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UK Parliament

Explanatory notes 2012/13

Eligibility to claim

Members of the Lords, who are not paid a salary, may claim a daily allowance of £300 for each qualifying day of attendance at Westminster. Members may elect to claim a reduced allowance at a daily rate of £150, or may choose to make no claim for each sitting day they attend the House. They are also able to recover travel expenses incurred in connection with their Parliamentary duties.

Ministers and Office Holders are able to recover secretarial expenses incurred in respect of their Parliamentary duties. In addition, the Lord Speaker, Chairman of Committees, the Principal Deputy Chairman of Committees, Leader of the Opposition and Opposition Chief Whip can be reimbursed travelling expenses between their registered residential address and Westminster. The Lord Speaker, Chairman and Principal Deputy Chairman of Committees are also eligible for an allowance paid by the House with their salary for the costs of maintaining a second home in London for the purpose of attending the House. Ministers who are unpaid are entitled to reclaim their allowances and expenses as an unsalaried Member.

Attendance

Allowances and expenses payable to unsalaried Members are linked to attendance at:

  • sittings in the chamber of the House when formal business takes place;
  • sittings of the Grand Committee;
  • voting in a division;
  • meetings of committees and sub-committees of the House (providing the Member's attendance is recorded in the minutes);
  • meetings as a member of the Board of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST).

The ‘Number of Days Attended' (column 2a), relate only to attendance at sittings and meetings falling within the criteria listed above. The number of days for which allowances and expenses were claimed in respect of mandated Parliamentary business away from Westminster are listed in column 2b. These days should be taken into account when assessing Members' claims.

Costs incurred in respect of an attendance at any other meeting, whether held at Westminster or not, can only be recovered if related to mandated Parliamentary business. In most cases these costs are met directly by the House but where Members reclaimed their expenses they are included in the tables.

Period covered

All figures shown relate to allowances and expenses for one calendar month.

Ministerial  and Office Holder Secretarial Expenses are subject to an annual maximum based on the year from 1 August to 31 July.

Column 1: Location of registered address (county or equivalent)

This column shows the location of the Member's registered residential address, by county or equivalent. Entries in this column are voluntary.

Column 2a: Number of days attended

The ‘Number of Days Attended' reflects the official record of those days when a Member attended a sitting of the House at which public business took place, or at a select committee of the House. Days on which a Member worked on Parliamentary business without attending a public sitting of the House, or a committee, are not included in the total.

Column 2b: Number of days away from Westminster

The ‘Number of Days Away from Westminster' reflects those days individual Members participated in mandated Parliamentary business away from Westminster, which qualified for the reduced daily allowance of £150 for each day of the visit, and for which they made a claim.

Column 3: Daily allowance

Unsalaried Members who certify that they carried out appropriate Parliamentary work are entitled, for each qualifying day of attendance at Westminster, to claim a daily allowance of £300 or, on a day by day basis, may elect to claim a reduced allowance at a daily rate of £150.

Unsalaried Members' who certify that they carried out appropriate Parliamentary work, when undertaking qualifying mandated parliamentary business away from the House are entitled to claim the daily allowance at the reduced rate of £150.

Members who do not wish to claim the allowance for any particular day of attendance do not need to do so.

A Member who claims a daily allowance for a qualifying day of attendance at Westminster is not also entitled to claim the reduced daily allowance in respect of Parliamentary business away from Westminster on the same day.

Column 4a-c: Travel expenses

Members who live outside Greater London can recover travel expenses for certain journeys between a registered residential address and Westminster. Members can recover the cost of fares incurred by them for travel by rail, sea, air, bus, or (subject to the limits set out below) the costs of travel by private car, motorcycle or bicycle. Certain road tolls, parking and taxi fares can also be recovered.

The total travel costs listed in columns 4a to 4c have been further analysed by mode of transport in the adjacent columns. As ferry and coach costs are minimal, they have been combined with rail costs.

Motor mileage allowance

  • 45p per mile up to 10,000 miles in the year ending 31 March
  • 25p per mile for mileage in excess of 10,000 miles in the same year

Motorcycle allowance

  • 24p per mile

Bicycle allowance

  • 20p per mile

Column 4a – Attendance travel costs

Expenses incurred in travelling between a Member's registered residential address and Westminster for the purpose of attending sittings of the House.

Column 4b – UK travel on parliamentary business

In addition to the arrangements for travel to Westminster, the cost of journeys made on certain Parliamentary business elsewhere within the United Kingdom can also be recovered.

Column 4c – EU and devolved assembly travel

Members are able to recover the costs of a maximum of two return journeys (including certain subsistence and accommodation costs) per year, for travel on parliamentary business, between the United Kingdom and any:

  • National Parliament of a European Union member state or candidate country;
  • National Parliament of a Council of Europe member state;
  • European Union institution or agency;
  • National Parliament of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

Members are also able to recover the costs of a maximum of two return journeys (including certain subsistence and accommodation costs) per year between Westminster or their registered residential address and the Scottish Parliament or the Devolved Assemblies of Northern Ireland and Wales.

Column 5: Free postage costs

Prepaid envelopes and postcards are available for use by Members for correspondence on House of Lords business. The costs shown include the postage and envelope costs.

Column 6: Ministerial and office holder secretarial expenses

Ministers and other paid Office Holders are able to recover expenses for secretarial assistance certified as incurred by them in the performance of their Parliamentary duties. The maximum amount payable per year are:

  • 1 August 2011 – 31 July 2012 £6,226
  • 1 August 2012 – 31 July 2013 £6,425.

Column 7: IT equipment

Members are entitled to the loan of up to two PCs (one desktop and one laptop or two laptops) and a printer for use on Parliamentary business.

Column 8: PDA equipment

Members are entitled to the loan of a personal digital assistant device (PDA) for use on Parliamentary business. The monthly tariff and up to £10 per month of additional costs, for example additional voice and data costs, are borne by the House.