Claims for bank overdraft fees/penalties

Request

Details of whether IPSA has paid claims by Members of Parliament for bank overdraft fees/penalties on accounts used by MP’s [sic] relating to the administration of their office allowances; including details of how many MPs have made such claims, and what the total value of these claims has been over the last twelve months

Response

I can confirm that IPSA does hold this information. Since we became fully operational in May 2010, IPSA has paid one bank overdraft charge. This incurred in January 2011, due to an error by IPSA. The total value of the charge was £30.00.

In general, bank overdraft fees or penalties incurred by MPs are not payable under the MPs’ Expenses Scheme as IPSA does not consider these charges as costs ‘incurred wholly, exclusively, and necessarily in the performance of their parliamentary function’ as stated in Schedule 1: Fundamental Principles (2) of the MPs’ Expenses Scheme.  IPSA reserves the right to apply discretion if an MP can provide evidence to show that such a charge was unavoidable or has been incurred due to an error on IPSA’s part.

Ref:
FOI2011-088
Disclosure:
18 October 2011
Categories:
NOT IPSA'S REMIT
Exemptions Applied:
None