MPs consider swapping expenses for lump-sum payments
MPs’ could receive a lump sum of £23,000 a year for their second homes rather than the system of expenses which currently operates.
The recommendation is thought to form a key plank of speaker Michael Martin’s review into MPs finances, according to the Times newspaper, but a committee spokesperson refused to confirm the report.
The details of 14 MPs’ expenses were released last Friday following a three-year legal battle to keep them private. While no parliamentary rules had been breached, observers did notice high bills for kitchen replacements and window cleaning, among other things.
All MPs’ additional cost allowances claims are set to be published later in the year.
But today’s proposal would do away with the need for endless pages of itemised expense, and the need for MPs to keep receipts of their purchases – replacing the system with a lump sum of £23,000 for the second home which MPs could spend as they wish.
