Cost relating to the recall on Parliament in August 2011

Request

The amount paid in travel expenses to MPs who returned to Parliament on Thursday August 11th for an emergency debate


Response

I can confirm that IPSA holds some of the information that falls within the description specified in your request. Under the provisions of the Expenses Scheme, Members of Parliament are required to submit expense claims within 90 days of incurring the expense and, once processed, IPSA then publishes details, on a bi-monthly cycle, on our dedicated and searchable publication website. Given the 90 day rule, any claims relating to the recall of Parliament in August 2011 are likely to be published in January 2012 onwards. This information is therefore exempt under Section 22(1) of the Freedom of Information Action (information intended for future publication).

We have considered whether the public interest in releasing the information outweighs the application of the exemption. As explained above, it is likely that a large number of the claims relating to the recall of Parliament have not yet been submitted or processed and it is our opinion that the public interest is best served by publishing the information at a set date, rather than on a piecemeal basis, which will mean that a clear and complete set of information is published, and will also avoid causing confusion. It is for these reasons that the application of the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure.

Ref:
FOI2011-083
Disclosure:
11 September 2011
Categories:
PARLIAMENTARY RECALL
Exemptions Applied:
Section 22