MPs' expenses

I have campaigned for some time for the public to have the right to see the full details of MPs' receipts and expenses. It is vital that people can see where their money goes, and I can understand the public's anger and frustration about how the House of Commons has dragged its feet on getting the expenses regime cleaned up, and how those who flout the rules seem to get away with it.

In 2007, Penrith Conservative MP David Maclean sponsored a bill in the House of Commons to exempt MPs from having to release any information under the Freedom of Information Act, though thankfully neither he nor the Government could find a sponsor for the bill in the House of Lords. During the debate on the bill back in May 2007 I said:

"The Minister says that 110,000 public bodies are subject to the Freedom of Information Act. Does she not think it peculiar that here we are in the House of Commons considering the exclusion of just one of them - this one? Does she not believe that that is an utterly self-regarding proposal which brings MPs and Parliament into disrepute?"

Tim Farron MP, Hansard, 18 May 2007

Publication of expenses

In accordance with the Liberal Democrats' pledge to publish details of MPs' expenses, I have been publishing details of my expenses each quarter since the beginning of the 2008/09 financial year. For the 2009/10 financial year I am publishing details of each claim shortly after they are made on the table below.

You can find the quarterly publication documents for 2008/09 here.

Audit by Sir Thomas Legg

On 12 October 2009, Sir Thomas Legg wrote to all 645 MPs making recommendations on their expenses and asking many of them to make repayments or to provide further information. Sir Thomas commented on only one item in Tim Farron's expenses which relate to removal costs.

Speaking after receiving Sir Thomas' letter, Tim said:

"In April 2008 my landlord in London increased my rent significantly, and so - in order to keep my expenses down - I found a smaller basement flat with a lower rent and in May 2008 I moved.

"I incurred removal costs to move my furniture to the new smaller flat. Sir Thomas Legg has asked me to consider repaying part of this bill - £235. While I made the claim in good faith, I have already posted a cheque to the parliamentary authorities to cover that amount.

"I have consistently campaigned for information on MPs allowances to be made public. I am looking forward to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority being set up and introducing a robust and transparent system of support for MPs ."

MPs' salary

Unlike most other jobs, an MPs' salary is public knowledge - this year it is £64,766. Until now, MPs have had the chance to vote on their own pay increases - latterly following recommendations from an independent body - the Senior Salaries Review Board - who consider the job to be comparable to a secondary school headteacher or a police chief superintendent. I don't know of any other job where you get to vote on your own pay rise, and that is why I have refused to take part in any of the votes on MPs' pay in the House of Commons.

MPs' expenses

Media coverage often lumps MPs' expenses in with their salary, and many people think that the expenses go into MPs' back pockets - or the back pockets of their family members. However, in my experience most MPs (from all parties) are well intentioned people who believe in public service and are most definitely not abusing their expenses.

The expenses are intended to enable an MP to serve their 80,000 or so constituents. The three biggest areas of expenditure in my expenses budget are staffing, communications and office expenses. For each payment under these expenses I submit a claim form which is scrutinised by civil servants in Parliament before they pay the invoice directly, or reimburse the amount already paid by either my staff or myself.

Staffing budget

Between my Kendal and Westminster offices I employ the equivalent of 4½ full time staff, all of whom have standard House of Commons contracts and none of whom are related to me. Employing these members of staff enables me to respond promptly to the dozens of people who write, email or call the office each day, whether with a problem they would like my assistance with, or a policy issue or piece of legislation they are concerned about. The salary and national insurance costs included in my staffing total are paid directly from the House of Commons authorities to my staff. Staffing is by far the biggest portion of my expenses, but absolutely essential to enable me to take up cases on behalf of constituents. Local people who have been in contact with my staff frequently comment on how helpful they have found them.

It would obviously be wrong of me to publish details of individual staff salaries, but the total expenditure on staff for each year is publically available information. In the first three years of this Parliament, my staffing costs were:

• 2005/06: £79,639

• 2006/07: £85,519

• 2007/08: £81,776

Office costs (or 'Incidental Expenditure Provision')

Every MP is provided with office space in Parliament without charge, but the running costs of the constituency office are included in the expenses figures. This covers the rent and bills for the office in Kendal, the cost of hiring rooms for advice surgeries, and bills for the telephone, photocopier, printers, stationery and other miscellaneous office costs from computer equipment to tea, coffee and paperclips.

The full details of my office costs for each year, including copies of all receipts, are available below. These documents have gone through a process called 'redaction' by the House of Commons authorities. This means that they have been edited for reasons of privacy or security for members, staff and/or third parties - for example the home addresses and bank and credit card details of my staff have rightly been removed.

We are aware of a number of receipts which have either not been scanned properly by the House of Commons authorities, or where it is not clear which items have been claimed on a particular receipt. We have therefore provided a set of explanatory notes which make it clearer as to what has been claimed, but please do not hesitate to contact my office if you have any questions.

Full details of office costs for 2005/06.

Explanatory notes for office costs 2005/06.

Full details of office costs for 2006/07.

Explanatory notes for office costs 2006/07.

Full details of office costs for 2007/08.

Explanatory notes for office costs 2007/08.

Payments for House of Commons stationery, including paper, envelopes and some postage, are accounted for separately, and the figures for each year are as follows:

• 2005/06: £11,325

• 2006/07: £23,774

• 2007/08: £3,708

These figures drop for 2007/08 because of the introduction of a separate Communications Allowance which is detailed below.

Travel costs

Living around 250 miles from Westminster, and representing one of the largest rural constituencies in England means I spend quite a lot of my time travelling. I travel to and from London each week by train, and attempt to keep those costs down by booking most tickets in advance.

Because of the way that the House of Commons authorities handle members' travel claims, individual receipts are not available, but the total expenditure on travel for each year is publically available information:

• 2005/06: £12,698

• 2006/07: £16,009

• 2007/08: £15,183

Accommodation costs ('Additional Costs Allowance' or 'Personal Additional Accommodation Expenditure' from 2009)

During the week in London, I stay overnight in a one-bedroom rented flat about 15 minutes walk from Parliament. Parliament still sits until after 10pm two nights each week. The rental cost, associated utility bills and council tax and modest furnishing (mostly bought from Argos) for this flat are what makes up the bulk of the Additional Costs Allowance expenses figure. The House of Commons authorities have a copy of my lease agreement, which they had to agree to before I signed it.

Compared to accommodation costs in South Lakeland, London property prices came as quite a shock, and despite the small size of my flat, the rent is market rate. Indeed, I have moved flat since becoming an MP because my first landlord tried to massively increase the rent on my first flat.

Most MPs have bought a second home in London and use their allowance to pay the interest on their mortgage - while this can lead to lower expense claims for larger properties I must say that, while it is within the current rules, I don't think that it is right for MPs to purchase property and therefore gain a significant asset at the expense of the taxpayer. I have often wondered whether it would be a lot less hassle for me to just stay in a hotel when I am in London, but it could cost the taxpayer up to twice as much if I were to do so. Personally, I would favour a 'hall of residence' or 'head tenancy scheme' so that I would not have to claim any accommodation allowance at all.

The full details of my Additional Costs Allowance for each year, including copies of all receipts, are available below. Again, these documents have gone through a process of 'redaction' by the House of Commons authorities.

Full details of accommodation costs for 2005/06.

Full details of accommodation costs for 2006/07.

Full details of accommodation costs for 2007/08.

Full details of accommodation costs for 2008/09.

Full details of accommodation costs for first quarter of 2009/10.

Communications Allowance

In 2007 a new Communications Allowance was introduced to cover the cost of printing and delivering constituency annual reports and surveys, advertising advice surgeries and for writing to constituents who wish to be regularly updated on long running issues (such as the closure of acute services at the Westmorland General and the Equitable Life scandal). This information has to be approved by the House of Commons authorities before it can be sent out across the constituency.

No party political literature is paid for out of this money. The regular local literature that you receive from the Liberal Democrats is paid for entirely from voluntary donations.

The full details of my Communications Allowance for the 2007/08 year, including copies of all receipts, are available below. Again, these documents have gone through a process of 'redaction' by the House of Commons authorities.

Full details of communication costs for 2007/08.

Any questions?

There is a huge amount of relatively complex information contained within the details of my expenses, so you may well have questions about them. Please do not hesitate to contact me and I will try and help.

Address: Acland House, Yard 2, Stricklandgate, Kendal LA9 4ND

Telephone: 01539 723403

Email: tim@timfarron.co.uk