Number of individuals taken on by MPs on casual contracts in 2014 to date

IPSA holds the information that you request.

As your original request refers to a blanket disclosure rather than focusing on specific individuals, our response is framed in the same terms. In IPSA’s view, the release of the names of MPs who employ, and have employed in 2014, individuals on an hourly rate is likely to lead the identification of those individuals. This is especially of concern where those individuals are junior members of staff or in circumstances where the MP has a small number of staff. In such circumstances, it would be possible for other staff members within the office to identify the contractual terms of their colleagues. The possibility of this happening is increased the more current the data are – and decreases with time. In the interests of protecting the personal data of those junior members of staff, we are therefore withholding the names of those Members of Parliament under section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act.

Section 40(2) provides that personal data about third parties is exempt information if one of the conditions set out in section 40(3) is satisfied. Under the FOI Act disclosure of this information would breach the fair processing principle (Principle 1) and Section 10 of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA), where it would be unfair to those persons or is confidential. For further information, you may wish to visit the UK Legislation website.