Publication of Legg Review and next set of allowances information

04/Feb/2010

Today the House of Commons has published the next set of information about MPs allowances, including the report by Sir Thomas Legg.

I welcome the publication of this information. It's a really important part of the radical reform our allowances system needs - to make it open, transparent, and better value for the taxpayer.

The information published today includes a searchable database of claims for the 2008-09 financial year and the first quarter of the 2009-10 financial year, and a list of repayments made by MPs to the House of Commons so far in 2009-10.

Legg review

You can read Sir Thomas’ report here.

As has already been reported, I was asked to pay back £13.44 for miscalculations of mortgage interest in 2006-07, which I repaid upon receiving Sir Thomas’ letter in October.

The report also includes information about a reconciliation payment of £1,350 that I made at the end of the 2008-09 financial year. While the report gives the impression that this payment was recommended by the Legg Review, in fact this payment was made before the Legg review began. Details of this payment were published in June 2009, and are on my website towards the bottom of this page: http://www.edballs.co.uk/index.jsp?i=4042&s=1111

Repayments made in 2009-10 financial year

This table shows the repayments made by MPs in the 2009-10 financial year. It lists the £13.44 I paid back following the letter from Sir Thomas Legg.

Database of claims from 2008-09 and 2009-10

You can view the database of claims here: http://mpsallowancesdb.parliament.uk/

Up-to-date information about my second home allowance claims is already published on my website here: http://www.edballs.co.uk/index.jsp?i=4042&s=1111

The receipts for the 2008-09 claims have already been published and can be viewed here.

The claims include payments to a range of companies and suppliers that support my work as a local MP. This includes the local printers The Normanton Advertiser, who are based on the high street down from my office and help us print factsheets and surveys to send to constituents. It also includes Gordon and Badley Communications who work with me to produce letters, surveys and reports for constituents across my Normanton constituency, and Boston Office Solutions, from whom we purchase stationery to run the constituency office. Other payments cover the electricity and heating for the constituency office.

Like most Members of Parliament, I used the Communications Allowance to listen and respond to constituents’ views on issues including local health services, crime and local policing, and the impact of the economic downturn on local businesses and households, in line with the Green Book rules. Gordon and Badley Communications worked with me on this from October 2008 to December of 2009 when the Communications Allowance ended. Gordon and Badley Communications were paid a monthly fee of £450 for this work.

Event bookings made by MPs 

This table shows the event bookings that were made by MPs on behalf of outside organisations since 2004.