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Speaker's wife complaint rejected Speaker's wife claims 'allowed'
(about 2 hours later)
A complaint about taxi journeys claimed on expenses by Commons Speaker Michael Martin's wife has been dismissed. 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.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, John Lyon, said the £4,139.17 claimed by Mary Martin was "reasonable" and within the rules. 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.
The cost was "not excessive", and the shopping trips had been taken to assist her husband, Mr Lyon added. Rejecting an official complaint, he said the claims were "not excessive".
Some of the food bought was consumed by the couple, although it was "also used for hospitality", it emerged. Michael Martin said some of the food bought was eaten by the couple, but some was used for hospitality.
In a memorandum, Mr Lyon said Mrs Martin had been using taxis since 2004, mainly for shopping trips, and had claimed the fares back on expenses. The TaxPayers' Alliance, who submitted an official complaint about the claims, said: "If this is within the rules, then the rules need tightening up."
It's shocking that they are able to use taxpayers' money for taxis to do their domestic grocery shopping Mark WallaceTaxPayers' Alliance '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. "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 Speaker has faced controversy over MPs' expenses and is leading a High Court challenge against their publication in detail.
'Easing the burden'
He is also heading a "root and branch" parliamentary inquiry into all aspects of MPs' expenses, in the wake of a furore over Tory MP Derek Conway's employment of his sons.
But it has emerged that, since 2002, the Speaker has been entitled to up to £2,500 a year for the use of taxis for "normal office business".
The allowance was provided by a former Clerk of the House to allow Mrs Martin to "ease the burden" on her husband by "doing the shopping to support him in his official duties", according to the minutes of a meeting between Mr Martin and Mr Lyon.
The Speaker said he had "tremendous pressures on his time from early morning" until, often, late at night and "Mr Speaker's duty demanded that he be in the House".
Some of the provisions were also used for providing refreshments during meetings in his grace-and-favour apartments in the Commons.
New furnishings
"The food was not purely for Mrs Martin and himself," the minutes record.
Mrs Martin has taken 156 taxpayer-funded taxi journeys since 2004, it was disclosed.
She visited a large supermarket roughly once a month where she kept the taxi on a "wait and return" basis because they were "not easy to hail".
Other visits were to smaller shops to purchase "further provisions and perishables", official clothes for Mr Martin and table decorations for official functions.
The Martins also claimed for a taxi trip to a store to pick new furnishings for the Speaker's House as part of the £700,000 of rolling improvements carried out since he took the job in 2000.
Spokesman's resignation
Two more visits were to the Martins' private London home - thought to be in Willesden, North West London - to drop off official papers.
During an interview with Mr Lyon, Mr Martin complained that the TaxPayers' Alliance had informed the media that he was investigating the matter.
This had been "much to Mrs Martin's disadvantage, denigration of character and without right of reply", he said.
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.
Mike 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. 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.
'Put the matter to rest'
The commissioner dismissed the TaxPayers' Alliance complaint and strongly supported Mrs Martin's role in assisting her husband with his duties.
"Taking account of the requirements and the cost of alternative provision, the costs were not excessive," he said.
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."