Expenses incurred as a result of the parliamentary recall

Request

MPs were recently recalled for a tribute to the late Baroness Thatcher and entitled to claim £3000 plus. Is it possible to have a detailed list of all those MPs who claimed? And can you also provide a list of those who attended the HoC on the tribute day?


Response

IPSA holds some of the information that you request.

Members of Parliament are permitted, under the MPs’ Scheme of Business Costs and Expenses (‘the Scheme’), to claim for expenses legitimately incurred as a result of their parliamentary duties, including that of a parliamentary recall.  Under the Scheme, MPs are allowed a maximum of 90 days for submission of claims after a business cost or expense has been incurred. 

All claims for expenses are published on our expenses website every two months, three months in arrears. Claims made in April and May 2013 will be published from 12th September 2013. 

Section 22(1) of the FOIA states that information intended for future publication is exempt from release.

We have considered whether the public interest in releasing the information outweighs the application of the exemption. It is our opinion that the public interest is best served by publishing a full list rather than on an ad hoc basis, as in this way a clear and complete set of information is published, avoiding any potential confusion. It is for this reason that the application of the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure at this stage.

IPSA was established under the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009 and is responsible for validating and paying claims for business costs and expenses made under the Scheme and independently monitoring and controlling MPs’ pay and pensions.  As such, we do not hold any information pertaining to the attendance of MPs in the House of Commons.

Ref:
F1314-010
Disclosure:
24 April 2013
Categories:
PARLIAMENTARY RECALL
Exemptions Applied:
Section 22