How I Spend Your Money

Nobody can be in any doubt now that MP expenses need a complete root and branch reform.

The summary of MPs’ expense claims for 2007-08 published this week brought another round of criticism – most, but not all of it justified, as I will try and explain.

My biggest 'expense' is the cost of employing staff. I employ one full-time member of staff at Westminster and three people in the constituency working different combinations of hours.

The staff in both offices are qualified and experienced and do the jobs they are employed to do to a very high standard.  They offer constituents an excellent service – not my words but the comments of countless constituents who contact me to let me know how pleased they are with the help received.

My staff ensure constituents get a quality response when I'm busy at Westminster or out on constituency visits.  They also help to brief me for my contributions in Parliament.  Their salaries, and 11 per cent on-costs, are included in my total expenses figure.

 

I record the names and job titles of everyone I employ in my annual report and the recommended pay scales for each job, together with a description of the duties, are published on the House of Commons website.

The next biggest 'expense' is the cost of living in London around 180 days and 130 nights a year.  I rent a one-bedroom flat near the House of Commons and claim for the rent, council tax, phone, utility charges and incidentals.  I do not claim for the cable TV service, but I do claim for the TV licence.  I also claim £20 for each day I am away from home to meet the costs of food, drink and incidentals. 

 

The next expense is the cost of travel between the constituency and Parliament – usually by train on a Sunday evening or Monday morning, and back on a Thursday or Friday evening - and a limited amount of mileage around the constituency, or to visit agencies/departments that serve the constituency but are based elsewhere.

 

I occassionally drive but this is usually at the start or end of a Parliamentary session when I need to transfer more papers and personal effects than I can carry. 

 

On the busiest services I travel first class by train to ensure I get a seat and can work without compromising constituents’ confidentiality.  However, I always try to purchase my tickets in advance to save on the fare and I travel standard class on less busy services when I can spread out across a couple of seats and work without interruption.  

The final main expenses are the costs of renting and running a constituency office and communicating with constituents.

I rent an office in Torquay on which I pay rent, service charge and business rates. Further costs include things like phone bills, postage, office equipment, stationery etc.  The latter is also a cost at my Westminster office, although the space, phone, heating and lighting are met centrally.

 

Communicating with constituents includes the costs of my annual report, consultation exercises and the advertising of my weekly surgeries.

Adding these up comes to a significant figure, but I hope that this breakdown helps to explain a bit more of the story behind the figures.  I should add that I have always voted for greater openness in these matters and for tougher independent audit, and will continue to do so.