Invoices submitted by Simon Danczuk for accommodation and office costs

IPSA holds the information that you request.

Under the Scheme of MPs’ Business Costs and Expenses (‘the Scheme’), MPs can claim for costs incurred by MPs as a result of working from two permanent locations (such as rent for a property in London or the constituency). Costs relating to the upkeep and maintenance of MPs’ offices can also be claimed from the Scheme. Most claims for reimbursement made under the Scheme should be accompanied by supporting evidence.

Please find attached copies of the evidence submitted in support of the claims listed in your request.

We do not hold any evidence for the final two rental claims; once an MP registers their property with us (including a lease or rental contract) we do not require evidence for subsequent rental claims.

Exemptions applied

Section 38 – health and safety

We have withheld information (such as the address of the property rented by the MP) under Section 38(1)(b) (Health and safety) of the FOI Act. This section of the Act states that information is exempt if its disclosure under the FOI Act would, or would be likely to, endanger the safety of any individual. 

After considering the nature of the withheld information it is our opinion that were a disclosure to be made into the public domain it is likely that this information could be used to endanger the safety of the individuals who rely upon these locations for accommodation. Although we recognise the public interest in transparency surrounding the publishing of this information there is also a strong public interest in ensuring that as an organisation we are able to protect our service users from threats to their safety. In our opinion the public interest in protecting the personal safety of MPs’ outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Section 40 – personal information

Section 40(2) provides that personal information (as defined by the Data Protection Act) about third parties is exempt information if disclosure would breach the fair processing principle (Principle 1) of the DPA, where it would be unfair to those persons or is confidential. You can find out more information about personal data and FOI via guidance from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) on their website: http://ico.org.uk.