allowances to enable them to travel back and forth to Parliament, living away from home for days at a time, while keeping in touch with the problems and issues of their constituents.”
The Senior Salaries Review Body conducted the report, which showed that expenses have increased by £20.56 million since 2001-2002.
On top of a basic salary, MPs can claim a variety of allowances for running a second London or constituency home, employing office staff and travel costs.
Accounts for the past three financial years, 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04, were published this afternoon, with an annual total for each MP divided into sub categories including London supplement, staffing allowance, travel, staff travel, stationary, IT provision.
The travel expenses also include travel on parliamentary business – for example whilst on select committee duty.
The figures quoted above were obtained by taking the sum of the expenses recorded as being claimed by each MP in the following categories: 1. Additional Costs Allowance 2. London Supplement 3. Incidental Expenses 4. Staffing Allowance 5. Members’ Travel 6. Members’ Staff Travel 7. Stationery 8. Computer Equipment 9. Other Costs.
The figures were published by Parliament on its website www.parliament.uk.
