A breakdown of all expenses claimed, breakdown of Communications Allowance used, gifts received and address of second home for Bob Spink MP

Dear Mr Payne,

Thank you for your requests, shown below, which were dated 12 May and
received the same day.

They will be combined for a single response which we will endeavour to
provide by 10 June 2009.

Mandy Kelly
Freedom of Information Assistant

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Dear Mr Payne,

Thank you for your requests for information which are copied below.

Detailed information about Members' expenses for years 2004/05 to 2007/08
from which you will be able to determine the information requested is
being prepared for publication . In addition, similar information
relating to 2008/09 is also held with the intention that it should be made
available to the public generally. Therefore the information you have
requested is exempt by virtue of the exemption set out in section 22 (1)
of the FOI Act (information held with the intention of future publication)
and your request is refused.

The material covered by your request is part of a data set of around
700,000 pages of information. We are currently in the process of providing
the information to be published to Members so that they can review their
own data, for example in relation to accuracy, security and privacy. We
plan to make the information relating to 2004/05 to 2007/08 available to
the public generally by mid July 2009. We plan to make information
relating to 2008/09 available in the autumn of 2009.

While there is a public interest in providing access to information
relating to Members such as those covered by your request, this interest
is being met by the planned publication of information about all Members,
thus providing a full picture of expenditure against the allowances, but
which also takes account of legitimate security and privacy concerns of
MPs and third parties. Therefore, the balance of the public interest rests
with maintaining the exemption while this information is being prepared
and finalised for publication.

Information about gifts received by Members is available via the Register
of Members' Interest
[1]http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa...

Information that relates to the residential addresses of MPs is not
subject to FOI and therefore the House of Commons is not obliged to
disclose it. As the information you have asked for refers directly to
MPs' addresses, your request is refused. For further information about the
application of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act to information of this
nature please refer to the linked document:

[2]http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2008/pdf/uks...

You may, if dissatisfied with the treatment of your request, ask the House
of Commons to conduct an internal review of this decision. Requests for
internal review should be addressed to: Freedom of Information Officer,
Department of Resources, House of Commons London SW1 OAA or
[House of Commons request email]. Please ensure that you specify the nature of
your complaint and any arguments or points that you wish to make.

If you remain dissatisfied, you may appeal to the Information Commissioner
at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

Yours sincerely

Bob Castle

Head of Information Rights and Information Security

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