From Greg Hands‘ email News Bulletin #214 8th May 2009
Greg has this week received from the House of Commons Department of Resources a complete unedited copy of the receipts for all of his expenses since he was elected in 2005. This includes details which will be edited out when they are published by the Commons authorities in July under the Freedom of Information Act. Greg is making available to any of his constituents who wish to see them the full records. These are two lever arch files, and can be viewed without appointment at his weekly surgery, each Monday from 09:00 to 10:30, or by appointment at his constituency office at other times.
I know from a previous bulletin that Mr Hands also charges only the cost of his Zone 1&2 Oyster Card as his travel expenses. An example to them all.
But he does still expense his travel to work.
Who else can expense their travel to work, can you BE? I know I can’t, I’d be laughed at, at most you might get an interest free loan for a season ticket.
To my mind , inside the M25 no travel expenses, outside the M25 you can expense the cost of a standard rail ticket LESS the cost of a 6 zone travel card.
His job is that of constituency MP; therefore his place of work is in his constituency. On behalf of his constituents, he travels to Westminster, therefore that is an expenses matter.
You do acknowledge that an MP for a distant constituency should be able to claim, which is clearly right. But I can’t see the logic in deducting the 6 zone cost from an MP for a Scots constituency (for example) – why is 95% of the journey ok but not the last bit? Then, if you allow travel to the House for some MPs but not others, those just within the dividing line will justifiably claim it is unfair.
Anyway, this is a minor matter. Next to repeatedly changing your “official” residence so that a series of properties is done up for you at the taxpayer’s considerable expense shortly before selling them on at a private profit, a zone 2 travelcard is trivia.
Patently – pretty much exactly what I was going to say.
[...] of his receipts available to inspection to his constituents at his surgery or on request (Hat tip Behind Blue Eye). Likewise Kate Hoey MP is standing up to condemn the actions of her fellow parliamentarians as is [...]
The man is a lightweight. He has no business being in politics if he can’t even get basic expenses right.