MPs expenses

[Capt Pat]

David Cameron accused the mps who have been exposed in recent days for claiming money that they were not entitled to were"abusing tax payers money". Maybe it is the way I was brought up but "abusing" is not the term that colmes to mind I think steaing tax payers money would have been more approtpriate. One MP apparently claimed for hanging a chandalier in his house.

[thebigfella]

David Cameron accused the mps who have been exposed in recent days for claiming money that they were not entitled to were"abusing tax payers money". Maybe it is the way I was brought up but "abusing" is not the term that colmes to mind I think steaing tax payers money would have been more approtpriate. One MP apparently claimed for hanging a chandalier in his house.

People, glass houses and all that. I believe Cameron has been eat his words over the last few days in between his Labour witch hunt. While no doubt there has been lots of abuse of the system, I have to wonder who has been approving these expenses or if any internal review process exists?

[Minder]

The galling thing about this whole affair is in the majority of cases the hoors were not breaking any rules.

[BennyHarp]

One of them claimed to have his moat cleaned? FFS thats just ridiculous!! Its hard to know which is the most galling - these big expenses or the small expenses like light bulbs - they have such disregard for tax payers money that they wont even put their hand in  their pockets for a bit of change to buy new light bulbs - unbelievable! It makes you wonder - if they are so bliase with taxpayers money on these issues how the hell are they going to use it to run the country!

[thebigfella]

One of them claimed to have his moat cleaned? FFS thats just ridiculous!! Its hard to know which is the most galling - these big expenses or the small expenses like light bulbs - they have such disregard for tax payers money that they wont even put their hand in  their pockets for a bit of change to buy new light bulbs - unbelievable! It makes you wonder - if they are so bliase with taxpayers money on these issues how the hell are they going to use it to run the country!

I bill back list bulbs and little stuff like that to my company    Although I haven't needed the moat cleaned yet and i'm quite happy with the chandelier.

[BennyHarp]

One of them claimed to have his moat cleaned? FFS thats just ridiculous!! Its hard to know which is the most galling - these big expenses or the small expenses like light bulbs - they have such disregard for tax payers money that they wont even put their hand in  their pockets for a bit of change to buy new light bulbs - unbelievable! It makes you wonder - if they are so bliase with taxpayers money on these issues how the hell are they going to use it to run the country!

I bill back list bulbs and little stuff like that to my company    Although I haven't needed the moat cleaned yet and i'm quite happy with the chandelier.

Thats fair enough - but its not tax payers money! I for one have to get the wetsuit on and clean my own moat out!!! 

[Chrisowc]

David Cameron accused the mps who have been exposed in recent days for claiming money that they were not entitled to were"abusing tax payers money". Maybe it is the way I was brought up but "abusing" is not the term that colmes to mind I think steaing tax payers money would have been more approtpriate. One MP apparently claimed for hanging a chandalier in his house.

Steaing isn't a term that colmes to mind either.

[thebigfella]

One of them claimed to have his moat cleaned? FFS thats just ridiculous!! Its hard to know which is the most galling - these big expenses or the small expenses like light bulbs - they have such disregard for tax payers money that they wont even put their hand in  their pockets for a bit of change to buy new light bulbs - unbelievable! It makes you wonder - if they are so bliase with taxpayers money on these issues how the hell are they going to use it to run the country!

I bill back list bulbs and little stuff like that to my company   Although I haven't needed the moat cleaned yet and I'm quite happy with the chandelier.

Thats fair enough - but its not tax payers money! I for one have to get the wetsuit on and clean my own moat out!!! 

How do you know I don't spend taxpayers money  

The issue is really that they are using the living allowances to pay mortgage's on second homes and then selling them on for profit. I personally have no problem with an MP using taxpayer money for the upkeep/cleaning of rented accommodation (light bulbs etc... within reason) but I do have when they own the property. Expenses are there to compensate you for living away from home and to make sure your not out of pocket. They are not for supplementing your income as a number of MP's appear to think.

[Onion Bag]

They are all a bundle of scheming bastards, i honestly do believe that in their eyes the only thing that they hvae done wrong is getting caught. Its a disgrace some of the things they have been claiming for, they were basically claiming for everything that everyone would be paying for with their disposable income, i.e (they were living for free)

I will never vote again

[ziggysego]

Pains me to say, but I've a lot of respect for the way David Cameron handled it.

Loved hearing him say that wee fecker Norman Tebbit would need to watch himself, or he'll be in the Commons as an Independent.

[Maguire01]

One of them claimed to have his moat cleaned? FFS thats just ridiculous!! Its hard to know which is the most galling - these big expenses or the small expenses like light bulbs - they have such disregard for tax payers money that they wont even put their hand in  their pockets for a bit of change to buy new light bulbs - unbelievable! It makes you wonder - if they are so bliase with taxpayers money on these issues how the hell are they going to use it to run the country!

I bill back list bulbs and little stuff like that to my company   Although I haven't needed the moat cleaned yet and I'm quite happy with the chandelier.

Thats fair enough - but its not tax payers money! I for one have to get the wetsuit on and clean my own moat out!!! 

How do you know I don't spend taxpayers money  

The issue is really that they are using the living allowances to pay mortgage's on second homes and then selling them on for profit. I personally have no problem with an MP using taxpayer money for the upkeep/cleaning of rented accommodation (light bulbs etc... within reason) but I do have when they own the property. Expenses are there to compensate you for living away from home and to make sure your not out of pocket. They are not for supplementing your income as a number of MP's appear to think.

Well they pretty much are. Independent pay reviews have recommended that MPs are paid more, but as such recommendations don't generally go down well with the public, expenses were used to compensate and 'top-up' salaries instead.

An MP's salary is around £65k, which relative to the private sector isn't really that much for a job that would be pretty demanding with very long (and non-standard) hours.

Put the salary at a suitable level and have clear rules on what constitutes expenses.

[Ping Pong Santa]

I think the salary is quite adequate!

Lets not forget the many add-ons that are available for MP's who are on committees or who are junior minister's etc..

The salary should reflect the average wage of the people you represent therefore you will always be in touch with how the general public feel.

I would advocate an MP's salary should mirror the average working wage in the country.

[Lazer]

The issue is really that they are using the living allowances to pay mortgage's on second homes and then selling them on for profit. I personally have no problem with an MP using taxpayer money for the upkeep/cleaning of rented accommodation (light bulbs etc... within reason) but I do have when they own the property. Expenses are there to compensate you for living away from home and to make sure your not out of pocket. They are not for supplementing your income as a number of MP's appear to think.

They are not using the taxpayers money to pay their mortgage - only the interest on the mortgage.
I do believe MP's should be able to claim a reasonable amount on expenses for nights away from home. However a second home allowance should only be payable for MP's that attend parliament for a minimum number of days per year etc
There just need to be more transparency and receipts for everything.
As someone who is used to travelling on business, living in hotels is not a pleasant exepreince however often unavoidable and for anyone with a job in 2 locations - a second home is a perfectly reasonable expense, and should be equal to the living standards of your main home

[Lazer]

One of them claimed to have his moat cleaned? FFS thats just ridiculous!! Its hard to know which is the most galling - these big expenses or the small expenses like light bulbs - they have such disregard for tax payers money that they wont even put their hand in  their pockets for a bit of change to buy new light bulbs - unbelievable! It makes you wonder - if they are so bliase with taxpayers money on these issues how the hell are they going to use it to run the country!

I bill back list bulbs and little stuff like that to my company    Although I haven't needed the moat cleaned yet and i'm quite happy with the chandelier.

Thats fair enough - but its not tax payers money! I for one have to get the wetsuit on and clean my own moat out!!! 

Ultimately it is taxpayers money - what happens to a company's profit?

[Maguire01]

I think the salary is quite adequate!

Lets not forget the many add-ons that are available for MP's who are on committees or who are junior minister's etc..

The salary should reflect the average wage of the people you represent therefore you will always be in touch with how the general public feel.

I would advocate an MP's salary should mirror the average working wage in the country.

That's ridiculous. The average wage in the UK is less than £30k. Your salary should reflect your role and responsibilities as an MP. If someone in the private sector worked the hours of an MP and did the type of work MPs do, they would be earning a lot more than £65k.