Expenses without claim

House of Commons did not have the information requested.

Dear House of Commons,

This question applies to all MP's.

I would like to know details of any benefit to an MP, since May 2010, where an expense claim has not been generated.

The example that best illustrates my request is that of Simon Burns using a chauffeured car to collect him from home and drive him to Westminster. This example would not cause any expense to Simon Burns and therefore would not be recorded by IPSA.

Yours faithfully,

Elliott Hall

FOICOMMONS, House of Commons

Dear Mr Hall

Thank you for your request for information dated 31st May 2013, received by us on the same date.

We will endeavour to respond to your request promptly but in any case within 20 working days i.e. on or before 28th June 2013.

If you have any queries about your request, please use the request number quoted in the subject line of this email.

Yours sincerely

Sarah Price
IRIS Support Officer

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FOICOMMONS, House of Commons

Dear Mr Hall,
 
 
Freedom of Information Request F13-260
 
Thank you for your request for information as copied below.
 
You asked us to provide you with details of “any benefit to an MP, since
May 2010, where an expense claim has not been generated.”
 
No definitive list of benefits for Members is held by the House of
Commons.  The following information may assist you in understanding the
additional services available to Members which are not considered
‘expenses’.  If you require specific information regarding a particular
provision, please let us know.
 
The House provides a range of tools and services for Members to enable
them to perform their role.  This includes training, insurance and the
provision of stationery and IT equipment. The House also has accounts with
two private hire car services, which are occasionally used to provide
transport for the Deputy Speakers to or from their Parliamentary duties.
 
Your request used an example of a car provided to Simon Burns MP, which
was supplied by the Government Car Service. Details are not held by the
House of Commons.  You may wish to consider resubmitting your request to
the Department for Transport who are responsible for providing the
Government Car Service. Contact details can be found at
[1]https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
 
You may, if dissatisfied with the handling of your request, ask the House
of Commons to conduct an internal review of any decision regarding your
request. Requests for internal review should be addressed to: Freedom of
Information Officer, Department of HR and Change, House of Commons London
SW1 0AA or [2][House of Commons request email]. Please ensure that you specify the
full reasons for the internal review 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,
[3]www.ico.gov.uk.
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
 
          
IRIS Officer
Information Rights and Information Security (IRIS) Service | House of
Commons
 
 

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Dear FOICOMMONS,

I did indeed use Simon Burns as an example of benefit to an MP where no expense claim would have been generated. I notice that, other than confirming the example I gave, you have not answered the request.

You have focussed on this example as the sole question I raised then suggesting that I contact the Department Of Transport. This response attempts to limit the scope of my question; further if there is no definitive list of benefits available to any MP, how does an MP learn of what is available to each of them?

I cannot believe that the House Of Commons does not hold the ability, somewhere, to report on the cost it generates in itself.

Yours sincerely,

Elliott Hall

FOICOMMONS, House of Commons

Dear Mr Hall

Internal Review Request

Thank you for your email dated 25th June 2013 requesting an internal review of Freedom of Information request ref: F13-260, which was received by us on the same date.

We will endeavour to respond within 20 working days, i.e. on or before 23rd July 2013. However, it may be necessary to extend this deadline by another 20 working days, for example if the review is complicated and requires the assistance of multiple resources. If this is the case, and your review cannot be completed in the shorter timeframe, we will inform you of this.

If you have any queries about the review, please contact us with the reference in the subject line.

Yours sincerely

Sarah Price | IRIS Support Officer

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FOICOMMONS, House of Commons

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Hall,

Please find attached our response to your request for internal review.

Kind regards,

Arianne

Arianne Kitchener | IRIS Manager
Information Rights and Information Security (IRIS) Service | House of Commons

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Dear FOICOMMONS,

Yet again you have not answered my request.

I gave the exanple of Simon Burns as just that, an example.

I requested details for MPs (by implication each one) able to avoid an expense (eg travel to work) but which did not generate an expense claim to IPSA.
I cannot discover any of this kind of financial support for MPs as

1 IPSA would not record it (as there is no expense claim)
2 my own government tells me it does not bother to record it.

I asked for details for all MPs since 2010 and you have given me none.
My original request was:
"I would like to know details of any benefit to an MP, since May 2010, where an expense claim has not been generated."

The pdf documents to which you have referred me contain financial accounts details, which, ironically, I did not request and despite your attempts to divert my request and hence your answer, do not begin to address my request.

As part of your reply you pointed out that as Simon Burns is a Minister you are unable to give me any detail even for that example - why is that?

Yours sincerely,

Elliott Hall

FOICOMMONS, House of Commons

Dear Mr Hall,

Thank you for your email.

We are unable to comment further on your request as we consider that we have responded fully to both your original request and your internal review.

I am able to assist with your additional query raised below.
Although Simon Burns is a Member of Parliament, when services are used by Members in their Ministerial capacities any costs or expenditures associated with that role will fall to the relevant Government department. Such departments do not form part of the House of Commons Service. In the case of Simon Burns the department in question is the Department for Transport and you may wish to consider forwarding your request to them. Contact details are readily available online.

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

Yours sincerely,

Arianne

Arianne Kitchener | IRIS Manager
Information Rights and Information Security (IRIS) Service | House of Commons

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Dear FOICOMMONS,

I am replying to inform you that I will be contacting the Information Commissioner; I don't consider your answer, which contains no detail relevant to my request, as being an appropriate answer.

Yours sincerely,

Elliott Hall