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Six MPs' expenses appeals fail Six MPs' expenses appeals fail
(about 1 hour later)
Six of the last MPs to appeal against a ruling that they repay expenses claims have been told they must pay them back. Six MPs have had their appeals against a ruling ordering the repayment of some of their expenses' claims rejected.
But Judge Sir Paul Kennedy has ruled another eight have been partially or wholly successful in their appeals. The ruling, following Sir Thomas Legg's audit, angered some MPs because it set limits on claims for services and told them to pay back the difference.
Sir Thomas Legg's audit angered some MPs because he set limits on what they should have claimed for services and told them to pay back the difference. Tory Liam Fox - who has already repaid the £22,476 requested - and Labour's Shahid Malik, had appeals rejected.
MPs were told to pay back £1.12m ruled to have been wrongly claimed under the old, discredited, expenses system. But eight other MPs, including ex-cabinet minister Geoff Hoon, had some repayment demands overturned.
Some of Sir Thomas's requests were overturned on appeal to a judge, Sir Paul Kennedy. Sir Thomas was asked by Gordon Brown to go through five years of expenses claims under the second homes allowance last year - in the wake of the MPs' expenses scandal.
But 14 had made late appeals - the outcome of those were published on the Parliament website on Tuesday morning. Discredited system
Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox was among MPs who were unsuccessful but he has already repaid more than £22,000 claimed on mortgage interest on his second home. But there was uproar when Sir Thomas highlighted not only sums wrongly paid-out because of inaccuracies, but also said some MPs should not have claimed so much in the first place for services like cleaning and gardening.
The Commons' ruling Members' Estimate Committee allowed appeals against Sir Thomas's requests. Judge Sir Paul Kennedy heard the appeals.
In February MPs were told to pay back £1.12m ruled to have been wrongly claimed under the old, discredited, expenses system.
While out of pocket as a result, I feel vindicated that I acted at all times in good faith Liam Fox
On Tuesday, the committee published the final results of late appeals by 14 MPs - some of whom said they had not received letters from Sir Thomas, or received them too late to respond in time.
Six of the appeals were dismissed, five were allowed in full and three reduced the amount MPs were asked to repay.
Some of those told they would not have to repay the money had failed to supply proof of mortgage payments on time to the audit, but were able to supply them to Sir Paul.
Dr Fox had already repaid £22,476 paid out in mortgage interest - which related to him having increased his mortgage on his second home, something that was not allowed under the rules at the time.
TV claim
The Woodspring MP argued he had spent the money on refurbishing the property, and could have made claims for the work separately - but Sir Paul ruled "what you claimed was not recoverable under the rules then in force".
Dr Fox said he had "immediately repaid the money as I never wanted to have any funds I was not entitled to".
APPEALS ALLOWED IN FULL Paul ClarkGeoff HoonGeorge MudieAlison SeabeckAndrew Tyrie
He added: "I am delighted that Sir Paul Kennedy has acknowledged that had the Fees Office rejected this at the outset, I would have been able to claim directly for work carried out on my property.
"While out of pocket as a result, I feel vindicated that I acted at all times in good faith."
Mr Malik's appeal related to a £1,050 claim for a TV and a £730 claim for an armchair - which exceeded the "guideline price" of what MPs were allowed to claim, as well as a separate issue of overpaid council tax claims.
Sir Paul told the minister and Dewsbury MP, who had argued he did not know there was a guideline price and it had been approved at the time, he did not find his references to "what you believe to be the guide price for a suite" to be "persuasive".
"Anyone required to decide what it would have been reasonable for the public to pay to provide you with furniture has to draw a line somewhere," Sir Paul said, adding the same argument went for the DVD player and TV.
Mr Malik has already repaid £1,304.43 and has only £36.14 left to repay.