Repayments made by Angus MacNeil MP and Stewart Hosie MP

Request

Please supply a detailed breakdown of the repayments made by Stewart Hosie MP and Angus MacNeil MP as detailed in the following Freedom of Information Request:

http://parliamentarystandards.org.uk/transparency/FOI/2015-16%20Freedom%20of%20information%20requests%20and%20responses/CAS-35005%20-%20Amounts%20owed%20by%20MPs.pdf

This should include the individual sum in each case and an explanation for the repayment.


Response

IPSA holds the information that you request.

Background

There are numerous reasons why an MP may be listed as ‘owing’ an amount to IPSA. The fact that an MP is required to pay an amount to IPSA does not indicate any breach of the MPs’ Scheme of Business Costs and Expenses (‘the Scheme’) or the associated rules. Indeed, the day to day operation of the expenses systems means that at any one point in time, amounts will be owed by IPSA to MPs, and by MPs to IPSA.

For example, claims made on payment cards require reconciling a month after the cost is incurred; purchases are made on the card by the MP and supporting documentation must then be supplied to IPSA by the end of the month. Until supporting documentation is received, the claim is marked as requiring repayment. Where supporting documentation can be provided for a claimable expense, the amount is not required to be repaid by the MP.

In addition:

  • where an MP exceeds a budget limit, that amount exceeding the limit must be repaid;

  • where an MP has paid for something on their payment card, but marked the payment as a cost which they do not intend to claim from IPSA, this amount must be repaid; and

  • where a claim has been identified through post-payment assurance checks as a cost that is ineligible under the Scheme, this amount must be repaid (and the claim will be marked as such on our publication website).

In addition to payment card reconciliation reminders, all MPs are sent financial statements each month detailing their financial position with IPSA. These statements include personalised projections of spend over the financial year. If an MP is projected to overspend, this is highlighted to the MP. These statements also contain details of amounts that IPSA believes are required to be repaid. If the MP has not contacted IPSA by the following financial statement, these amounts become owed.

Repayments made by Angus MacNeil MP

In response to an FOI request in March 2016, we provided information on action that had been taken to recover amounts owed by MPs to IPSA. This response confirmed that Angus MacNeil MP had repaid £950.70.

Please find below a breakdown of these amounts, providing the individual sum claimed and the reason for the repayment.

Where a cost is identified as an ‘Expense Outside Scheme’, this relates to a payment which has been made on the MP’s payment card which is ineligible under the terms of the Scheme and which the MP has indicated they do not wish to claim. As all payment cards are paid in full by IPSA each month, these costs must be repaid to IPSA by the MP.

  • Expense Type: Expense Outside Scheme

  • Amount: £13.60

  • Reason for repayment: Item purchased on the Payment Card classified as 'not claimed - to repay'. This could be because you selected this option when you submitted the form, or because you did not submit the form at all after several reminders. As we have already paid Barclaycard, this means you will need to repay us.


  • Expense Type: Public Tr RAIL - SGL

  • Amount: £19.90

  • Reason for repayment: Item on Payment Card deemed not payable by IPSA, because we received insufficient evidence to support the claim


  • Expense Type: Hotel London Area

  • Amount: £29.00

  • Reason for repayment: Item purchased on the Payment Card classified as 'not claimed - to repay'. This could be because you selected this option when you submitted the form, or because you did not submit the form at all after several reminders. As we have already paid Barclaycard, this means you will need to repay us.


  • Expense Type: Hotel NOT London Area (Travel)

  • Amount: £35.00

  • Reason for repayment: Item purchased on the Payment Card classified as 'not claimed - to repay'. This could be because you selected this option when you submitted the form, or because you did not submit the form at all after several reminders. As we have already paid Barclaycard, this means you will need to repay us.


  • Expense Type: Hotel London Area

  • Amount: £105.60

  • Reason for repayment: Item purchased on the Payment Card classified as 'not claimed - to repay'. This could be because you selected this option when you submitted the form, or because you did not submit the form at all after several reminders. As we have already paid Barclaycard, this means you will need to repay us.


  • Expense Type: Hotel London Area

  • Amount: £213.60

  • Reason for repayment: Item on Payment Card deemed not payable by IPSA, because it is not allowable under our rules


  • Expense Type: Hotel London Area

  • Amount: £213.60

  • Reason for repayment: Item on Payment Card deemed not payable by IPSA, because it is not allowable under our rules


  • Expense Type: Hotel London Area

  • Amount: £320.40

  • Reason for repayment: Item purchased on the Payment Card classified as 'not claimed - to repay'. This could be because you selected this option when you submitted the form, or because you did not submit the form at all after several reminders. As we have already paid Barclaycard, this means you will need to repay us.


Repayments made by Stewart Hosie MP

In response to an FOI request in March 2016, we provided information on action that had been taken to recover amounts owed by MPs to IPSA. This response confirmed that Stewart Hosie MP has repaid £3,446.95.

Please find below a breakdown of these amounts, providing the individual sum claimed and the reason for the repayment.

Where a cost is identified as an ‘Expense Outside Scheme’, this relates to a payment which has been made on the MP’s payment card which is ineligible under the terms of the Scheme and which the MP has indicated they do not wish to claim. As all payment cards are paid in full by IPSA each month, these costs must be repaid to IPSA by the MP.


  • Expense Type: Expense Outside Scheme

  • Amount: £120.30

  • Description of debt for the statement: Item purchased on the Payment Card classified as 'not claimed - to repay'. This could be because you selected this option when you submitted the form, or because you did not submit the form at all after several reminders. As we have already paid Barclaycard, this means you will need to repay us.


  • Expense Type: Public Tr RAIL Railcard

  • Amount: £10.00

  • Description of debt for the statement: Item purchased on the Payment Card classified as 'not claimed - to repay'. This could be because you selected this option when you submitted the form, or because you did not submit the form at all after several reminders. As we have already paid Barclaycard, this means you will need to repay us.


  • Expense Type: Electricity

  • Amount: £13.28

  • Description of debt for the statement: Item purchased on the Payment Card classified as 'not claimed - to repay'. This could be because you selected this option when you submitted the form, or because you did not submit the form at all after several reminders. As we have already paid Barclaycard, this means you will need to repay us.


  • Expense Type: Television Licence Purchase

  • Amount: £145.50

  • Description of debt for the statement: Item on Payment Card deemed not payable by IPSA, because we received insufficient evidence to support the claim


  • Expense Type: Expense Outside Scheme*

  • Amount: £597.00

  • Description of debt for the statement: Item purchased on the Payment Card classified as 'not claimed - to repay'. This could be because you selected this option when you submitted the form, or because you did not submit the form at all after several reminders. As we have already paid Barclaycard, this means you will need to repay us.


  • Expense Type: Expense Outside Scheme*

  • Amount: £597.00

  • Description of debt for the statement: Item purchased on the Payment Card classified as 'not claimed - to repay'. This could be because you selected this option when you submitted the form, or because you did not submit the form at all after several reminders. As we have already paid Barclaycard, this means you will need to repay us.


  • Expense Type: Expense Outside Scheme[1]

  • Amount: £968.87

  • Description of debt for the statement: Item purchased on the Payment Card classified as 'not claimed - to repay'. This could be because you selected this option when you submitted the form, or because you did not submit the form at all after several reminders. As we have already paid Barclaycard, this means you will need to repay us.


  • Expense Type: Expense Outside Scheme*

  • Amount: £995.00

  • Description of debt for the statement: Item purchased on the Payment Card classified as 'not claimed - to repay'. This could be because you selected this option when you submitted the form, or because you did not submit the form at all after several reminders. As we have already paid Barclaycard, this means you will need to repay us.


[1] These repayments relate to extraordinary costs incurred by Mr Hosie utilising alternative accommodation as a result of his flat being flooded. Mr Hosie subsequently applied to the IPSA Contingency Panel, which agreed that the MP could claim a portion of these costs on an exceptional, one-off basis.

Ref:
CAS-50087
Disclosure:
15 June 2016
Categories:
DEBT
Exemptions Applied: