Being direct
CONGRATULATIONS to Iain Dale for being one of the first in the country to highlight some of the concerns MPs are having over the new expenses regime presided over by the Independent Parliamenary Standards Authority (Ipsa).
Not that anyone is listening to MPs on this issue, and the lack of sympathy is entirely understandable. Nevertheless, there is one aspect of the new rulebook that should concern those of you who believe that every MP ever elected is in the Commons simply to line his own pockets.
Until the election, there was a very robust and efficient system of direct payments for MPs’ office costs. Most smaller bills, like telephones, stationery, etc, were paid by the MP himself who would submit the original bill or receipt and get reimbursement in due course. However, for larger bills – office rent, for example – there was a direct payment system. An authorisation signed by the MP and accompanied by all the relevant paperwork was sent to the Fees Office who would then pay the supplier directly, with the money deducted from the MP’s annual office budget. Because the money didn’t go through the MP’s hands, there was virtually no scope for fraud.
No longer. Ipsa, in its wisdom, have decided that the MP must pay every single bill himself and claim reimbursement. No more direct payments. Lots of cash tumbling through the MP’s fingers each year – up to £20,000, in fact. And Ipsa reckon this is an improvement on the old system, despite the fact that it is far more cumbersome, bureaucratic and expensive to run than before.
And before the foam starts spilling onto your laptops – yes, I know we deserve everything that’s coming to us, and we should be grateful that we’re not having to pay the costs of running our offices and employing staff out of our own pockets, and every MP should be flogged regularly, just in case… I’m just saying: this is one change that has made matters worse, not better, and voters should be concerned about that.