MPs told to disclose cleaning bills

MPs will be horrified. The Information Tribunal into whether MPs should disclose more details about the £21,000 second-home allowance (see here, here and here) has decided that they should. Everything. The fish tank bills are a-coming.

Parliament has 28 days to disclose and it may never happen (the Speaker has a veto, but think of the political consequences in the current climate). The order relates to 11 MPs including Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and although the rest will certainly follow it may not be at once. But the particular interest of the ruling comes from the verdict on the system passed by the tribunal. They were not impressed:

It is not our function to say what system ought to be operated by the House. But we cannot avoid making some assessment of the existing system, since we cannot decide the issues which are before us without arriving at a view on the effectiveness of the existing controls. The laxity of and lack of clarity in the rules for ACA is redolent of a culture very different from that which exists in the commercial sphere or in most other public sector organisations today.

While we can appreciate that the emphasis on self-certification is historically derived from Members' constitutional position as elected representatives, even if self-certification were considered to be in principle an acceptable system in modern conditions, the inadequacy of that approach is manifest as soon as it is appreciated that the Members upon whom the responsibility of certification is placed do not have access to a clear, coherent and comprehensive statement of their entitlements such as might enable them to fulfil that responsibility. Moreover the information published in the Green Book does not match the system as actually administered, and hence as actually experienced by MPs.

In our judgment these features, coupled with the very limited nature of the checks, constitute a recipe for confusion, inconsistency and the risk of misuse. Seen in relation to the public interest that public money should be, and seen to be, properly spent, the ACA system is deeply unsatisfactory, and the shortfall both in transparency and in accountability is acute.

Comments

[Chuck Unsworth]

Well this is fun, ain't it?

Anyone taking bets on how long it will take these guys to find a way round this? Won't be long, I think. After all, they've had years of practice and have access to the finest brains (not their own, of course).

But what the Tribunal has done is offered a Get Out of Jail Card for everyone by blaming the discrepancies between the Green Book and the System. Thus it is no-one's fault. Even now we can hear the scribes' quills scratching away drawing up yet more new 'rules' for Members to ignore.

In short, the Tribunal has played an absolute blinder. Did you see what they did there? The 'confusion, inconsistency and the 'risk of ' misuse' clause? Magic! Sooo subtle. Real craftsmanship. You've got to admire it. Everyone is guiltless!

All that's needed now is for the customary profound expressions of regret, concern, drawing a line under, blah, blah, blah, and then we'll all be back to business as usual. Repayments will not be necessary, so that's a relief, isn't it.

Now, about employing families - how about reciprocal arrangements? I'm sure some draft informal agreement can be put together.....

[Mad Max]

Since New Labour came to power this medium, the Internet, has become an powerful tool for awareness. However, it may cause Parliament to descend into an Athenian democratic shambles if this power is not tempered by those who use it.

Parliament is full of traditions that are part of our heritage. One must be careful not to drag it down just for the sake of modernity.

If the Treasury is to scour the nation harshly for taxes it is only right that MPs should feel some of the pain too.