IPSA publishes Annual Survey of MPs and Staff, and Sub-Letting Assurance Report

IPSA has published its annual survey of MPs and their staff from 2018. Every year, IPSA asks MPs and staff to answer questions about the services that IPSA provides. Last year’s survey was completed by 291 MPs or MPs’ staff members.

Read the results of the survey, and the previous surveys starting in 2012.

IPSA regularly looks at various aspects of its work. A new report published today sets out the findings of IPSA’s review into the arrangements that some MPs have in place to sublet their IPSA-funded offices to third parties.

IPSA’s Scheme of MPs’ Business Costs and Expenses states that, where an MP allows any other person to use their constituency office, they must charge a fee which reflects an appropriate proportion of the rent and other costs incurred, and that this fee must be paid to IPSA.

Read this previous assurance reports.

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.