Lords Committee proposes new rules on principal residence
11 March 2010 (updated on 22 April 2010)
The House of Lords House Committee has today published a report accepting the main recommendations on principal residence of the Review Body on Senior Salaries' (SSRB’s) independent review of financial support available to Members of the House of Lords.
The report states that under the new arrangements to be implemented for the new Parliament, Members seeking to claim financial support for overnight accommodation within London sign a declaration stating the location of their principal residence outside Greater London including a statement of where they spend most time when the House is not sitting.
Other recommendations in the report include:
- Members seeking to claim for overnight accommodation will have to supply the Lords’ finance department with copies of documentation from an approved list verifying that their principal residence is outside London.
- All principal residence declarations will be made public on the Parliamentary website.
- There will be a system of regular audit checks of the declarations of principal residence, including externally by the Nation Audit Office.
- From 1 April 2010 the House will move to a quarterly publication for expenses claimed during or after April 2010.
Next steps
The report will be debated by the House of Lords shortly.
The House Committee will publish a further report, early in the new Parliament, with further proposals for the new system of financial support.
Further information