Information on rental claims by MPs

I can confirm that we hold information relevant to your request. IPSA identified 13 MPs who were former members or are current members of Sinn Fein.

The Scheme of MPs' Staffing and Business Costs (the Scheme) explains that MPs may submit evidence to be reimbursed for the amount they have spent, or they may instruct IPSA to make a direct payment to a supplier on their behalf. Of the 13 Sinn Fein MPs, 6 had made claims for reimbursement and 8 had instructed IPSA to pay the landlord directly.

Information about the MPs and the amount of rent which was paid, either as a reimbursement or directly to the landlord, is published on IPSA's website. It is therefore subject to Refusal Notice under section 21 of the FOIA because it is reasonably accessible by other means.

To find out the amount of the rent, you can either check on the individual pages of the Sinn Fein MPs using the Search by MP name, then look under "Business Costs" for each financial year. Check initially under "Office Costs", though some claims may appear under "Accommodation".

Or go to the section on Annual budgets, costs and claims, scroll down to the bottom of the page and from under the section "Individual business costs" download the .csv files for the IPSA financial years.

You will then need to filter on the "Name" for Sinn Fein MPs, followed by filtering on "Cost type" for "Rent" and "Const Office Rent" and "Const Office Rent 2".

You will see that the "Category" under which these claims have been made is either "Office Costs" or "Accommodation".

Information about the landlord to whom rental payments were made is subject to a Refusal Notice under section 38(1)(b) of the FOIA, health and safety.

Section 38(1)(b) – health and safety

IPSA relies on this exemption to withhold the names of the landlords relating to Sinn Fein MPs who are currently sitting members, regardless of the age of the claim. IPSA maintains that the disclosure of this information carries a high risk of endangering the MPs and their staff.

IPSA understands how disclosure would enable the public to understand more about who is receiving taxpayer's money as rent from MPs and the circumstances surrounding this. In considering disclosure we also have to consider our duty of care to MPs, their staff and connected parties, including any dependents and other members of the public, and any consequences which may arise from our response.

Since 2020 there has been an increase in media reporting on the threats made to MPs and their staff. Not all reports relate to physical attacks on MPs and their staff, but the fear which can be felt from receiving a threat can be mentally and physically damaging. The death of Sir David Amess MP has highlighted the impact when the threat of physical attack becomes a reality. This threat becomes more of a concern when you consider the political situation in Northern Ireland where the risk of harm could extend to the landlords themselves.

All MPs and their staff have difficult jobs, and IPSA is aware that the decision to disclose certain categories of information could make it more difficult for them to fulfil these. This would have a knock-on effect on those whom MPs and their staff try to help. IPSA, therefore, maintains that the public interest in withholding this information outweighs the public interest in disclosure at this time.

In terms of the details of landlords for those former MPs, IPSA appreciates that the risk would be lower if the information were to be disclosed. We checked our previous systems for two former MP reimbursement claims and one former MP direct payment. We no longer hold the information about the landlords.