Receipts for services provided by Cathod Du
Request
Under the terms of the Freedom of Information arrangements please may I have a copy of all receipts for any services provided by Cathod Du between the period 1st January 2020 and the 1st January 2021 and paid for with public funds for the following M.P.'s: Christina Rees (Neath), Christopher Elmore ( Ogmore), Carolyn Harris (Swansea East), Alex Davies Jones ( Pontypridd) and Tonia Antonaizzi ( Gower). (No doubt the receipts show both the sums involved and the nature of the work done).
Please could you also confirm any receipts received from Cathod Du during this period that were unable to be met from public funds because the work done was deemed to fall outside the scope of allowances available to M.P's.
Finally, please could you supply an extract from any document that details the type of consultancy, media support, research services or similar work that IPSA regards as appropriate for an M.P. to acquire in order to perform their parliamentary duties.
Response
I can confirm that we hold information relevant to your request and will deal with each question in turn.
Copies of receipts for services by Cathod Du
Please find accompanying this letter copies of relevant documents. Some information has been redacted because it is subject to a Refusal Notice under sections 31 and 40 of the FOIA.
Section 31(1)(a) – law enforcement
This exemption applies where the disclosure of information would or would be likely to prejudice the prevention of crime. IPSA relies on this exemption to withhold the banking details of suppliers and other transactional information. IPSA believes that the disclosure of these details could leave those concerned more vulnerable to financial crime, in particular fraud and electronic crime, especially with the increase in cyber attacks.
This exemption is subject to a public interest test. IPSA does not consider that the withholding of this information has a negative impact on the understanding of these claims. We therefore find that the public interest in withholding this information outweighs the public interest in disclosure at this time.
Sections 40(2) and 40(3A)(a) – personal data
This exemption applies to information which IPSA considers to be personal data within the meaning of Article 4(1) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation 2016 (UK GDPR) which states,
"personal data" means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person ("data subject"); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly.
IPSA considered that the following are personal data within this definition: banking and financial information of the supplier; the name and contact details of the supplier. We then considered whether disclosure of this personal data would breach any of the Principles relating to the processing of personal data in the UK GDPR.
The relevant principle falls at Article 5(1)(a):
Personal data shall be:
a. Processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner in relation to the data subject
As IPSA was unable to find a lawful basis on which it could rely, within Article 6 of the UK GDPR, it therefore finds that the information is exempt under section 40.
Approval of claims
All claims for work carried out by Cathod Du were paid, and none were rejected.
Guidance for MPs
The principles and rules which MPs must follow are set out in The Scheme of MPs’ Staffing and Business Costs.
Depending on the nature of the work required to be undertaken by the MPs, several sections could be relevant
Part A. Fundamental Principles
Part B. Overall Processes and Rules
Part D. Chapter 6. Office Costs; Chapter 7. Staffing Costs
As this information is reasonably accessible from our website it is subject to a Refusal Notice under section 21 of the FOIA.
Is this page helpful?
- Ref:
- RFI-202107-07
- Disclosure:
- 26 August 2021
- Categories:
- COPIES OF RECEIPTS/INVOICESMPs' OFFICE COSTS
- Exemptions Applied:
- Section 31, Section 40, Section 21