To ask the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what the total cost has been to the public purse of hon. Members who have not taken their seats in the House of Commons in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018.
Answered on
30 January 2020
All MPs are able to claim for business costs and expenses in line with the rules established by IPSA in the Scheme of MPs’ Business Costs and Expenses. All business costs and expenses claimed by MPs, including those who have not taken their seats in the House of Commons, are routinely published and can be viewed on IPSA’s website: www.theipsa.org.uk/mp-costs/your-mp/.
The figures below outline the business costs and expenses of those MPs who have not taken their seats.
Financial Year | MPs with Published costs | Office Costs | Staffing | Staff Absence | Winding-Up Budget | Accommodation / Hotels | Travel | Total | |
2015-16 | 6 | £12,334.65 | £545,454.86 | NA | £89,712.95 | £0.00 | £597.69 | £648,100.15 | |
2016-17 | 4 | £20,504.85 | £434,266.07 | NA | £0.00 | £0.00 | £5,146.49 | £459,917.41 | |
2017-18 | 8 | £115,569.72 | £683,680.99 | £0.00 | £35,163.41 | £7,835.00 | £32,210.58 | £874,459.70 | |
2018-19 | 7 | £115,667.58 | £893,333.79 | £7,879.49 | £0.00 | £19,597.03 | £119,282.23 | £1,155,760.12 |
Under a resolution of the House, Representative Money is provided to opposition parties represented by Members who have chosen not to take the Oath. Payment of Representative Money is administered by the House of Commons Members’ Hub. Budget allocations for Representative Money since 2005-6 are published in Appendix 4 of the following document: https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN01663 .
The Representative Money allocation figures for the four years in question are as follows:
Financial Year | Period | Main Allocation | Travel Allocation | Total Allocation |
| £ | £ | £ | |
2015/16 * | 01/04/15 - 07/05/15 | 11,511.00 | 329.45 | 11,840.45 |
| 08/05/15 - 31/03/16 | 87,783.00 | 1,898.90 | 89,681.90 |
2016/17 | 01/04/16 - 31/03/17 | 97,556.00 | 2,224.32 | 99,780.32 |
2017/18 * | 01/04/17 - 08/06/17 | 18,737.00 | 431.41 | 19,168.41 |
| 09/06/17 - 31/03/18 | 130,970.00 | 2,901.64 | 133,871.64 |
2018/19 | 01/04/18 - 31/03/19 | 165,864.00 | 3,674.62 | 169,538.62 |
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* General Election years |
Since 2016-17 it has been a requirement to publish the amounts paid for the financial year and these can be found on the Parliament website via the following link: https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/foi/transparency-publications/hoc-transparency-publications/financial-information/financial-assistance-to-opposition-parties/previous-financial-assistance-to-opposition-parties/.
The Representative Money actual expenditure for each financial year since 2016-17 was as follows:
Financial Year | Period | Main Allocation Spend | Travel Allocation Spend | Total Spend |
| £ | £ | £ | |
2016/17 | 01/04/16 - 31/03/17 | 97,743.00 | 0.00 | 97,743.00 |
2017/18 * | 01/04/17 - 08/06/17 | 18,737.00 | 0.00 | 18,737.00 |
| 09/06/17 - 31/03/18 | 131,824.00 | 0.00 | 131,824.00 |
2018/19 | 01/04/18 - 31/03/19 | 166,005.00 | 0.00 | 166,005.00 |
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* General Election years |
Any spend above the Main Allocation has been funded by the parties themselves.