Taxi Driver Online

I'm not sure how many months of the year an MP actually works, if you can call it work but it would appear that the cost of doing business is mighty expensive for them. By the looks of this article they tried to stop the disclosure of this information reaching the public domain but to the consternation of these fine upstanding gentlemen, they lost and are now quite rightly brought to account.

I bet the Liberal MP who asked for this information to be released is not exactly flavour of the Month with MP's but I thnk we owe him a debt of Gratitude in making this info available to the public.

Feast your eyes on this little lot and then ask yourself are they worth it?
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DAILY MAIL (London)

February 14, 2007 Wednesday

HEADLINE: MPS ARE FORCED TO OWN UP TO £5M BILL FOR TRAVEL EXPENSES

BYLINE: BY JAMES CHAPMAN, TIM SHIPMAN AND KIRSTY WALKER

MPs were last night made to reveal details of their £5million-a-year travel expenses. They lost a two-year battle under the Freedom of Information Act and had to admit to some startling claims.

One member racked up £5,000 in taxi fares alone while another claimed more than £16,000 in road mileage.

But the average claim of £7,763 was regarded as 'open and accountable' by critics who had demanded the figures.

MPs had claimed the information would be a breach of their privacy but they were ordered to open their books by Information Commissioner Richard Thomas.

These revealed that the 646 Westminster MPs claimed £86.7million in expenses and office allowances £134,000 each last year. Their £60,000 annual salaries cost taxpayers a further £39million.

The transport breakdown showed that South Norfolk Tory MP Richard Bacon claimed the most for taxis, racking up a £5,685 bill last year. Norman Lamb, Liberal Democrat MP for North Norfolk, who has to travel almost identical distances to Westminster, claimed nothing.

Labour MP for Rossendale and Darwen Janet Anderson claimed £16,612 in mileage almost £320 a week putting her top of the list for car claims. In the last three years, she has clocked up more than £58,000.

Tory leader David Cameron, who has been pictured cycling to work, claimed £1,094 for cab rides but nothing for his bike. Jeremy Corbyn (Labour, Islington North) on the other hand claimed £230 at 20p-a-mile for his cycling exploits.

Tony Blair billed the taxpayer for £202 in mileage, despite having a chauffeur-driven Government car. Environment Secretary David Miliband claimed £154 for taxi fares, the only member of the Cabinet to claim.

He also has access to a ministerial car and has lectured people about the need to cut down on their greenhouse gas emissions.

The five Sinn Fein MPs, who refuse to take their seat in the Commons, nevertheless managed to claim more than £20,000 between them on flights and cars.

The MPs including Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness have office accommodation at Westminster but will not swear the oath of allegiance to the Queen needed to take their seats.

Socialist firebrand Diane Abbott claimed £2,235 in taxis, though her Hackney constituency is just fiveanda-half miles from Westminster. Neighbouring Labour MP Meg Hillier, who represents Hackney South and Shoreditch, did not claim a penny.

Former Tory minister Stephen Dorrell claimed a startling £10,612 in 2004/5 and £4,933 last year in taxis. Sir Peter Soulsby, Labour MP for neighbouring Leicester South, and Keith Vaz, in Leicester East, claimed nothing. Former Labour Cabinet minister Alan Milburn claimed the most for train rides to and from his Darlington constituency £16,782 last year.

LibDem Alistair Carmichael's long commute to his Orkney & Shetland constituency saw him top air travel claims, with a £34,347 bill.

Tim Yeo, MP for South Suffolk who recently called for domestic aviation to be taxed out of the skies to help alleviate climate change claimed £2,691 for flights between 2003 and 2005.

Parliamentary rules state MPs can claim for travel expenses, including mileage, on routes between their main home, constituency and Westminster.


Expenses also cover travel within the constituency and inside a 20-mile radius of its boundary.

They are allowed to claim up to 350 miles in travel a month outright, but must provide full details of journeys on trips above that.

The Commons mileage rate is 40p per mile for the first 10,000 miles, and 25p per mile after that. Allowances are payable even when the Commons is not sitting but MPs may not claim for party political business, such as annual conferences or election campaigning.

Liberal Democrat anti-sleaze MP Norman Baker, who first asked for the information to be released, said: 'I am very pleased that the principle of MPs being accountable has been upheld.

'It is right to examine the way that MPs are travelling particularly whether they are alleviating their carbon footprint by travelling by rail or damaging the environment by flying.'
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And just for good measure MSPS aren't behind the door when it comes to claiming Crazy Expenses. Would you believe that one guy wanted to charge for a blooody cement mixer?

Daily Record

February 12, 2007, Monday

CONCRETE PROOF MSPS ARE GREEDY; EXPENSES CLAIM RUMPUS

GREEDY MSPs have shown they'll go to any lengths to bump up their expenses loot.

For among their hopeful claims have been bids for a toothbrush, a pair of specs, a garden wall and, here's the concrete proof, a cement mixer.

The unlikely list, which was bombed out by Holyrood chiefs, was revealed under Freedom of Information laws. Green MSP Patrick Harvie wanted to charge taxpayers pounds 30 to hire a cement mixer.

He planned to get a fellow campaigner to pose as Jack McConnell shovelling money into the mixer to highlight the cost of the M74 extension.

But after his claim was refused, he said: "I freely admit it was claimed for in error. "The party ended up paying for it as they should have done. "I think it was just an invoice that came in that was put in the wrong pile."

Health minister Andy Kerr was refused a pounds 315 claim for repair work to the garden wall at his Edinburgh home.

Former Scots Tory leader David McLetchie, who quit after wrongly claiming for taxi trips, had another one refused.

Solidarity MSP Rosemary Byrne tried to claim pounds 170 for a pair of spectacles.

Labour's Marlyn Glen was refused pounds 1.50 for a toothbrush.

SNP MSP Christine Grahame was not allowed to bill Holyrood for a pounds 1.98 brolly.

Deputy health minister Lewis Macdonald claimed pounds 28.33 for a bottle of whisky he donated as a raffle prize.

And Scots Tory Margaret Mitchell was denied a pounds 70 claim for wine.

The claims approved include pounds 38.60 from Green MSP Mark Ruskell for wear and tear to his bicycle.

And Lib Dem Jamie Stone got 42p for a pint of milk and pounds 4.62 for toilet rolls.

Holyrood's 129 MSPs claim around pounds 3million a year in expenses and allowances, on top of their pounds 52,000 salaries.

They are entitled to cash for offices, researches and travel to and from their constituencies.

Some can also claim towards mortgage payments for second homes in the capital.

Greg Gibbs, of the Taxpayers Alliance, said: "This is a classic case of MSPs not treating the money as taxpayers' money. They see it as their money."
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I was listening to this chap on the radio and the mush with the £5,000 denied it, and TBH sounded as if he was telling the truth.

Said he spent about £500 over the last six years, so either he is in the poo or the person calculating the data is.

Only time will tell.

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IDFIMH

Maybe its a typing error? lol

Regards

JD