MPs renting to other MPs and question about home office expenses

IPSA holds some of the information that you request.

Taking your requests for information in turn:

• How many mps currently claim rent/expenses for a property which is owned by another mp which under rule 4.8 it currently allows mps to rent from another mp,who are they?

You may be aware that IPSA responded to an FOI request on 18th December 2012 on details of MPs renting from other MPs, reference FOI2012-A111. 

We subsequently committed to publishing an updated list on an annualised basis, which is available via this link to our publication website.

The FOIA states that information that is accessible by other means is not subject to release. Therefore, as the information you have requested is already available on our website, it is exempt from disclosure under section 21 of the FOIA (information accessible to applicant by other means).

• also does any mp currently own more than 1 property which they rent out to an mp and who are they?

You will be able to view this information in the published information, as detailed above.

• next i'd like to know how many and which mps currently have there home registered as there office like they can do under rule 6.11?

Paragraph 6.10 of the Scheme states the following in relation to claims for home offices for MPs and MPs’ staff:

6.10 Where the costs in paragraph 6.9 above are incurred at an MP’s or staff member’s home (for example if he or she works from home routinely), that home must be registered with IPSA as a constituency office, or (where it is more than 20 miles outside the constituency) as a “home office”.

In order to register a home office for themselves or a member of their staff, the location must be more than 20 miles outside the constituency and MPs must complete an online registration via the online expenses system and complete and send IPSA a pro-forma.

To date, MPs have made 109 registrations for home offices for themselves and their staff members since IPSA started operations in May 2010.  That a registration has been made does not indicate that claims have been made against a registration. 

We have carried out a search of our electronic systems and information held in hardcopy and IPSA does not hold information that allows us to separately identify all home office registrations that relate to MPs’ from those that relate to MPs’ staff.  We do not, therefore, hold the full information you request in relation to this part of your request.

• if an mp registers there home as there office does that mean they can claim upto the max of £25350 for office expenses?

The annual Office Costs Expenditure budget relates to the claims for all offices registered with IPSA by each MP.