Employment of MPs' family members

I can confirm that we hold information relevant to your request.

Under the “Scheme of MPs’ Business Costs and Expenses” (‘the Scheme’) claims may be made for staffing and business costs in support of an MP’s parliamentary functions. ‘Connected parties’ is the term we use for immediate members of MPs’ families and business partners with whom they share significant interests. The rules set out in the Scheme are published in the “The Scheme of MPs’ Staffing and Business Costs”.

As the rules governing the employment of connected parties are published on our website, the information you have requested is subject to an exemption under FOIA s.21. Section 21 of the FOIA states that organisations do not need to provide copies of information under the FOIA if it is already publicly accessible. IPSA does not, therefore, need to provide you with copies of the relevant section of the Scheme.

Advice and assistance

As you have stated that you do not have internet access at home, we suggest that you consider using the computer facilities at your local library to access our website. The IPSA website not only holds details of the amounts paid to connected parties but also has more information about our rules and the business costs which may be claimed by MPs, which you may find of interest.

Although IPSA is not under a legal duty to provide you with the information you have requested under the FOIA, in this instance, at our discretion and because we are able to provide the information at minimum cost and time, the relevant extract from the Scheme has been provided below.

Extract from the Scheme

Chapter 3, 'General Conditions of the Scheme'

Connected parties

3.20 For the purposes of this Scheme, a connected party is defined as:

a. a spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner of the MP;

b. parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, uncle, aunt, nephew or niece of the MP or of the spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner of the MP; or

c. a body corporate, a firm or a trust with which the MP is connected, as define in section 252 of the Companies Act 2006.

3.21 IPSA will not pay any claims relating to the purchase of goods or services, where the MP or connected party is the provider of the goods or services in question.

3.22 IPSA will not pay any claims relating to an MP's rental property, where the MP or a connected party is the owner of the property.

3.23 IPSA will not pay salaries and other costs set out in paragraph 7.3 of any new employees who are connected parties and are employed on or after 9 June 2017.

3.24 If employees are not connected parties when initially employed by MPs but become connected parties under paragraph 3.20 at a later date, IPSA will only pay their salaries and other costs set out in paragraph 7.3 for a period of up to two years (i.e.) 24 months after the point at which they become connected parties. If employees become connected parties during the course of their employment, it is the responsibility of the MP to notify IPSA.

Chapter 7. Staffing Costs

7.3 The staffing budget may be used to meet the following costs:

a. staff salaries, employers' contributions to National Insurance and employers' contributions to pension schemes;

b. payments for pooled staffing services, which provide research, briefing and drafting services to groups of MPs, and have an arrangement with IPSA in place;

c. payments for bought-in services, where staffing services are provided by companies, self-employed individuals and others not on the MP's payroll;

d. overtime payments, to the extent that these are specified in staff terms and conditions;

e. payments for childcare vouchers for staff, cycle-to-work schemes, or other payments made by way of salary sacrifice;

f. reward and recongition payments, except where the employee is a connected party;

g. one-off health and welfare costs associated with provision of staffing support, such as eye tests and occupational health assessments;

h. costs associated with apprenticeships that meet the standards of the National Apprenticeship Service;

i. the incidental expenses of volunteers;

j. staff training costs (which may also be claimed from the office costs budget).