MPs will be able to claim £10,000 for additional office costs incurred as a result of them working from home due to the coronavirus lockdown measures, Parliament’s expenses authority has said
This £10,000 is additional to the £26,000 MPs can already claim to cover their office costs.
The money is being offered so Members of Parliament can buy any neccessary equipment such as laptops and printers for themselves and their staff who are having to work from home.
The extra £10,000, first reported by The Times, are to be available to the MPs until next March and will come with a relaxation of rules on evidence of their purchases.
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) has said in its guidance, published last month, said it was “committed to supporting MPs and their staff to carry on with their work as far as possible” during this “uncertain and challenging time for the country”.
As well as an increase to the money that will be available for the office costs for MPs, the IPSA has said that they are also going to suspend the current limit for claiming costs, which is currently 90 days, and they will be relaxing the requirements for showing evidence of the money spent.
The IPSA is also saying that they are going to provide additional financial help for workers who are unwell or cannot be in work, from the staff absence budget.
Julie Marson ,a Conservative MP has said:
“No MP will see an extra penny of this in their bank accounts.”
“IPSA increased the office budget to provide staff who primarily work from the office the ability to work from home, and to produce and distribute COVID19 information.”
Labour MP Andrew Gwynne said: “Casework has exploded (understandably too) so it’s right our offices remain open – remotely – at this time”.
But he said thinks that it would have been better if IPSA had done “an equipment loan scheme instead”.
Former Conservative MP Charlotte Leslie said: “Someone really needs to look at IPSA. They decide what public money goes to MPs, so amazed they don’t get more scrutiny, accountability and the head of IPSA isn’t a household name. Guess bashing MPs is a low-hanging fruit.”
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