Open and Honest Government Led by Malcolm Moss MP
Posts expenses online for all to see...

Malcolm Moss' expenditure under the Additional Costs Allowance, which means the allowance to cover the cost of living away from home in London when attending Parliament, for the last three years is largely made up of either mortgage interest or rent payments towards providing accommodation. Mr. Moss has never used the allowance to purchase furniture, white goods, furnishings, TV's or kitchen hardware. In fact, along with many of his colleagues, he was not aware of the so-called "John Lewis List" until it hit the press as a result of the Freedom of Information challenge.

Under the rules, receipts are not required for expenditures under £250.00 per item.  With that said, Mr. Moss ensures that all his expenses are receipted apart from food. When it comes to food, his maximum annual expenditure was £1,355 which averages out at £9.68 per day for the 140 days a year that Parliament is sitting. One must keep in mind that on Mondays and Tuesdays Parliament sits until 10 pm.  This effectively prevents Mr. Moss from going home and meals on these days invariably have to be taken in restaurants which are at a higher cost than self-catering.

Other areas of MP's expenses will be published in a more open way from the start of the new financial year. This involves both the costs for running an MP's office and travel expenses. Although, at present, receipts are only needed for items over £25.00, many Conservative MP's, including Malcolm, will be keeping receipts for everything. These will be audited in some way or other.

In the autumn, MP's office and travel expenses, along with the Additional Costs Allowance, will be published by the House of Commons Fees Office covering the last three years. By publishing part of those expenses now on his web site, Malcolm is anticipating what he hopes will become a mandatory requirement in the future.

Expenses for Financial Year 2005/2006 - 2006/2007 - 2007/2008