To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what estimate the Authority has made of the (a) amount and (b) cost to the public purse of Member's staff time spent on IPSA-related work; and what steps the Authority is taking to reduce that cost to the public purse.
Answered on
15 December 2020
I am grateful to the hon. Member for his question. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has listened to feedback from all of its stakeholders and acknowledges the significant amount of time that MPs and their staff currently spend administering business and staffing costs and the increase in volume and complexity of workloads as a result of the pandemic.Whilst IPSA has not estimated the amount of time or cost of this activity specifically as this varies by MP Office and constituency, with the backing of the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, IPSA is embarking on a transformation programme that will simplify the Scheme, improve service, deliver better value for money for the taxpayer and enable MPs and their staff to focus on their constituents and Parliamentary duties. In the short term, IPSA has also increased spending allowances to ensure office staffing and home working are resourced effectively.