IPSA publishes Addendum to the Scheme for 2020-21

Date published: 25 June 2020

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) has today published an Addendum to the current edition of the Scheme for 2020-21.

The Addendum includes some changes to the Scheme, supported and approved by the Speaker’s Committee for IPSA, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, including changes to office costs and staffing budgets.

IPSA Interim Chair, Richard Lloyd, said:

“The coronavirus pandemic has caused huge disruption, and many thousands of people facing health or financial difficulties have turned to their Member of Parliament for help. In March, IPSA introduced new measures to help MPs’ offices continue to work, including an additional budget for their office costs.

“Now we are making available some additional funding for MPs to employ extra staff for a few months. The Speaker's Committee for IPSA has approved the additional budget to IPSA, in support of these changes. This will help MPs' staff in constituencies around the UK to deal with the huge increase in workload as distressed constituents ask for help as a direct result of the coronavirus crisis and the devastating impact this is having on their lives and livelihoods.

“IPSA is committed to supporting MPs and their staff to carry on with their work as far as possible during the Covid-19 pandemic, and in line with government guidance. Members of Parliament and their staff are playing a vital role as the country comes out of lockdown and IPSA wants to help them respond to constituents' problems.”

ENDS

For more details contact IPSA's Press Office: communications@theipsa.org.uk

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Notes to Editors:

  1. IPSA was created in 2009 by the Parliamentary Standards Act. The Act was amended in 2010 by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act. Together they gave IPSA three main responsibilities:

    • To regulate MPs’ business costs and expenses

    • To determine MPs’ pay and pension arrangements

    • To provide financial support to MPs in carrying out their parliamentary functions.

  2. IPSA is independent of Parliament and the Government. This allows us to take decisions about the rules on business costs and expenses and on MPs’ pay ourselves, without interference.

  3. The Scheme of MPs' Business Costs and Expenses ('the Scheme') governs what MPs can and cannot claim for. We review our rules regularly and consult the public when we do so.

  4. Every two months we publish around 25,000 claims for costs and expenses by MPs and their staff. Once a year we publish aggregate data for MPs’ spending and other aspects of their activity.