This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk_politics/7400355.stm
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 1 | Version 2 |
---|---|
Speaker's wife claims 'allowed' | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
The Commons Speaker's wife was within her rights to claim back £4,139 spent on taxis - largely for shopping trips, Parliament's standards chief has said. | |
John Lyon said the claims since 2004 were "reasonable" as Mary Martin can use a £2,500 allowance to support her husband in his official role. | |
Rejecting an official complaint, he said the claims were "not excessive". | |
Michael Martin said some of the food bought was eaten by the couple, but some was used for hospitality. | |
The TaxPayers' Alliance, who submitted an official complaint about the claims, said: "If this is within the rules, then the rules need tightening up." | |
'Wait and return' | |
The commissioner had been investigating Mrs Martin's claims of £4,139.17 for 156 taxi journeys made since 2004 - mainly for shopping trips - following the pressure group's complaint. | |
In an interview with Mr Martin he was told some of the food and items bought on the trips were consumed by the couple - some was used as refreshments at meetings in his grace-and-favour apartment. | |
It was reasonable, within the terms of the 2002 arrangement, that the Speaker's wife should be able to buy necessary clothing and items for his court dress John LyonParliamentary standards commissioner | |
And he was told that, about once a month when the House of Commons was in session, Mrs Martin would do her shopping at a large supermarket and keep a taxi on a "wait and return" basis - because they were "not easy to hail". | |
There were also other trips to smaller shops for "further provisions and perishables", official clothes for Mr Martin and decorations for official functions. In those cases, the return journeys were paid for by the Martins. | |
The claims included trips to the Martins' private home in north London as well, to drop off papers, and to a store to pick out new furnishings for the Speaker's residence. | |
'Ease burden' | |
According to the minutes of the meeting with Mr Martin, since 2002 the Speaker has been able to claim up to £2,500 a year for taxis for "normal official business". | |
The allowance was provided to allow Mrs Martin to ease the burden on her husband by doing the shopping "to support him in his official duties". | |
If this is within the rules, then the rules urgently need tightening up Mark WallaceTaxPayers' Alliance | |
The Speaker told Mr Lyon he had "tremendous pressures" on his time from early in the morning to late at night and his job often demanded that he be in the House of Commons. | |
Mr Lyon dismissed the Taxpayers' Alliance complaint and strongly supported Mrs Martin, saying the claims were "not excessive". | |
He wrote: "The current Speaker receives considerable support from his wife in preparing and enabling him to carry out his official duties in the way and to the standard which he requires of himself and his office." | |
'Shocking' | |
He added: "It was reasonable, within the terms of the 2002 arrangement, that the Speaker's wife should be able to buy necessary clothing and items for his court dress to enable him to carry out his official duties." | |
Mr Martin is currently heading up an overhaul of the MPs' expenses system and is fighting a Freedom of Information ruling that a detailed breakdown of MPs' second homes allowance should be published. | |
Mark Wallace, the campaign director of the TaxPayers' Alliance, who submitted the complaint, said it appeared the trips were "more for food for the Martins than for official functions". | Mark Wallace, the campaign director of the TaxPayers' Alliance, who submitted the complaint, said it appeared the trips were "more for food for the Martins than for official functions". |
"If so, it's shocking that they are able to use taxpayers' money for taxis to do their domestic grocery shopping," he said. | "If so, it's shocking that they are able to use taxpayers' money for taxis to do their domestic grocery shopping," he said. |
"If this is within the rules, then the rules urgently need tightening up." | |
"We are all being told to tighten our belts in these tough times - it's about time the Speaker of the House of Commons set a good example and stopped indulging himself with other people's money." | "We are all being told to tighten our belts in these tough times - it's about time the Speaker of the House of Commons set a good example and stopped indulging himself with other people's money." |
The row over Mrs Martin's taxi trips led to the resignation of the Speaker's spokesman, Mike Granatt, earlier this year. | The row over Mrs Martin's taxi trips led to the resignation of the Speaker's spokesman, Mike Granatt, earlier this year. |
Mr Granatt quit after he unwittingly misled a journalist about reports Mr Martin's wife claimed £4,000 taxi expenses since May 2004. He has said officials did not tell him the whole truth. | |
The commissioner's memorandum was published by the Standards and Privileges Committee, which does not usually produce a report when a complaint has been dismissed. | The commissioner's memorandum was published by the Standards and Privileges Committee, which does not usually produce a report when a complaint has been dismissed. |
But the committee said today that it wanted to "put the matter to rest" and had "no hesitation in endorsing both the decision of the commissioner to dismiss the complaint, and the grounds on which he did so." | But the committee said today that it wanted to "put the matter to rest" and had "no hesitation in endorsing both the decision of the commissioner to dismiss the complaint, and the grounds on which he did so." |