Publish expenses now, says Clegg

Written by Nick Clegg MP and published in BBC Radio 4 Today on Thu 27th Mar 2008

Delaying publication of MPs' expenses is a "hammer blow" to public confidence in the Commons, says Nick Clegg.

They were due to be published after the Commons authorities lost a Freedom of Information case - but instead they have launched a High Court appeal.

The appeal says MPs' addresses should not be published on security grounds.

But the Lib Dem leader said that should not stop other details being revealed: "It's not as if it's doing anything other than delaying the inevitable."

Mr Clegg told BBC Radio 4's Today programme his understanding, when he was told about the appeal a week ago, was that the appeal was on the specific issue of addresses.

He said he does not object to that, but said it should not hold up the release of a detailed breakdown of MPs' claims under their second homes allowance.

Mr Clegg said: "The reason why this feels like a needless, additional hammer blow to public confidence in the House of Commons and what MPs do, is, I think we all now accept, that there should be full declaration of all MPs' expenses.

"That will happen in the coming months once the arrangements are put in place in any event.

"So it's not as though it's doing anything other than delaying the inevitable."

An Information Tribunal ruled last month that the Commons must release a detailed breakdown of 14 MPs' claims under their Additional Costs Allowance (ACA) - under which each MP can claim up to £23,000 a year to cover costs associated with running a second home.

But as the deadline neared, the Commons authorities announced they would make a last-ditch appeal to the High Court. The date for a hearing has not yet been set.

On Wednesday Labour MP David Winnick asked Speaker Michael Martin in the Commons on what grounds the appeal was based, but was told he could not raise it, as it was "sub-judice" - a matter before the courts.

Lib Dem MP Mark Oaten, who was among the 14 on the list, said he had not been asked whether he wanted to appeal and was concerned it looked like "we are trying to hide something".

Requests for information about claims by the 14 MPs, who include Prime Minister Gordon Brown, his predecessor Tony Blair, Conservative leader David Cameron and former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell, were made in 2005.

As a result of the tribunal ruling, it has already been revealed that MPs can claim up to £10,000 for a new kitchen, £2,000 for furniture and £750 for a TV or stereo under the ACA, for their second homes.

Rules that allowed MPs to claim up to £250 without providing a receipt are to be changed - they will only be able to claim up to £25 from 1 April - as part of a continuing review of MPs' expenses set up by the Speaker.

The review, which will report back in the summer, after Conservative MP Derek Conway was censured over payments to his son totalling £40,000 for work as a Parliamentary researcher - of which a standards committee said there was no record.

Earlier the prime minister was asked on GMTV why the expenses details were not being published.

He told the programme: "I think the thing we have got to do now is get a new system in place as quickly as possible so that everything's seen to be above board - everything's transparent."

He said he wanted a new system in place by the summer so that in future all information was published.

"Most people who enter public life are doing it for the best of reasons, they want to help people, but where people are making mistakes and there are abuses they have got to be rooted out."

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk_politics/7316072.stm

Published: 2008/03/27 10:02:47 GMT

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