Expenses
MPs are entitled to claim a variety of expenses to help meet the costs of living and travelling from Westminster to their constituency, and to pay for their staff and general office expenses.
Below you can see a full list of the expenses Helen claimed for the last financial year (2006/07), and how this compares with the other 644 MPs:
|
Type of Expense |
total claimed (£) |
total allowed (£) |
Ranking (out of 645 mpS) |
| Additional Cost Allowance (ACA) | 22,110 | 22,110 | 1st, joint with 185 others. |
| London Supplement | 0 | 2,712 | N/A |
| Incidental Expenses Provision (IEP | 17,803 | 20,440 | 480th |
| Staffing Allowance | 90,379 | 95,684* | 66th |
| Members’ Travel | 11,809** | N/A | 142nd |
| Members’ Staff Travel | 633 | N/A | 190th |
| Stationary | 1,201 | N/A | 222nd |
| Postage Costs | 3,982 | N/A | 199th |
| Computer Equipment | 930 | N/A | Joint 523rd |
| Other | 0 | N/A | N/A |
| Total: | 148,847 | N/A | 103rd |
* Total allowed includes 10% of the previous years’ budget that may be carried over if unused.
** Of which £9,991 was spent on rail travel (32nd highest), £1,634 was spent on car use (464th) and £184 on air travel (210th)
Explanatory Notes:
● ACA: Sum paid to reimburse Members for necessary costs incurred when staying away from their main home for the purpose of performing parliamentary duties.
● London Supplement: Available to MPs representing London constituencies to compensate for high living costs
● IEP: Money provided to cover expenses MPs incur while performing parliamentary duties, such as accommodation costs, room hire, equipment hire etc
● Staffing allowance: To cover costs of hiring staff in the constituency and Westminster offices
