4. TRAVEL EXPENDITURE
PURPOSE OF THE ALLOWANCE
Members can claim for reasonable travel and associated
costs provided that journeys are undertaken for the purpose of
performing their parliamentary duties. For the purposes of this
allowance, travel with All-Party Groups does not constitute parliamentary
duties.
In addition, staff, spouses and civil partners, and
children up to the age of 18 are entitled to certain travel allowances.
The House will meet the cost of:
- Fares for journeys by public
transport
- Mileage for cars, motorbikes
and bicycles
- Reasonable parking
- Taxis and private hire car
cost (for which a standard mileage rate applies)
- Reasonable cost of overnight
accommodation where a journey has had to be broken due to unforeseen
circumstances beyond the control of the person undertaking the
journey.
ELIGIBILITY
All Members are eligible for this allowance when
their claim complies with the principles set out in Part I. Different
rules apply to un-itemised mileage within constituencies depending
on constituency size.
HOUSE OF COMMONS TRAVEL CARD
A Visa Travel Card is available to all Members to
pay for all allowable train, air, coach, ferry and parking costs
for yourself, for your family and your staff. The card should
not be used for any other purpose.
Members can also apply for a card for use by spouses
and civil partners. Members remain responsible for its use and
expenditure is limited to the costs listed above.
Misuse of the card will lead to a recovery being
made from a Member's salary and/or withdrawal of the card.
EXAMPLES OF APPROPRIATE EXPENDITURE
ROUTINE TRAVEL
Routine travel is travel by the recognised direct
route between Westminster, your constituency and your main home
as well as travel within your constituency.
EXTENDED TRAVEL
Extended travel allows Members to travel within the
UK on journeys outside their routine travel pattern. The journeys
must:
- Relate to a matter currently
before the House
- Relate to a matter currently
before a select committee on which you serve
- Relate to a constituent or
general constituency matter; or
- Be to a devolved legislature.
EUROPEAN TRAVEL
Members may claim up to three return visits a year
to the national parliament of Council of Europe member states.
EU institutions and agencies may also be visited.
For each visit, Members may claim travel, up to the
cost of a business class airfare to the relevant destination;
and a maximum of two nights subsistence at the Civil Service Class
A rate.
FAMILY TRAVEL
Spouses and civil partners are entitled to up to
30 single journeys each year between London and the constituency
or the Member's main home.
Dependent children (including stepchildren, foster
children etc) who are under 18—or over 18 and still in full
time secondary education until the end of the academic year in
which their 18th birthday falls—are each entitled up to
30 single journeys each year between London and the constituency
or Member's main home.
By arrangement with the Department, children over
the age of 18 who have a disability are also entitled to 30 single
journeys a year.
STAFF TRAVEL
Staff may share up to 24 single journeys each year.
These journeys must be between London and the constituency and
be made in connection with the Member's parliamentary duties.
Additional journeys may be claimed from AOE or Staffing Expenditure.
PARKING
Reasonable parking charges may be claimed but Members
cannot claim for parking fines.
ISSUES NEEDING PARTICULAR ATTENTION
MILEAGE RATE
Journeys undertaken by car, motorbike or bicycle
are reimbursed at a standard mileage rate which reflects the current
HMRC approved rates. The mileage rate is paid on the basis that
the person claiming owns and maintains the vehicle. When this
is not the case, a reduced mileage rate may be payable. You should
contact the Department where this applies.
The mileage rate covers the costs of running a vehicle
such as insurance, repairs, maintenance and depreciation. You
are therefore not entitled to claim any additional cost in respect
of the vehicle.
CONSTITUENCY TRAVEL
You must provide a full breakdown as follows:
- If your constituency is under
25 sq miles, for mileage above 200 miles
- If your constituency is over
25 sq miles but under 200 sq miles, for mileage above 350 miles
- If your constituency is over
200 sq miles, for mileage above 600 miles
Constituency travel includes:
- Travel within the constituency
boundary
- Travel outside the constituency
but within 20 miles of the constituency boundary
- Travel between the constituency
and local or regional offices of Government departments and offices
of local authorities[3].
CONGESTION CHARGES
Congestion charges cannot be claimed from travel
expenditure.
TAXIS AND
HIRE CARS
Travel expenditure will only reimburse you at the
standard mileage rate for allowable journeys undertaken in taxis
and private hire cars. However, you may use AOE to reclaim the
full cost.
VALUE FOR
MONEY
There is no restriction on the class of travel for
Members. However, you are encouraged to purchase tickets through
the Parliamentary Travel Office so that the House can benefit
from route deals. You are also encouraged to purchase the best
value tickets, for example by advance purchase. Members are able
to claim the cost of an advance purchase ticket which they buy
but cannot in the event use.
Season tickets may be purchased for allowable journeys
if Members are satisfied that value for money is being achieved.
EXTENDED TRAVEL
AND EUROPEAN
TRAVEL
You must notify the Department at least three days
before the journey, giving the purpose, location, duration and
persons or organisation to be visited. The Department's authorisation
for the journey is necessary.
SELECT COMMITTEE
AND DELEGATION
TRAVEL
Committee and delegation visits are not funded through
the Travel Expenditure. You should contact the Committee Clerk
or the Overseas Office for advice on how to claim for costs incurred
for these visits. Your House of Commons Travel Card must not be
used to pay for these journeys.
DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED
A signed travel card acknowledgement: this confirms
that you have received the card; and have acknowledged that the
conditions of use have been explained to you, and that its use
is restricted to paying for journeys specified in the Green Book.
A signed Car Assessment Form: this confirms that
you are content with the routine journeys produced by the Department.
HOW TRAVEL EXPENDITURE WORKS IN PRACTICE
When using your own vehicle, you will be reimbursed
for mileage at standard rates. A reduced rate applies when this
is not the case.
Mileage for each journey is calculated using a digitised
mapping system.
When you are first elected, or when there is a change
of location of your main home, the Department will register a
set of routine journeys, each of which will have an agreed distance
and journey code. Mileage can then be claimed using a T1 form,
quoting the relevant code and frequency of that journey during
the claim period.
The same form should also be used to claim family
or staff mileage, tolls and parking charges and constituency mileage.
When travelling by public transport, you should use
your House of Commons Travel Card to pay for your tickets. Alternatively,
you can buy the ticket from your own funds and claim back the
cost using form T2.
All transactions on your House of Commons Travelcard
will be shown on a monthly statement. It is your responsibility
to complete relevant information on the statement (for example,
date and destination, who travelled etc) and return it to the
Department within the time allowed. Further information is contained
in the Travelcard folder.
3 Members may also use the extended travel provision
for travel to offices outside their constituency. Back
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