The amount British members of parliament (MP) can claim in expenses will be slashed by nearly a third under rules published on Monday that will end public subsidies on second homes and force politicians out of first-class train carriages. The new rules follow a massive scandal surrounding politicians’ expenses.
MPs will still be allowed to employ one partner or family member despite criticisms that some — such as the Tory (Conservative) Derek Conway — abused the system by putting on their parliamentary payroll spouses and children who did little or no work.
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) rejected opinion polls and the view of the architect of the original reforms, Sir Christopher Kelly, the chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, to rule that there was nothing inherently wrong with the practice of employing partners or relatives.
Sir Ian Kennedy, the chairman of the authority, said that employing partners or relatives could be “good value for money.”
The new rules will come into force on the first day of the next parliament after the general election and are designed to wipe the slate clean after the scandal that engulfed the House of Commons last year.
The maximum MPs outside the capital can claim for accommodation and constituency offices will be £40,957 (US$61,690), while the limit for London MPs will be £26,915 — down from £56,915 and £40,192 under the old, now discredited system.
The new rules will mean:
— The second-home allowance will be scrapped: MPs will only be allowed to claim for rented properties. There will be a two-year transition period, after which the authority will claw back any capital gains on properties. MPs will be expected to rent only one-bedroom apartments up to a cost of £1,450 a month.
— MPs with children up to the age of five (up to 21 for single parents) and those with dependent relatives with a disability will qualify for an additional payment, but Kennedy said it was expected that children would live in either the MP’s constituency home or their London property and be separated from their parent for parts of the week. This was opposed by MPs in the consultation on the new measures who said it would prevent those with families, or on lower incomes, standing for parliament.
— MPs will only be able to claim for rent if they live 32km from Westminster or more than 60 minutes’ traveling time. A total of 128 constituencies would be exempted — more than had previously been suggested. MPs will be allowed to claim for the running costs of their second home, but not for any cleaning or gardening bills.
— First-class travel will be scrapped: MPs will be reimbursed for standard tickets unless they can pre-book a first-class ticket for less than the standard-class fare.
— The one-off “resettlement allowance” is to be replaced by two months’ “winding-down” pay. This announcement could trigger the retirement of more MPs before the election because they will qualify for the “golden goodbye” £64,000 payment at the end of this parliament — but not in subsequent parliaments.
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