MEMBERS of parliament cost the taxpayer a total of £89 million in the 2011/12 financial year it was revealed today.
A break down of each MPs expenses and salary from May 2011 to April 2012 has been published by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.
The cost of each individual MP is available on a link provided by IPSA where constituents can search for their MP.
Sir Ian Kennedy, IPSA chairman hailed the publication of the annual pay and expenses as a major step forward and highlighted that it showed the importance of IPSA’s work after two years of criticism of it by MPs.
He said: “Remember the old days in Parliaments of the past when your MP’s claims for business costs and expenses were published?
“Well, no. Because in the past it didn’t happen. Information wasn’t available to the public. Then we had the series of increasingly shocking newspaper reports in 2009.
“Since then a new, independent organisation – IPSA- has taken control of the issue, setting clear rules and enforcing them. And, crucially, publishing all claims every other month.”
He also said that in 2011/12 99 per cent of claims fell within the rules and were allowed.
