IPSA publishes MPs’ Business Costs for April and May 2023 and the consultation report

Date published: 14 September 2023

IPSA has today released details of all claims, paid, repaid, and unpaid, processed in the period from April to May 2023. Compliance with IPSA’s rules continues to be very high.

For details of all claims, including those published today, visit MPs’ staffing and business costs.

The data reflects claims processed in this period and should not be interpreted as a trend or pattern. MPs’ constituencies have a range of different characteristics for example size, population, urban or rural landscape, and distance from Westminster, which makes comparisons between the data difficult.

To find out more, read our article Why does MPs’ spending vary so much?

The data for individual claims is displayed on the website by the date on which a cost is incurred.

Some travel claims reflect the date on which a transaction was processed rather than the date on which a journey was made.

IPSA has a public information video aimed at tackling some common misconceptions about MPs’ business costs.

View the video and accompanying blog.

We have also published today the Consultation report on constituency boundary changes and support for MPs leaving Parliament.

For more information, read the Consultation Report.

ENDS

For more details contact IPSA’s Press Office.

Follow us on Twitter: @ipsauk

Notes to Editors

1. IPSA was created in 2009 by the Parliamentary Standards Act. The Act was amended in 2010 by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act. Together they gave IPSA three main responsibilities:

  • to regulate MPs’ business costs

  • to determine MPs’ pay and pension arrangements

  • to provide financial support to MPs in carrying out their parliamentary functions

2. IPSA is independent of Parliament and the Government. This allows us to make decisions about the rules on business costs and on MPs’ pay ourselves, without interference.

3. The Scheme of MPs’ Staffing and Business Costs (‘the Scheme’) governs what MPs can and cannot claim. We review our rules regularly and consult the public when we do so.

4. Repayments are made to IPSA by MPs and third parties for a variety of reasons. These include:

  • refunding items for which an MP no longer wishes to claim

  • refunding payment card transactions for which an MP does not wish to claim, and

  • where an MP has received a rebate or refund from a third party, for example on their business rates or utility bills

5. The next scheduled date for data publication is 16 November 2023.