Irritation grows as expenses watchdog prepares to start work
By politics.co.uk staff
Resentment against the new parliamentary expenses watchdog is growing just as it prepares to start paying out salaries for the first time.
MPs are concerned they will have to pay staff pensions out of their own pocket or lay people off due to the new rules coming into force for the first time.
Each MP is now responsible for paying the pension’s contributions of their employees from an annual staffing budget of £110,000. But there are concerns the money is not enough to cover costs, and that some MPs could be forced to pay the money from their own pocket.
The newly set-up Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) said there was no evidence MPs would be reduced to making staff redundant, but that it would listen to concerns.
Labour MP Jim Sheridan told the Today programme that there was growing resentment towards the new system.
“MPs who have already used their staffing allowance to pay their staff will now either be out of pocket or have to sack or reduce the hours of work of their staff,” he said.
“People are not getting sufficient notice to try and accommodate these costs and therefore make the necessary changes.
The trade union Unite has written to Ipsa expressing its concerns.
Ipsa will pay salaries for the first time this month and start paying expenses in June.
