Members of Parliament will receive an additional £4,000 cash up front after complaints about the new system of expenses.
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) has also abandoned proposals to automatically treat 15 percent of phone calls as a private business and declined to reimburse them.
Ipsa is responsible for the tougher latest system introduced during the wake of the pay and perks scam in 2009.
However, there have been many complaints from MPs returning to Westminster – most of them say they are heavily out of pocket due to the slow process of initial claims.
Advances and loans were already on hand for major outlays including deposits on offices and flats.
Although an extra £4,000 is now being available to fund other set-up expenses in the first weeks – which include hotel bills, stationery and travel from electorates to London.
Also, MPs will now be allowed to announce the amount of each phone bill consumed for private and party political business.
Sir Ian Kennedy, the Ipsa chairman, said that the implementation of radical changes always meant the introduction of “significant challenges,” but asserted it was responding to the MPs’ concerns.
“We have always said that we will listen to feedback and, where evidence is provided, make adjustments to assist the implementation of the rules”, he said.
“Some MPs have stated that the level of financial assistance to enable them to pay up-front for office rentals and equipment has been too small and will leave them out of pocket.
“We have looked at the evidence and we are prepared to offer further advances which we will recover later this year”.
Kennedy added that over 550 MPs had now been provided induction sessions about the new rules and Ipsa had managed around 2,000 phone calls and emails from the MPs and their staff.
{ 0 comments }