MPs expenses

[CYNthesys]

MPs are resisting demands from Richard Thomas, the information commissioner, to oblige MPs to detail how they manage to claim more than £20,000 on properties when they have no mortgages.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article2753503.ece

[iancognito]

Re: MPs expenses

I was reading an article on MP's expenses in the newspaper on Friday and I have to say I was gobsmacked by some of the amounts (yes I'm obviously very naive)

MPs faced criticism last week when new figures showed that they shared a total of £87 million in expenses last year, an increase of five per cent on the previous year.

The top-claiming MP for the 2006-07 financial year was the international development minister Shahid Malik, who picked up a total of £185,421.
He was followed by the immigration minister Liam Byrne, who claimed £178,116.
The cheapest MP was Philip Hollobone (Con, Kettering), who claimed just £44,551.
Almost 150 MPs claimed the maximum £22,110 allowance for "staying away from main home".

[Guest]

Re: MPs expenses

Another example is the case of that Civil Servant Sir John Bourn, widely reported in the press for his extravagant expenses - £336,000 in six months - including first class air travel, sometimes with his wife. He also accepted hospitality from firms with government contracts, or hoping for them. Probably inside the law - just- but not fit to hold on to his knighthood, granted in 1991.

This is of course, in addition to his salary of £164,430 again, met by the tax payer.

Remember, this is the man appointed by Tony Blair in March 2006 to ensure that public money is spent properly and to advise ministers on potential clashes between their public duties and private affairs - and to investigate any claims that the rules have been broken.

The words "snouts" and "trough" spring to mind here.