Total number of staff working for MPs

Request

Could you kindly let me know the total number of personal staffs working for MPs?


Response

IPSA holds the information that you request.

You may be aware that the MPs’ Scheme of Business Costs and Expenses (‘the Scheme’) states that ‘Staffing Expenditure may be claimed to meet the cost incurred in the provision of staff to assist with the performance of an MP's parliamentary functions’.  You may also be aware that the details of annual staffing expenditure is available on our website. 

According to our records, as of 31 March 2014, there were 3,142 staff members working for a total 649 Members of Parliament.

The figure represents the number of staff who were active on IPSA’s payroll as of 31 March 2014 and are paid through an MPs’ staffing expenditure budget.  This includes both full-time and part-time employees, as well as any short-term staff who may have been taken on, for example, to provide paternity, maternity or sickness cover (in addition to those staff members for whom cover is being provided).

The figure also includes casual members of staff, some of whom may work ad hoc hours, and apprentices and employed interns whose employment conditions have fulfilled the conditions set out in paragraphs 7.8 and 7.9 of the Scheme.  Further, it includes employees who receive part-funding from a third party, as long as a proportion of their salary is paid through the Member’s staffing expenditure budget, and therefore IPSA’s payroll. 

However, it does not include any volunteer interns, who do not receive payment through IPSA’s payroll, nor do they include any staff members whose salary is wholly paid by a third party.

Ref:
F1314-241
Disclosure:
7 April 2014
Categories:
MPs' STAFFING
Exemptions Applied: