Expenses watchdog bill over £6m
By politics.co.uk staff
The watchdog set up to oversee MPs’ expenses is expected to cost roughly £6.5 million to run every year, it has been reported.
The figure, obtained by the BBC, is significantly greater than the £1.1 million expenses auditor Sir Thomas Legg succeeded in clawing back from MPs relating to their 2004-08 claims.
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) was established last autumn after the government rushed legislation through the Commons.
Today’s revelation comes as Ipsa’s consultation on expenses, widely viewed as challenging party leaders’ wishes to see Sir Christopher Kelly’s recommendations introduced wholesale, draws to a close.
“This consultation is not the end of the story,” Ipsa noted in the consultation. “It is only the first step of a continuing consultation on the role of members of parliament and of parliament itself.”
MPs have spent the consultation period vigorously lobbying Ipsa about their specific concerns.
Earlier this week a meeting with MPs raised concerns about a range of issues including the position of MPs’ spouses, it was reported.
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