Expenses

Second Home Allowance

The ‘Second Home Allowance’ also called the ‘Additional Costs Allowance’ allows an MP to claim for the costs of a home either in London or in the constituency.

This is by far the most controversial of MPs’ expenses. Until recent changes, MPs could claim for: rent or mortgage interest, hotel expenses, utilities and telecommunications charges, furnishings, maintenance, service agreements, food, cleaning and insurance.

The main home of an MP is where he/she spends the majority of nights.

My second home is in my constituency as it has always been.

Office Costs

Also called the ‘Incidental Expenses Provision’ or ‘Administrative and Office Expenditure’, this is an allowance designed to provide for office equipment, supplies and services for MPs and their staff.

It may only be used to meet the following costs: Accommodation for office or surgery use or for occasional meetings, equipment and supplies for the office or surgery, work commissioned and other services and certain travel costs not met out of travel expenditure.

Staffing Salaries

Due to a change of rules staff are no longer paid out of expenses but they were until recently. When they were they made up by far the largest cost.

 I currently have 3 permanent members of staff:

Communications Allowance

This allowance was introduced in 2007/8 to help MPs communicate proactively with their constituents about their work. The allowance may be used to meet expenses for: regular reports and constituency newsletters; questionnaires; surveys and petitions; contact cards; distribution costs; advertising of surgeries and constituency meetings; websites and some capital purchases.

Travel

Travel expenses are incurred doing my duties as an MP and as Shadow Culture Minister.

These costs can also include staff and spouse travel costs that are incurred when doing parliamentary business.

Stationery, ICT and Postage:

Being an MP demands constant communication and correspondence with constituents, Ministers, local government officials and others. Recently I have started to receive more and more constituency correspondence via email which means I am able to reply in the same manner. This is helping with my costs and is much appreciated.

Other Costs

This category sets out costs incurred from central budgets.

Costs allowed in this category include:

a temporary secretarial allowance for additional help when Members' staff are absent due to sickness or maternity leave;

additional security costs for the office up to a maximum entitlement of £1,500;

exceptional needs support which provides for short term additional help to Members whose constituencies have particular problems;

a winding-up allowance (WUA) payable to defeated or retiring Members after the date on which they cease to be Members of Parliament. This covers the reimbursement of the cost of any work necessary, including staff and office costs, to conclude their parliamentary business after the date on which they cease to be Members of Parliament.

The following are my costs and relate mainly to staff cover for sickness and holidays:

Totals:

In the interests of accountability I have listed here my total expenses expenditure and compared them with those of other Oxfordshire MPs.

I have listed the 6 MPs who were listed in my local Newspaper and shown their national rankings in brackets where possible:

Last year I was second lowest after Boris Johnson, who was running his campaign to be Mayor of London at the time.

In 06/07 I was 3^rd lowest.

In my first year as an MP I was the second lowest from among my Oxfordshire colleagues