ANNEX
1: REVISED GREEN
BOOK
PART I
PRINCIPLES GOVERNING MEMBERS' ALLOWANCES
Members of Parliament are provided with financial
support in the form of allowances to enable them to work effectively
in Parliament and in their constituencies.
Parliamentary allowances are designed to ensure that
Members are reimbursed for costs properly incurred in the performance
of their duties. They provide support for:
- employing staff (Staffing Expenditure)
- provision of facilities, equipment
and supplies for themselves and their staff (Administrative and
Office Expenditure)
- overnight stays away from home
whilst on parliamentary duties (Personal Additional Accommodation
Expenditure)
- communicating with constituents
(Communications Expenditure)
- House stationery and postage
(Stationery and Postage)
- travel—between Westminster,
the constituency and main home (Travel Expenditure)
As a general principle, major changes impacting upon
any issue which might require Members to enter into any long-term
arrangements or materially affecting the guidance or rulings contained
in this document, should be designed to last for the lifetime
of a Parliament and not changed midterm.
GOVERNANCE OF THE ALLOWANCES
A series of resolutions approved by the House over
many years set out the purpose of each allowance and contain criteria
for judging the appropriateness of a claim. The Members Estimate
Committee, having been advised by the Advisory Panel on Members'
Allowances, has the power to modify the provisions of the resolutions
in the interests of clarity, consistency, accountability and effective
administration and conformity with current circumstances. However,
the Committee may not create a new charge or increase any rate
of charge or payment. The Advisory Panel on Members' Allowances
has the continuing duty of keeping the Green Book under review.
Members who are contemplating incurring an expense
which is large or unusual, or who are uncertain about any allowance,
should contact the Department beforehand for advice. Not all circumstances
are covered in the Green Book, and the Department may be able
to assist Members whose circumstances are unusual.
The Members Estimate Committee has confirmed the
Department's authority to administer the rules set out in the
Green Book. The Department is expected to bring to the attention
of individual Members instances where they may appear to be vulnerable
to criticism or accusations of impropriety. Where any claim appears
not to conform to these principles, or to more detailed rules
which apply to particular allowances, Department staff will contact
the Member to discuss the claim. If the issue is not resolved,
the Member may ask the Finance and Services Committee to rule.
If the Member wishes, he or she may ask the Members Estimate Committee
to make a final determination on the ruling made by the Finance
and Services Committee.
The Finance and Services Committee will agree Practice
Notes which will be used by the Department in administering the
rules. These may be on general matters, or on matters arising
from particular cases. Practice Notes will be published.
Serious cases of breaches of the rules, or of problems
in implementing them, may be referred by the Department to the
Members Estimate Committee.
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
In July 1995, the House agreed to adopt the Code
of Conduct for Members of Parliament [link] which includes
a number of general principles of personal conduct. These are
based on concepts of selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability,
openness, honesty and leadership. The broad principles set out
below are derived from the Code of Conduct and underpin the allowance
regime. When making claims against parliamentary allowances, Members
must adhere to these principles.
The principles are:
- Claims should be above reproach
and must reflect actual usage of the resources being claimed.
- Claims must only be made for
expenditure that it was necessary for a Member to incur to ensure
that he or she could properly perform his or her parliamentary
duties.
- Allowances are reimbursed only
for the purpose of a Member carrying out his or her parliamentary
duties. Claims cannot relate to party political activity of any
sort, nor must any claim provide a benefit to a party political
organisation.
- It is not permissible for a
Member to claim under any parliamentary allowance for anything
that the Member is claiming from any other source.
- Members must ensure that claims
do not give rise to, or give the appearance of giving rise to,
an improper personal financial benefit to themselves or anyone
else.
- Members are committed to openness
about what expenditure has been incurred and for what purposes.
- Individual Members take personal
responsibility for all expenses incurred, for making claims and
for keeping records, even if the administration of claims is delegated
by them to others.
- The requirement of ensuring
value for money is central in claiming for accommodation, goods
or services—Members should avoid purchases which could be
seen as extravagant or luxurious.
- Claims must be supported by
documentary evidence, except where the House has agreed that such
evidence is not necessary.
These principles recognise that, in the nature of
our democratic system, Members will wish to explain their views
about policies. However, public money must not be used to give
unfair political advantage to one political party, and for this
reason there are specific controls on particular allowances.
APPLYING THE PRINCIPLES
In the majority of cases, the application of these
principles will be straightforward. But the role of Members is
constantly evolving and different Members have different needs,
priorities and ways of performing their duties. Therefore there
will always be areas of uncertainty and the need to exercise individual
judgement.
The following questions are designed to assist Members
in coming to a decision about whether or not costs incurred are
appropriate to be met from the allowances:
- Is this expense genuinely incurred
by me in my role as a Member of Parliament as opposed to
my personal capacity?
- Is this purchase supporting
me in carrying out my parliamentary duties? Defining parliamentary
duties is difficult but Members may wish to consider (i) the generally
accepted parliamentary functions: the legislative role; the oversight
and accountability role; and the representative role, including
dealing with constituents' problems and (ii) obligations they
may have, for example as a small employer. Anything which is done
for personal benefit or for electioneering or for the direct support
of a political party will not be part of a Member's parliamentary
duties.
- Does the claim match the purpose
of the allowance in question as set out later in the Green Book?
- Could the claim in any way
damage the reputation of Parliament or its Members?
- How comfortable do I feel with
the knowledge that my claim will be available to the public under
Freedom of Information?
|
