Anger as snouts-in-trough MPs still refuse to publish expenses

[Antaletriangle]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-expenses.html

MPs are refusing to publish details of their lavish taxpayer-funded expenses until next summer, prompting accusations of a 'cover-up'.

Commons authorities had promised to release up to two million claims covering money spent on home improvements and furnishings this autumn.

But the Daily Mail has learned that Speaker Michael Martin is expecting to delay opening up the files for scrutiny for almost 12 months.

The figures may be slipped out during September's party conference season when all eyes are away from Westminster.
Delaying tactics?: Speaker of the House of Commons Michael Martin is expected to delay the opening up of the files
Last night, MPs and freedom of information campaigners expressed outrage that the Commons was still flouting the law by keeping the public in the dark about details of MPs' generous expenses.
Tory MP Ben Wallace, who publishes details of his expenses on his website, said: 'This is simply appalling. Nothing short of full disclosure, as soon as possible, is acceptable.
Liberal Democrat MP Jo Swinson said: 'Such reluctance to be open and honest about expenses brings not only Parliament but politics into disrepute.'
In May, MPs lost a High Court bid costing £200,000 of public money to keep details of their expenses secret.

Appalled: Tory Ben Wallace MP has published details of his expenses
Judges ordered the Commons to publish a detailed breakdown of how
14 MPs and former MPs, including Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron, spent their £23,000-a-year additional costs allowance, which is used to maintain second homes and cover costs of staying away while on parliamentary duties.

The victory at the end of a three-year legal battle by freedom of information campaigners led to Speaker Martin reluctantly announcing that he would publish details of all 646 MPs' claims.

Several are said to be nervous about what their claims reveal.
The first batch of 14 high-profile figures, comprising 450 separate documents, was published in May and revealed that Gordon Brown claimed £15 for lightbulbs and former Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett spent thousands of pounds on gardening at her constituency home.

Insiders claimed the sheer bulk of work to process and scan the receipts, which MPs are allowed to check before they are published, has pushed back the release date.

One well-placed source said: 'We are not expecting the information to be ready before the summer. It is an enormous task. We simply didn't realise the scale of the work involved.'
Officials overseeing the operation, costing £1million, have also been instructed to delete every reference to addresses, bank details and telephone numbers on security grounds.
Names of suppliers of goods or services will be blacked out if they give a clue to an MP's address.
Leader of the Commons Harriet Harman claimed MPs and their families could be at risk from stalkers or terrorists if their personal details, including addresses, became public knowledge.
But campaigners say the blanket block on revealing MPs' addresses will stop proper scrutiny of second-home allowances.
They also say that blanking out details of who does work on an MP's home or supplies services would prevent questions about whether there is a conflict of interest, for instance if someone was hiring a relative.

[Avid]

Truly appalling - some of them pay their 'families' many thousands of pounds to do B-all!
A rotten business.