Grant Shapps, MP's expenses

I can confirm that we hold information relevant to your request.

Although the question addressed at (1) below falls outside the scope of FOIA, it has been addressed as a general enquiry by our MP Services team so that a response could be provided with this letter.

1) The claims for this period show a number of, what appears to be, double claims, that is, "EE Mar" appears twice for the same value and the payment dates within "view details" are separate.

• Is the data as simple as it appears to be (should be)? That is, each line is a separate claim which has been made and paid? • If so, my MP is double claiming expenses, if not, your database gives misleading information.

Claims 6005372(1) and 6005372(3)

These are not duplicate claims: they are for separate months and have different invoices (see the disclosed documents). It only appears to be a duplicate as the MP only claimed for a partial reimbursement of £230.35 for May, which matches the amount claimed for March.

Claims 60045317 and 60042391

The discrepancy which shows a duplicate payment at 60042391 and 60045617 is the result of an error by IPSA. Mr Shapps contacted IPSA in June 2020 to ask IPSA for help to ensure that the duplicate claim was not paid. Due to an administrative error, IPSA did not complete the request and allowed the claim to proceed to be paid. When we raised this with Mr Shapps, he repaid the sum straightaway.

2) Copies of telephone bills for 2019 -2020

Copies of telephone bills have been provided as an attachment to the email accompanying letter. Some information has been redacted from the documents and is subject to a Refusal Notice under sections 31, 38 and 40 of the FOIA, and in accordance with Section C of IPSA’s Publication Policy.

Section 31(1)(a) – law enforcement

This exemption applies where the disclosure of information would or would be likely to prejudice the prevention of crime. IPSA relies on this exemption to withhold the banking details of suppliers and other transactional references. IPSA believes that the disclosure of these details could leave those concerned more vulnerable to financial crime, in particular fraud and electronic crime, especially with the increase in cyber-attacks.

This exemption is subject to a public interest test. IPSA does not consider that the withholding of this information has a negative impact on the understanding of these claims.

We therefore find that the public interest in withholding this information outweighs the public interest in disclosure at this time.

Section 38(1)(b) – health and safety

This exemption applies where disclosure of information would, or would be likely to, endanger the safety of any individual.

IPSA relies on this exemption to withhold the telephone number and private address details of the MP. IPSA maintains that the disclosure of this information carries a high risk of endangering the MP and his staff. When considering disclosure, we also have to take into account our duty of care to MPs, their staff and connected parties, including any dependents and other members of the public, and any consequences which may arise from our response.

During 2021 there has been an increase in media reporting on the threats made to MPs and their staff. Not all reports relate to physical attacks on MPs and their staff, but the fear which can be felt from receiving a threat can be mentally and physically damaging.

MPs and their staff have difficult jobs, and IPSA is aware that the decision to disclose certain categories of information could make it more difficult for them to fulfil these. This would have a knock-on effect on those whom MPs and their staff try to help. IPSA, therefore, maintains that the public interest in withholding this information outweighs the public interest in disclosure at this time.

Sections 40(2) and 40(3A)(a) – personal data

This exemption applies to information which IPSA considers to be personal data within the meaning of Article 4(1) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation 2016 (UK GDPR) which states,

‘personal data’ means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (‘data subject’); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly

IPSA considered that the following are personal data within this definition: banking and financial information of suppliers; names of MPs and supplier’s staff. We then considered whether disclosure of this personal data would breach any of the Principles relating to the processing of personal data in the UK GDPR.

The relevant principle falls at Article 5(1)(a):

Personal data shall be:

a. Processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner in relation to the data subject

As IPSA was unable to find a lawful basis on which it could rely, within Article 6 of the UK GDPR, it therefore finds that the information is exempt under section 40.