Expenses
Q and A : Keith Simpson MP on MPs' Expenses
Why are you publishing your expenses?
I thought that the House of Commons authorities would be publishing MPs expenses very soon, but is appears that they cannot. My electorate have every right to know what I claim from taxpayers money. Having checked to see that I am not inadvertently publishing confidential data relating to personal financial matters I am very happy to place my expenses on the record.
Have you every "flipped" your main home address between London and Norfolk?
No. My main home address is in Reepham in my constituency. I moved there in 1996 six months before May 1997 when I was elected MP. Since then I have always lived in a rented flat in London when attending Parliament.
Why should MPs have a second home?
If you represent a constituency beyond London it is reasonable to have accommodation whilst attending Parliament. Reepham is 150 miles from Parliament and most of my constituents believe that it is reasonable for me to rent a flat. By renting a flat I do not make a profit.
What is your own approach to making claims?
I apply the criteria of whether any claim is reasonable. The overwhelming part of my expenses are for the rent of my flat which includes Council tax and utilities. In addition I have made claims for my telephone, lighting, food and a few one off items. My basement flat is about five minutes walk from Parliament.
What happens now?
All the political parties and the House authorities are quite rightly committed to major reform of MPs allowances including total transparency. As a shadow minister I published in advance my total expenses for 2008 in July of that year. In future all expenses of MPs will be published on the internet at the time they are made. The crisis over MPs expenses has quite rightly enraged people. It has shaken people’s confidence in Parliament and established a presumption of guilt involving all MPs. It is up to us to change that perception.
Keith Simpson MP
Mid Norfolk
Additional Costs Allowance (ACA)
Full details of all invoices submitted under the ACA (Second Home Allowance) can be downloaded here:
2004-05
 | click here to download (pdf: 1.70M)
2005-06
| click here to download (pdf: 1.49M)
2006-07
| click here to download (pdf: 1.01M)
2007-08
| click here to download (pdf: 1.12M)
The blacked out areas in the forms do not hide any purchases but instead protect sensitive information which would be inappropriate to publish such as bank account and credit card numbers, suppliers sensitive information and some addresses and telephone numbers and also details of staff members. The deleted pages are the back pages of invoices which contain suppliers payment information.
Expenses Breakdown (2001-2008)
Type | 2007/08 (ranking out of 645) | 2006/07 (ranking out of 645) | 2005/06 | 2004/05 (ranking out of 659) | 2003/04 (ranking out of 658) | 2002/03 (ranking out of 657) | 2001/02 (ranking out of 657) |
Additional Costs Allowance | £22,076 (290th) | £20,443 (372nd) | £20,116 | £18,256 (391st) | £20,333 (joint 3rd) | £18,797 (381st) | £17,066 (81st) |
London Supplement | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
Incidental Expenses Provision | £20,123 (236th) | £20,603 (272nd) | £19,365 | £18,755 (281st) | £18,756 (joint 302nd) | £15,650 (533rd) | £15,113 (344th) |
Staffing Allowance | £81,686 (504th) | £76,187 (540th) | £84,689 | £70,836 (294th) | £66,531 (396th) | £37,226 (654th) | £46,850 (286th) |
Communications Allowance | £19,426 (4th)*** | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Members' Travel | £6,494 (375th)* | £7,881 (308th)** | £5,778 | £11,042 (304th) | £9,477 (343rd) | £9,730 (333rd) | £5,356 (449th) |
Members' Staff Travel | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £104 (402nd) |
Members' Spouse Travel | £639 (183rd) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Members' Family Travel | £21 (111th) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Centrally Purchased Stationery | £527 (joint 473rd) | £742 (joint 394th) | £667 | £431 (543rd) | £643 (438th) | £565 (542nd) | £615 (503rd) |
Stationery: Associated Postage Costs | £1,817 (409th) | £861 (599th) | £3,118 | £1,029 (joint 570th) | £2,048 (405th) | N/A | N/A |
Centrally Provided Computer Equipment | £1,499 (16th) | £1,246 (joint 64th) | £637 | £1,888 (joint 320th) | £1,652 (joint 516th) | £1,652 (joint 486th) | £1,652 (joint 407th) |
Other Costs | £5,779 (23rd) | £13,271 (4th) | £0 | £0 | £5,167 (20th) | £7,106 (19th) | £0 |
Total | £160,087 (100th) | £141,234 (259th) | £134,370 | £122,237 (356th) | £124,607 (211th) | £90,726 (606th) | £86,756 (367th) |
* Regular journeys between home/constituency/Westminster: Mileage £6,134 (46th). Rail £360 (507th).
** Car £6,668 (39th). Rail £294 (506th). Air £159 (220th). European £760 (56th).
*** Note this covers two years.
Courtesy of TheyWorkForYou.com
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