MPs Expenses
During the last parliament I posted onto my website a detailed explanation of the cost of being an MP. Since the issue of MPs expenses is currently highly controversial, I thought it would be helpful to provide an update of what I claim, and why.
The first point to make is that the word expenses is somewhat misleading - the majority of the money spent is paid directly to staff as salaries or to third parties for services provided.
This is how the costs of running my office break down.
I have three members of staff who are on my Westminster payroll. One is my wife Sue, who oversees my constituency operation, including all of my correspondence, casework, and dealing with all my constituency communications. She is also responsible for all of the correspondence I receive in my role as Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. Beth in my Westminster office runs the national political aspects of my job, my diary, and my parliamentary activities. Verna in my constituency office organises constituency visits, surgery appointments and deals with telephone enquiries there.
All my staff salaries are set in line with the appropriate official parliamentary pay grades and scales.
In addition, I have a researcher, Cam, who works on my Shadow Ministerial responsibilities. He is kindly paid for by Adrian White, the former High Sheriff of Surrey.
I also subscribe to an organisation called the Parliamentary Resources Unit. This provides MPs who subscribe with additional briefings on individual policy issues.
The second area of costs that we incur is the Incidental Expenses provision.
This allowance pays for the running costs of my constituency operation, including rent, heat, light, power etc, buying equipment, paying phone bills, stationery, and last year also included the cost of constituency communications like the Clocktower, which is my twice yearly newsletter which now appears as a wrap around the Epsom Guardian. It also pays for the running of this website. I also incur allowable costs associated with my role in Parliament as Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. For example, if I travel to another part of the country on a Shadow Ministerial visit and have to stay overnight, the cost is paid for out of this allowance. My claim last year was higher than normal because of some one off equipment purchases, including equipping my office with ISDN links so that I am able to do radio interviews remotely. All expenditure like this is vetted by the Parliamentary Authorities.
The figure paid in rent includes money paid to the Epsom and Ewell Conservative Association for the cost of Verna's office in Ashtead and the space I use for meetings and some of my surgeries, as well as some additional facilities. Because payments to constituency parties are clearly sensitive, the agreement has to be vetted under the rules of the House of Commons by the authorities, and the rental rate is based on an independent survey of office values carried out and given to them.
The third element of the costs I incur is travel. This is now bigger than it used to be because of my Shadow Cabinet role. I spend a lot of time travelling round the country talking to people or visiting places that help me with my parliamentary work in this capacity. An example of this is that in the last few months I have spent a lot of time in particular talking to both employers, people in schools and welfare recipients about the challenge we face in getting more young people back into work. The majority of my travel is now by train.
The final element of my costs is the Additional Costs Allowance. This allows us to stay in London overnight, and is payable to any MP from outside London. I have a small flat near the Houses of Parliament which I use when I am working very late. This might appear an odd thing for someone with a constituency close to London to do, but job of an MP, and particularly a front bench spokesman means that I work very erratic and late hours most days when the House of Commons is sitting.
January 2008