 |
Nick Harvey MPStanding up for North Devon since 1992 |
 |
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH GETS IT WRONG
July 29, 2009 1:25 PM
Nick comments: 'Yesterday's Telegraph report on MPs' £25 subsistence entitlement when working away from home is ill-informed nonsense. It replaced claims for food and has been reported extensively in the media. It was proposed in last year's Speaker's report and debated in the Commons on 3 July 2008!
'Far from being sneaked through secretly in May, it came into effect on 1 April and has been in the public domain since the new Green Book was published earlier this year. Contrary to the report, it was listed as a continuing expense in the Speaker's statement following the May meeting with party leaders.
'The arithmetic behind the £9155 claim is absurd. The Commons sits roughly 150 days a year so the most anyone could theoretically claim would be £3750. And that is pretty unlikely and would invite some serious probing by the NAO. In practice most MPs can claim 3 nights for 35 weeks, totalling £2625.
'Employees in other sectors are routinely paid subsistence expenses when working away from home. A daily rate of £25 is average in the public sector; the HMRC usually allows £30 untaxed as a legitimate expense in all sectors.'
What would you like to do next?
-
Subscribe for updates
Follow the party's activity on...
- Twitter:
- Liberal Democrats
- Facebook:
- Liberal Democrats
- YouTube:
- Liberal Democrats
-
Help out or donate
-
Tell us what you think