MP’s credit card suspensions

Request

You requested information about MP’s credit card suspensions.


Response

IPSA holds the information you requested.

In relation to your request, the information has been published in full on our website in response to a previous Freedom of Information request.

The information can be found at CAS-124175.

I enclose hard copies of the original request, as well as the requested information.

In response to the point you made about the High Court having ordered IPSA to release this information, we wish issue a correction to, and clarify this point.

In September 2018, the Daily Telegraph made a Freedom of Information Act request for details of all MPs who had their credit cards suspended.

IPSA considered the request, and referred the question to Sir Robert Owen, who is a Member of IPSA’s Board, and a former High Court Judge. Sir Robert acts as IPSA’s Qualified Person for the purposes of referrals under s.36 of the Freedom of Information Act – further details about Sir Robert, as well as information about s.36 Freedom of Information Act accompany this response.

Sir Robert, in his ‘reasonable opinion’ found that the Public Interest favoured disclosure of the information relating to MPs’ credit card suspensions, and in accordance with his reasonable opinion, IPSA released the information.

IPSA therefore confirms that there was no legal dispute, and no litigation took place upon which IPSA was ordered to release this information. It was released upon request, following our referral to Sir Robert, and upon our receipt of his ‘reasonable opinion’ on the matter.

This concludes our response to your request.

Ref:
CAS-141782
Disclosure:
21 May 2019
Categories:
Exemptions Applied: