Downing Street Says » MPs’ expenses

Asked what Harriet Harman meant when she said on the BBC this morning that Government action on MPs’ expenses would be “soon”, the PMS said that we were awaiting the outcome of Sir Christopher Kelly’s review.

Asked for any update on the timing of that review, the PMS said that the timetable was a matter for Sir Christopher Kelly and the Committee for Standards in Public Life.

Asked why the Prime Minister had claimed for a second home when he had the use of No 10, the PMS said the Prime Minister’s arrangements in relation to claiming Second Home Allowance were a matter for public record, and had been known for some time. He said that the Prime Minister’s approach was in line with his predecessors.

Asked about the suggestion that MPs with a grace and favour home should not be allowed to claim Second Home Allowance, the PMS said the Prime Minister’s view was that we needed to make significant reforms to the whole system of allowances for MPs. The Prime Minister spoke about this at length in an interview with Sky yesterday and felt that we needed to look at a range of issues as part of wide-ranging reform of MPs’ allowances.

Asked whether the Prime Minister had taken any action to find out whether any other Cabinet colleagues were claiming a Second Home Allowance, the PMS said the Prime Minister expected Cabinet colleagues to act in a way that was consistent with the rules of the House of Commons.

Asked if the Prime Minister had set a date to meet the leader of the Opposition to discuss the issue of MPs’ expenses, the PMS said he was not aware that one had been set.

3 Comments »

Yes just keep quoting the rules and how they must get “wide ranging reform” without telling us that its themselves who make the rules, why not get your heads out of the trough and see whats going on in the country before someone hangs them all from the lamp posts, now that WOULD be funny
Comment by gordon stewart — 22 Apr 2009 on 1:02 am | Link
I have just emailed my MP as follows:
“Re: MPs’ salaries, expenses & pensions

It is unfortunate that Messrs Brown, Cameron & Clegg fail to comprehend
what the electorate require, which is along the lines of:

(1) Salary to be determined other than by MPs
(2) Expenses to supported by receipts and to be wholly, necessarily and
exclusively incurred in connection with their duties as MPs – i.e.
Revenue & Customs criteria
(3) Allowances to be taxable as part of salary – i.e. Revenue & Customs
criteria
(4) Pensions to be comparable with outside employment.

If one of the 3 gentlemen named eventually comes to realise what needs
to be done, and commits his party to doing it, the end-result in terms
of votes at the next General Election could be enormous!
Comment by Derek L Gregory — 23 Apr 2009 on 5:47 pm | Link
I was a Social Security Fraud officer. How could I honestly do my job today and prosecute somebody for fiddling a few hundred?
Comment by pat lister — 19 May 2009 on 2:48 pm | Link

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» Monday, April 6, 2009

MPs’ expenses

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