Written by Janet
Gordon Brown’s plan to reform the system of MPs’ expenses will go to a series of House of Commons votes. His proposals include more transparency over second jobs and MPs’ staff being employed by the Commons authorities. Mr. Brown’s plan is to abolish the controversial second homes allowance in favour of flat-rate attendance expenses was dropped amid widespread opposition.
These votes will test his authority after the government suffered a Commons defeat on Wednesday.
The decision by MPs to back a Liberal Democrat motion, calling for more former Gurkhas to be allowed to live in the UK, was only Labour’s fourth Commons loss since the party came to power in 1997.
Mr Brown’s expenses plans, revealed on YouTube last week, followed widespread criticism of MPs and ministers, particularly over the second homes allowance – worth up to £24,000 a year.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and Work Minister Tony McNulty are being investigated over their claims, although both say they acted within the rules. His proposals include ordering MPs to provide receipts to support all expenses claims by removing the current £25 lower threshold. (Shouldn’t that have been done in the first place?)
He also suggests giving a senior group of MPs, the Members Estimate Committee, the power to amend the Green Book governing rules on expenses.
On Monday the government dropped its plan for a daily Westminster attendance allowance amid opposition from the Tories, Lib Dems and some Labour backbenchers.
Opponents had said the system, used in the European Parliament, amounted to a “cheque for turning up to work”, as it would not require receipts, and would bring “the Brussels gravy train to Westminster”. But the cross-party Standards and Privileges Committee of MPs has tabled its own motion, calling for any decision to be delayed until after the conclusion of the independent inquiry – expected to take months.
Mr. Brown has said he wants interim reforms in place by July – when details of all MPs’ claims under the second home allowance dating back to 2004 are due to be published, after the Commons authorities lost a freedom of information fight. The debate and vote will be the second strong test of his authority in two days.
newsdeskinternational
/ 11/06/2009Doubts cast over expenses reforms
Proposed reforms of MPs’ expenses are in doubt after the head of the body charged with rewriting the rules said he might not implement them all.
The Daily Telegraph said Prof Sir Ian Kennedy was unhappy with standards watchdog Sir Christopher Kelly’s plans.
Sir Ian was quoted as saying he had “no obligation” to accept everything that Sir Christopher suggested.
A spokesman said the body Sir Ian leads is required to consult but would “take up the reins” after the Kelly report.
Slip away
The plan to reform expenses set out by Sir Christopher – and embraced by the three main party leaders at Westminster – is not intended as the final word on the issue.
Sir Christopher’s report has gone to the new Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority – headed by academic lawyer Sir Ian – which is charged with drawing up the final expenses regime.
When he started his work on Wednesday, Sir Ian said the Kelly report provided a “clear set of recommendations for reform”.
But the Telegraph said Sir Ian was unhappy with plans in the report to compel MPs to return profits from second homes and ban them from employing relatives.
BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins said that if the authority were seen to let Sir Christopher’s ideas slip away, it would re-open the furious debate about expenses which many MPs hoped was finally drawing to close.
newsdeskinternational
/ 11/23/20094 UK lawmakers could face charges over expenses
Four British lawmakers could face criminal charges over the expenses they claimed from taxpayers, prosecutors said Monday, marking the latest twist in a scandal over lavish spending by elected officials.
Prosecutors said they had only just begun to examine the evidence against the unidentified lawmakers and would be making a decision whether to file charges at some later point.
“We’ve just received the files,” a service spokesman said, adding that prosecutors “don’t have a timetable at the minute.” He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with official policy.
Revelations that lawmakers manipulated expense rules to spend tens of thousands of pounds on home improvements and other perks outraged voters struggling through Britain’s worse recession since World War II.
Leaked documents showed how lawmakers attempted to bill the public for items including porn movies, horse manure and an ornamental duck house. In one notorious case, a lawmaker demanded reimbursement for the cost of cleaning the moat surrounding his country mansion.
Many lawmakers argued that their purchases had been within the rules – but police began investigating the claims made by several politicians in June. The Press Association news agency said some could face charges of fraud or false accounting.
Few in British politics have escaped the scandal’s reach.
Nine ministers in Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s government quit and his Labour Party experienced losses in local and European elections as voters deserted mainstream parties. Brown faced further humiliation after an independent auditor ordered him to repay 12,000 pounds ($20,000).
Of the 646 House of Commons lawmakers, about 175 have so far repaid claims totaling about 300,000 pounds ($475,000). Two legislators have been ousted, and about 100 have confirmed they won’t contest the next national election – which must be held by June – as a result of the furor.
newsdeskinternational
/ 12/07/2009Border Agency bonuses criticised by MPs
MPs have criticised bonuses totalling £295,000 paid to UK Border Agency officials last year, saying it was still clearly under-performing.
UK Border Agency documents show a raft of cases where there is “no formal record” of applicants having left the UK, the Home Affairs Committee found.
The MPs said a 2011 target for clearing its case backlog must be accelerated.
Ministers said there had been major improvements to procedures and bonuses were paid only for outstanding work.
‘Disappointing’
The UK Border Agency has been working to clear a backlog of asylum cases stretching back many years.
It was reported in October that 40,000 asylum cases may effectively be abandoned and applicants allowed to remain in the UK because it was too difficult to return them to their home countries.
At the time, ministers denied this amounted to an effective amnesty, stressing that individual applications would continue to be assessed on their merits and no illegal immigrants would be allowed to stay.
The cross-party committee said it was “astonishing” these cases, some of them six years old, were classified as “abandoned incomplete” with no record of whether applicants had been granted leave to remain or refused permission.
“What is really surprising and disappointing is the number of cases where the Border Agency is basically saying ‘we don’t know’ exactly what has happened to these applicants,” said the committee’s chairman, Labour MP Keith Vaz.
Over half the applications are concluded for some ‘other’ reason than being granted or denied leave.”
According to the report, of the 450,000 cases outstanding in 2006, 220,000 have since been dealt with – a reflection, MPs say, of the increased resources given to the Border Agency.
Within this, about 74,000 asylum seekers have been permitted to remain in the UK while 30,000 have been deported, it said.
But the committee suggests there were errors in 88,500 of the cases reported to have been concluded.
It is calling on the Home Office to bring forward its deadline for clearing all cases from 2011 to September 2010, saying “it simply must get through them faster than promised”.
The committee is taking issue with the fact Border Agency officials were paid a total of £295,000 in bonuses last year despite the unresolved problems.
Although the agency had made progress in recent years, Mr Vaz described the payouts as “astonishing”.
“We know it has had a lot to contend with but it is apparent that it still has a long way to go before it is operating as it should,” he said.
‘Never stronger’
Ministers said the Border Agency had made “considerable improvements” in recent years, thanks to the introduction of the new points-based system for migration – backed by the Home Affairs Committee earlier this year – biometric visas and ID cards for foreign nationals.
“The truth is that our border has never been stronger, as illustrated by the fall in asylum applications, the record numbers we are stopping at Calais and the watch-list checks that are undertaken before people even step on a place,” immigration minister Phil Woolas said.
It was right that those responsible for “dynamic changes” at the organisation were rewarded, he added, stressing that bonuses were paid only to those performing “to a high standard”.
But the Conservatives said the report was “further confirmation” that the immigration system was still chaotic.
“Ministers have had years to deal with the backlog created by the collapse of controls after 1997 but it is clear that they have not succeeded,” said shadow immigration minister Damian Green.
“They should treat this as an urgent priority.”
The Lib Dems said the Home Office should be stripped of responsibility for the asylum process and it should be given to an independent body.
“This report makes it clear how far the UK Border Agency has got to travel before we have an immigration system that is firm but fair,” said its home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne.
Immigration to the UK continued to rise last year, according to official figures published last month.
About 590,000 people came to live in Britain in 2008, compared with 574,000 the year before, figures showed.
But a growing number of people have been leaving the UK permanently.