MPs ON THE FIDDLE 2

MPs were labelled ‘skivers’ as they announced plans to take an extra five-day holiday in November. The deal was offered after politicians complained about being recalled twice over the summer recess to discuss phone hacking and riots. In an attempt to placate them, Commons Leader Sir George Young has proposed they enjoy a five-day ‘mini-break’ next month. But the idea has enraged union leaders, who have accused MPs of going ‘on the skive’ at a time when families are working hard just to make ends meet.

The row comes after David Cameron promised to cut MPs’ holidays to show he understands public concern about their conduct. While most workers in the public and private sectors get four or five weeks off annually, this deal, thrashed out in behind-the-scenes talks with all parties, will bring the number of Parliamentary recess days this year to 87, excluding weekends. The holiday, which begins on November 15, would replace the break usually given around that time ahead of the Queen’s Speech, which has been postponed by the coalition until the spring.

But the mini-break begins just six weeks after MPs have returned from their three-week conference break and is followed by a three-week Christmas holiday only a month later. Bob Crow, general secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, said, "While working people are struggling round the clock to make ends meet, the same politicians who unleashed the austerity programme have been caught out on the skive. We will take no more of the “We are all in this together” rubbish from this crowd."

A spokesman for Sir George said MPs would be sitting for a greater number of days during this Parliament than the last one and insisted the mini-break was shorter than those given in the past around the Queen’s Speech. Next year’s summer holiday will also be shorter than those in previous years, with MPs returning to Westminster in September ahead of party conferences. The spokesman added, "The Government is ensuring that the House sits more evenly throughout the year, rather than breaking up for an 82-day summer recess as under the previous government. As usual, MPs continue to undertake important constituency and select committee work, even when the House is not sitting for the days in question." (Source: Daily Mail, Oct/11)

The three disgraced former Cabinet ministers at the heart of the 'cash-for-access' scandal are in line for lavish golden goodbye payments and seats in the House of Lords. The Commons authorities admitted they were powerless to block generous resettlement grants of up to £65,000 each to Stephen Byers, Patricia Hewitt and Geoff Hoon. And Gordon Brown refused to rule out peerages for the three who, as former Cabinet ministers, can expect a cosy berth in the Lords after the election.

Labour confirmed that Mr Byers, Mr Hoon and Miss Hewitt had been suspended from the Parliamentary-Labour Party, banning them from attending the group's weekly meetings. However they will not lose the party whip. They will also still qualify for 'golden goodbye' payments when they step down at the election. Mr Byers and Mr Hoon will each receive the £64,766 maximum. Miss Hewitt and MP Margaret Moran, who was also filmed offering to influence policy, will get £54,403.

It also emerged that the Government had delayed publishing the annual list of ministerial interests, prompting new allegations of a cover-up. Justice Secretary Jack Straw said the former ministers' had brought Labour and Parliament 'into disrepute'. Downing Street said the Prime Minister 'completely condemns the claims made by the former ministers' but saw no reason for an inquiry into the scandal. (Source: Daily Mail, Mar/10)

Secret deals are still being offered to MPs who admit abusing their taxpayer-funded allowances, nine months after the House of Commons promised to name and shame all those who broke the rules. As many as 30 MPs may have been offered "rectification", guaranteeing them immunity from formal misconduct inquiries if they repay the money, since the public was promised a new era of transparency and an end to the behind-closed-doors handling of expenses breaches. As a result of the deals, at least eight MPs who clandestinely admitted breaking rules were able to fight the general election without voters being made aware that they had abused their expenses.

David Cameron has called for rectification to be banned. His plea comes more than nine months after The Daily Telegraph disclosed that MPs who broke rules when making expenses claims running to thousands of pounds were being invited to settle formal complaints by quietly repaying. They were asked to write a letter of regret to the Commons standards committee, which oversees expenses, but were not required to make their apology public. Dozens had taken advantage of the immunity deals, including Janet Anderson, a former minister who illegitimately claimed £6,000 in petty cash, and David Tredinnick, a Tory backbencher who put an astrology computer programme on his expenses.

John Bercow, the Speaker, had promised that the system would come to an end "within weeks". John Lyon, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, has the power to offer the rectification procedure to MPs, subject to a formal complaint by a member of the public. He made an official request to the Commons to begin publishing letters concluding rectification procedures on his website. His suggestion that all cases dating back to January 2008 be made public was approved by the standards committee last winter, but the move has since stalled. All changes to Mr Lyon’s remit must be rubber stamped by a Commons vote, but the former Labour government and the Coalition have failed to put the proposal before the House.

A spokesman for Sir George Young, the Leader of the House, said the measure was not included in forthcoming parliamentary business. In his annual report, Mr Lyon disclosed that in the last financial year at least 10 MPs were offered rectification, of whom eight accepted, meaning they could have fought the general election without their constituents knowing that they had broken expenses rules. One of those who declined the offer was Shahid Malik, the former Labour justice minister, who had a complaint against him upheld after he put the cost of insuring his wife’s £8,000 diamond ring on his second home expenses. He was ordered to apologise to the House. He lost his Dewsbury seat at the election.

Jim Fitzpatrick, another former Labour minister who turned down rectification, was criticised by the committee, which concluded that he had done so in order to keep a “minor breach” of the rules on the use of Commons envelopes from his constituents in the run-up to the election. Mr Lyon disclosed that another 23 cases involving suspected expenses breaches had been carried over from the last financial year in March, so their outcome will not be known until next year. It is not known how many will have been dealt with by rectification. A No10 spokesman said Mr Cameron wanted the House to approve the publication of restitution deals as soon as possible. (Source: Daily Telegraph, Sep/10)

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