Birmingham MPs criticise Commons officials over expenses claims confusion
Oct 14 2009 by Jonathan Walker, Birmingham Post
Commons officials responsible for confusion over expenses claims should face the sack, according to a Birmingham MP.
Steve McCabe (Lab Hall Green) was one of many West Midlands MPs asked to provide documents justifying claims, which they insisted they had already supplied.
He criticised the House of Commons Department of Resources, which manages expenses and is commonly known as the fees office.
Mr McCabe said: “They asked me to supply two receipts which in fact I had already sent to the department.
“My best guess is that they have lost them.
“One was a receipt for council tax and the other was for one month of mortgage interest. I will have to get on to the bank and council to ask for new copies.
“I understand that folk are angry at MPs, but what’s happening now is absurd. We have to sort out the people who are entrusted to manage the system, and if they are not up to it then they have got to go.”
John Spellar (Lab Warley) was asked to provide further details about mortgage payments.
He said: “I had already sent the paperwork they asked for to the fees office.
“The whole thing is getting ridiculous.
“People claimed expenses in good faith, in line with all the rules which were written down, and were told they were doing everything properly. Now they are being told that was wrong.”
Some MPs refused to reveal whether they had been asked to repay money.
Roger Godsiff (Lab Sparkbrook and Small Heath) and Michael Fabricant (Con Lichfield) declined to comment.
Andrew Mitchell said he had been asked for clarification about payments he had received for council tax, but believed all his claims had been correct.
Richard Burden (Lab Northfield) said in a statement that he had been asked to supply paperwork “that as far as I know is already in their possession”.
He was querying the contents of the letter. The statement did not reveal if he had been asked to repay cash and Mr Burden declined to comment further.
Khalid Mahmood (Lab Perry Barr) has been asked to provide further details of claims for mortgage interest payments between April and September 2004, and details of a rental agreement from 2004 to 2007. He has not been asked to repay any money.
John Hemming (Lib Dem Yardley) received a letter saying Sir Thomas Legg’s inquiries had not turned up any problems with his claims. Sion Simon (Lab Erdington) has been asked to provide documents confirming his mortgage arrangements, but has not been asked to make a repayment.
Of other Birmingham MPs, Gisela Stuart (Lab Edgbaston) was abroad on Parliamentary business and could not be contacted. Clare Short (Ind Ladywood) could not be contacted.
