UK ministers and MPs get the following allowances:
(a) Personal Additional Accommodation Expenditure - This is
reimbursement for additional expenses staying away from their main
home. In short, it covers payments for a second home. This includes
rent, mortgage interest, council tax, hotel accommodation, utility
bills (gas, water, electricity, oil, telephone calls and line
rental) service charges,insurance (building and content) and overnight subsistence
of £25 (S$49) per night that a UK MP spends away from his or her
main home on parliamentary business.
(b) Administrative and Office Expenditure
(c) Staffing Expenditure
(d) Travel Expenditure - This includes public transport fare,
mileage for cars, motorbikes and bicycles, reasonable parking, taxi
and private hire car cost, and overnight accommodation for
parliamentary business. They have a travel card for train, air,
coach, ferry and parking cost for themselves, family and staff,
European travel and family travel. There is no restriction on class
of travel.
(e) Communication Expenditure - This in-cludes allowances for
newsletters, questionnaires, surveys and petitions, contact cards,
distribution costs, advertising strategies and constituency
meetings, websites and capital purchases.
(f) House Stationery and Postage
(g) Resettlement Grant
(h) Winding-up Expenditure
(i) Security Budget
Best of all - these allowances are deductible from income for tax
purpose, that is, the UK MPs do not have to pay income tax on these
allowances.
This does not take into account food privileges.
I read an interesting article in the International Express,
Tuesday, Jan 10 edition, which reported that in the financial year
2010-2011, the UK taxpayers had to fork out £5.8 million for MPs'
food. Under a UK taxpayer-funded subsidy, UK MPs enjoy cheap meals,
wines and spirits in the House of Commons. The International
Express reported that last year this amount soared to £5.8 million,
an increase of £87,000, notwithstanding that in June 2010, the
Commons Commission said £500,000 should be lopped off catering
costs, and bar prices should match those of high street pubs.
In the UK Members' Dining Room, the UK MPs apparently enjoy
artichoke and tomato salad with truffle dressing for £2.05, or a
chargrilled rib-eye steak with hand-cut chips and bearnaise sauce
for £7.80. The International Express reported that a total of £1.33
million was spent in the Commons Bars for the year ending March 31,
2011, which meant that for every £10 that a UK MP spent on lunch in
the UK Parliament Bar, £7.60 was paid for by the public in the
financial year 2010-2011.'
Indranee Rajah
