Details of any payments made to Research Services Ireland Ltd

MPs are permitted, under chapter seven of the MPs’ Scheme of Business Costs and Expenses (‘the Scheme’), to claim staffing expenditure to meet the cost incurred in the provision of staff to assist with the performance of parliamentary functions.

This includes the costs of payments for professional (or ‘bought-in’) services - staffing services provided by companies, self-employed individuals or others not on the payroll, such as self-employed individuals providing staffing cover or individuals contracted to work on specific research projects (amongst other examples).

It also includes the costs of ‘pooled staffing resources’, which are services provided to a group of MPs for the purpose of research or other support. You can view a copy of the Scheme on our website via this link.

In processing your request, we have conducted a keyword search (using the terms specified in your request) of all claims made by MPs for professional services and pooled staffing services since May 2010, when IPSA was established. No such claims were located.

IPSA began operations on 7 May 2010 and does not hold information relating to claims made or processed prior to that date. Prior to 7 May 2010, the administration of MPs’ business costs and expenses was the responsibility of the Department of Resources at the House of Commons. For information relating to claims made prior to 7 May 2010, you may wish to contact the House of Commons FOI team at the following email address: FOICommons@parliament.uk.