IPSA publishes Corporate Plan and Scheme of MPs’ Staffing and Business Costs

Date published: 31 March 2021

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority today published a new Corporate Plan for 2021 to 2024. A new Scheme of MPs’ Staffing and Business Costs takes effect from tomorrow with some minor adjustments to the rules.

IPSA’s Chief Executive, Ian Todd, said:

“We have created a three-year strategy that will transform IPSA to become a high performing, modern regulator. IPSA’s objective is to enable MPs to focus on what really matters by providing an exemplary, seamless regulatory service. We want to ensure effective regulation delivered primarily by supporting MPs and their staff to achieve compliance at first instance. That is the focus of our new Corporate Plan, running for the rest of this parliament.

“We remain committed to our purpose as we enter this next phase and have confidence in our dedicated and energetic team to deliver our future.”

The new Corporate Plan can be viewed here.

The new Scheme can be viewed here.

ENDS

For more details contact IPSA's Press Office.

Follow us on Twitter: @ipsauk

Notes to Editors:

  1. IPSA was created in 2009 by the Parliamentary Standards Act. The Act was amended in 2010 by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act. Together they gave IPSA three main responsibilities:

    • To regulate MPs’ business costs and expenses

    • To determine MPs’ pay and pension arrangements

    • To provide financial support to MPs in carrying out their parliamentary functions.

  2. IPSA is independent of Parliament and the Government. This allows us to take decisions about the rules on business costs and expenses and on MPs’ pay ourselves, without interference.

  3. The Scheme of MPs' Business Costs and Expenses (“the Scheme”) governs what MPs can and cannot claim for. We review our rules regularly and consult the public when we do so.

  4. Every two months we publish around 25,000 claims for costs and expenses by MPs and their staff. Once a year we publish aggregate data for MPs’ spending and other aspects of their activity.