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/8510280.stm
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Watchdogs: How much do they cost? | Watchdogs: How much do they cost? |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| The new body for policing MPs' expenses will cost about six times as much to set up as MPs have been ordered to repay. So how does it compare to other watchdogs? | The new body for policing MPs' expenses will cost about six times as much to set up as MPs have been ordered to repay. So how does it compare to other watchdogs? |
| INDEPENDENT PARLIAMENTARY STANDARDS AUTHORITY | INDEPENDENT PARLIAMENTARY STANDARDS AUTHORITY |
| Chief: Sir Ian Kennedy (£700 a day) | Chief: Sir Ian Kennedy (£700 a day) |
| Purpose: Set up by MPs to implement the recommendations of Sir Christopher Kelly's inquiry into MPs' expenses, including a ban on MPs for claiming towards mortgage payments on second homes and from employing relatives. Will replaces the discredited Commons fees office in next Parliament. Will also Ipsa gain the power to set MPs' pay and pensions from 2011-12, based on recommendations from the Senior Salaries Review Body (see below). Until now MPs have decided their own pay. | Purpose: Set up by MPs to implement the recommendations of Sir Christopher Kelly's inquiry into MPs' expenses, including a ban on MPs for claiming towards mortgage payments on second homes and from employing relatives. Will replaces the discredited Commons fees office in next Parliament. Will also Ipsa gain the power to set MPs' pay and pensions from 2011-12, based on recommendations from the Senior Salaries Review Body (see below). Until now MPs have decided their own pay. |
| Staff: Between 60 and 80. Yet to be decided. | Staff: Between 60 and 80. Yet to be decided. |
| Cost: £6.6m to set up but says annual running costs will be considerably less | Cost: £6.6m to set up but says annual running costs will be considerably less |
| COMMITTEE ON STANDARDS IN PUBLIC LIFE | COMMITTEE ON STANDARDS IN PUBLIC LIFE |
| Chief: Sir Christopher Kelly (£50,000 PA, part-time) | Chief: Sir Christopher Kelly (£50,000 PA, part-time) |
| Purpose: Aims to uphold seven principles of public life: Selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership. Made recommendations on reforming MPs' expenses. Also polices conduct of civil servants and advisers, MPs, British MEPs, local councillors and senior officials of all public bodies and party funding. Set up by Conservative Prime Minister John Major in 1994 in the wake of the cash for questions scandal. | Purpose: Aims to uphold seven principles of public life: Selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership. Made recommendations on reforming MPs' expenses. Also polices conduct of civil servants and advisers, MPs, British MEPs, local councillors and senior officials of all public bodies and party funding. Set up by Conservative Prime Minister John Major in 1994 in the wake of the cash for questions scandal. |
| Staff: 13 committee members paid £240 per day expenses. Three full time and two part-time support staff. | Staff: 13 committee members paid £240 per day expenses. Three full time and two part-time support staff. |
| Cost: £541,000 (2008/09) | Cost: £541,000 (2008/09) |
| PARLIAMENTARY STANDARDS COMMISSIONER | PARLIAMENTARY STANDARDS COMMISSIONER |
| Chief: John Lyon (£100,000 for a four-day-week) | |
| Purpose: Compiles MPs' register of members' interests, monitors the codes of conduct governing MPs' behaviour and investigates alleged breaches of it. Provides training for MPs in "conduct, propriety and ethics". Set up in 1995 by the House of Commons. | Purpose: Compiles MPs' register of members' interests, monitors the codes of conduct governing MPs' behaviour and investigates alleged breaches of it. Provides training for MPs in "conduct, propriety and ethics". Set up in 1995 by the House of Commons. |
| Staff: 11 full time staff | |
| Cost: £499,855 (2008/09) | Cost: £499,855 (2008/09) |
| SENIOR SALARIES REVIEW BODY | SENIOR SALARIES REVIEW BODY |
| Chief: Bill Cockburn (£350 per day for attending meetings, 24 were held in 2007/08) | Chief: Bill Cockburn (£350 per day for attending meetings, 24 were held in 2007/08) |
| Purpose: Decides on the pay of judges, senior civil servants; senior officers of the armed forces. Last year it was ordered by Gordon Brown to review MPs' pensions. It also made recommendations for MPs pay from 2010/11, which are set to be implemented by IPSA. The SSRB is one of a number of public sector pay review committees run by the Office of Manpower Economics. | Purpose: Decides on the pay of judges, senior civil servants; senior officers of the armed forces. Last year it was ordered by Gordon Brown to review MPs' pensions. It also made recommendations for MPs pay from 2010/11, which are set to be implemented by IPSA. The SSRB is one of a number of public sector pay review committees run by the Office of Manpower Economics. |
| Staff: The Office of Manpower Economics (OME) has a full time staff of 31. | Staff: The Office of Manpower Economics (OME) has a full time staff of 31. |
| Cost: OME budget in 2008/09 was £2.9m | Cost: OME budget in 2008/09 was £2.9m |
| PARLIAMENTARY AND HEALTH SERVICE OMBUDSMAN | PARLIAMENTARY AND HEALTH SERVICE OMBUDSMAN |
| Chief: Ann Abraham (£190,000 PA) | Chief: Ann Abraham (£190,000 PA) |
| Purpose: Investigates complaints about public services provided by government departments and quangos, including regulators such as Ofcom and NHS bodies, the courts and prison services and even museums and art galleries. Also provides a complaint handling service for victims of crime in England or Wales. | Purpose: Investigates complaints about public services provided by government departments and quangos, including regulators such as Ofcom and NHS bodies, the courts and prison services and even museums and art galleries. Also provides a complaint handling service for victims of crime in England or Wales. |
| Staff: 270 | Staff: 270 |
| Cost: £26m (2008/09) | Cost: £26m (2008/09) |
| STANDARDS FOR ENGLAND | STANDARDS FOR ENGLAND |
| Chief: Robert Chilton (£30,600 PA, part-time) | Chief: Robert Chilton (£30,600 PA, part-time) |
| Purpose: Polices conduct of local councillors and officials. Set up in 2000 as the Standards Board for England. Complaints about trivial investigations led to its role being scaled back. Renamed Standards for England in 2008. Tories say they would abolish it if they win power. | Purpose: Polices conduct of local councillors and officials. Set up in 2000 as the Standards Board for England. Complaints about trivial investigations led to its role being scaled back. Renamed Standards for England in 2008. Tories say they would abolish it if they win power. |
| Staff: 80 | Staff: 80 |
| Cost: £8m | Cost: £8m |
| FOR COMPARISON, HERE ARE SOME OTHER WELL-KNOWN WATCHDOGS... | FOR COMPARISON, HERE ARE SOME OTHER WELL-KNOWN WATCHDOGS... |
| OFCOM | OFCOM |
| Chief: Ed Richards (£400,000 PA) | Chief: Ed Richards (£400,000 PA) |
| Purpose: Awards broadcasting licences and sets the taste, decency and fairness standards which radio and TV channels must follow. It also polices the mobile phone market, protecting consumers from rip-offs and ruling on disputes between companies. Does not regulate newspapers and magazines, TV and radio advertising or the internet. Does not handle complaints about accuracy in BBC programmes, which are handled by the BBC Trust. Ofcom was created six years ago by merging five different bodies. | Purpose: Awards broadcasting licences and sets the taste, decency and fairness standards which radio and TV channels must follow. It also polices the mobile phone market, protecting consumers from rip-offs and ruling on disputes between companies. Does not regulate newspapers and magazines, TV and radio advertising or the internet. Does not handle complaints about accuracy in BBC programmes, which are handled by the BBC Trust. Ofcom was created six years ago by merging five different bodies. |
| Staff: 812 | Staff: 812 |
| Cost: £130.2m (2008/09) | Cost: £130.2m (2008/09) |
| OFWAT | OFWAT |
| Chief: Philip Fletcher (between £100,000 and £145,000 PA) | Chief: Philip Fletcher (between £100,000 and £145,000 PA) |
| Purpose: Responsible for ensuring water and sewerage operators in England and Wales "provide customers with a good quality and efficient service at a fair price". | Purpose: Responsible for ensuring water and sewerage operators in England and Wales "provide customers with a good quality and efficient service at a fair price". |
| Staff: 200 | Staff: 200 |
| Cost: £14.9m | Cost: £14.9m |
| POSTCOMM | POSTCOMM |
| Chief: Nigel Stapleton (£75,000 for three day week, when appointed in 2003) | Chief: Nigel Stapleton (£75,000 for three day week, when appointed in 2003) |
| Purpose: Set up in 2000 to ensure a universal postal service throughout the UK, promote competition between postal operators encourage greater Royal Mail efficiency. | Purpose: Set up in 2000 to ensure a universal postal service throughout the UK, promote competition between postal operators encourage greater Royal Mail efficiency. |
| Staff: 56 | Staff: 56 |
| Cost: £9.7m (2008/09) | Cost: £9.7m (2008/09) |