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MPs to vote on expenses changes MPs' receipts are to be published
(about 3 hours later)
MPs are debating moves to increase the scrutiny of their expenses and the rules under which they are declared. Receipts for MPs' expenses dating back to 2004 will be published in accordance with Freedom of Information laws.
They will vote later on plans for new National Audit Office checks and to increase the number of headings under which details are published. Commons leader Harriet Harman said the data would be released once it had been processed by the Commons authorities.
On Wednesday, the government shelved proposals for a vote on whether to exempt details of MPs' expenses from the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. Ms Harman would not guarantee a similar policy in the future amid concerns ministers may revisit plans to exempt expenses details from FOI requests.
This followed pressure from the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. The Tories said the issue was still unresolved while the Lib Dems said failure to be more open was "tragic".
They said the government had made a "humiliating climbdown" in the face of public pressure, with one MP saying it would have been "monstrous" for MPs to effectively ignore the FOI legislation which they had introduced. On Wednesday the government abandoned plans for a vote on exempting details of MPs' expenses from FOI requests after opposition parties refused to back the move.
Proposed changes Compliance
But MPs will still vote on Thursday on a move to publish expenses under 26 headings - previously they were published under nine. Ms Harman said all expenses information requested in the past four years would be published in full, at a cost of about £2m, but did not make clear when this would happen.
The tragedy is that those who didn't want to disclose anything have had to end up disclosing everything because they couldn't see the way the wind was blowing David Heath, Lib Dems Commons spokesman Q&A: MP expenses row
These outstanding FOI requests cover about 1.3 million receipts for MPs' spending on second homes, travel and office costs.
The High Court ruled last year that details of claims made under the £24,000-a-year second homes allowance, including receipts, should be published in the interests of transparency.The High Court ruled last year that details of claims made under the £24,000-a-year second homes allowance, including receipts, should be published in the interests of transparency.
The government has said it will consult further on the full publication of expenses information amid growing recriminations on both sides over the issue. But Ms Harman said proposed changes to how expenses would be audited in future, including independent scrutiny, may change the "legal position" regarding disclosure.
Some MPs are clearly desperate to prevent the release of past expenses claims Maurice Frankel, Campaign for Freedom of Information class="" href="/1/hi/uk_politics/7839281.stm">Q&A: MP expenses row "There is both the legal decision, but there is (also) the public policy decision of whether or not, having published receipts once, it is sensible to go back on publishing them and not publish them in the same way in the future," she added.
Asked what would happen to receipts for MPs' spending between 2005 and 2008 - which were due to be published in October following the legal ruling but whose release was then delayed - Commons leader Harriet Harman said she would speak to the Parliamentary authorities about how to proceed. The Conservatives said the issue of full disclosure under FOI was "still hanging".
As it stands, these 1.3 million receipts - covering spending on second homes, travel and office costs - could be published before July although this has not been confirmed. "My view is that we should still be subject to Freedom of Information," said shadow commons leader Alan Duncan.
Thursday's vote will focus on how expenses are audited and the type of information published. Wind blowing
Currently, the overall amount claimed by every MP is published each year, broken down into nine categories. MPs should observe the "highest standards" of transparency, he said, but there should be some safeguards in place.
If government proposals are backed by MPs, information about telephone and energy bills, as well as mortgage and rental payments on second homes, will be published for the first time. "We don't just want, by making everything available, to allow ourselves to be subject to open season of malicious and vexatious attacks," he added.
Expenses claims will also, in future, be liable to spot checks by the National Audit Office. The Lib Dems said Parliament should have responded to public pressure for more openness many years before.
Ms Harman said the new system would be "tough and robust", with "more information" than ever made available. "The tragedy is that those who didn't want to disclose anything have had to end up disclosing everything because they couldn't see the way the wind was blowing," said Lib Dem commons spokesman David Heath.
MPs approved without a vote moves to increase the scrutiny of their expenses and the rules under which they are declared.
The proposals will give the National Audit Office new powers to scrutinise expenses while claims would be broken down into 26 categories rather than the current 14.
Information about telephone and energy bills, as well as mortgage and rental payments on second homes, will be published for the first time.
Cost concernsCost concerns
Freedom of information (FOI) campaigners have insisted that all receipts for individual claims must be published to maintain public confidence in Parliament and to uphold standards. Freedom of information campaigners have insisted that all receipts for individual claims must be published to maintain public confidence in Parliament and to uphold standards.
They accuse MPs of dragging their feet on the issue.
"Some MPs are clearly desperate to prevent the release of past expenses claims which are likely to have exceeded what could reasonably be justified to the public," said Maurice Frankel, from the Campaign for Freedom of Information."Some MPs are clearly desperate to prevent the release of past expenses claims which are likely to have exceeded what could reasonably be justified to the public," said Maurice Frankel, from the Campaign for Freedom of Information.
The Scottish Parliament already publishes details of its members' claims, including receipts, on the internet.The Scottish Parliament already publishes details of its members' claims, including receipts, on the internet.
But ministers have expressed concerns about the cost of doing this, given the need to scan every document and edit out confidential details like bank accounts and telephone numbers. But UK ministers have expressed concerns about the cost of doing this.
The process of preparing the 1.3 million receipts for publication is estimated to have cost £950,000.
MP's expenses have been the subject of controversy since it emerged last year that Conservative MP Derek Conway had paid his son, a student, more than £40,000 to act as a researcher when an inquiry found he had done no work.MP's expenses have been the subject of controversy since it emerged last year that Conservative MP Derek Conway had paid his son, a student, more than £40,000 to act as a researcher when an inquiry found he had done no work.
A long-running legal campaign, which ultimately forced the publication of details of 14 MPs expenses, also laid bare the amount MPs could claim under their second homes allowance for items such as fridges, TVs and kitchens.
Several changes have already been made as a result of this.
MPs now have to declare any family members they employ and are only able to claim a maximum of £25 without producing a receipt as opposed to £250 previously.
In 2006-7, the last year for which information is available, MPs claimed £87.6m, the average claim totalling £135,000.