3. Department of Finance and Administration's
"Guidance for MPs on Publications Funded from the Incidental
Expenses Allowance (IEP)"
This factsheet sets out the rules that must be followed
if you use the incidental expenses provision (IEP)[9]
to pay for:
- Preparing, printing and/or
distributing newsletters or annual reports
- Preparing, printing and/or delivering small calendars
and business cards
These rules also apply if your publications are
prepared by employees paid from the staffing allowance.
If you follow these rules you may use the House emblem
(the crowned portcullis).
If you wish to include material which is not allowable
under these rules then it is open to you to fund your publication
from another source. You may then use your incidental expenses
provision1 to pay for advertising space in this publication
in order to give contact details and details of your surgeries.
Note: This guidance does not apply to pre-election
periods. The Department of Finance and Administration will issue
separate guidance to cover these.
Publications which are not allowable
The allowances must not be used to fund the following:
- Birthday or greetings cards
or messages
- Videos or films
- Questionnaires and surveys (even if included
in other publications)
- Fridge magnets, pens, mouse mats, key fobs and
other advertising material.
Rules
1. The purpose of the publication must be to inform
constituents about your work as a Member and/or to provide contact
details. The allowances must not be used to fund party political
activity or campaigning.
2. Newsletters and publications must be sent, or
made available, to all constituents.
3. The following material is likely to be allowable,
subject to rule 4 below:
- information about you
- information about Parliament, debates etc
- details of surgeries and how to get in touch
- news about your work as a Member
- relevant factual information about Parliament
and local public services eg the local council
- basic contact details for your local and national
party
4. You must not use newsletters or other publications
- to conduct business activities
- to obtain inappropriate private benefit
- for fund raising
- for surveys
- to encourage people to join a particular political
party
- to promulgate or promote any other publication
unless it meets the rules in 1 to 4 above, or it is advertised
on behalf of a locally-based business. (See 6 below.)
- to campaign on behalf of or against any person
seeking election
5. You must not use official House stationery such
as pre-paid envelopes for newsletters or other circulars. (Instead
you may order paper and envelopes via the Department of the Serjeant
at Arms using their general order form. You may meet the costs
out of your incidental expenses provision.)
6. You may include advertising by locally-based businesses,
provided that the advertiser meets the cost of the advertisement.
The advertisement must not contain party political or campaigning
material, and it must conform with rule 4 above. It is your responsibility
to keep records of these receipts, to notify the Fees Office of
the income from advertising and to make an entry in the Register
of Members' Interests if needed.
7. You must include in your newsletter or calendar
a short notice explaining how it was paid for, and giving the
source of any advertising revenue e.g "This publication has
been funded from the Incidental Expenses Provision of(MPs' Name)"
(see above).
Procedures
If your publication meets the rules above, you may
meet the costs from your allowances without seeking approval from
officials in the Department of Finance and Administration. However,
officials will audit a number of publications each year. If you
are found to have contravened rules 1 to 6 above you will be asked
to repay any costs involved.
Tax liability
The Inland Revenue reserve the right to consider
the tax position in relation to the costs of Members' publications.
But we are advised that in general the Inland Revenue is unlikely
to levy a tax charge if your publication meets rules 1 to 3 above.
Revised version, January 2003
9 Or office costs allowance, for those Members who
had remained on the old system of allowances during 2002-03. Back
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