42. LETTER
TO
THE
COMMISSIONER
FROM
RT
HON
JACQUI
SMITH
MP, 23 APRIL
2009
Thank you for your letter of 3 April 2009, in which
you ask me to respond to a number of points arising from a complaint
from Mr Robert Waterhouse.
As I know you are aware from media reports, I have
made clear publicly on several occasions that as soon as I became
aware of the inclusion of film items in the expenses claim in
question I recognised that this claim that should never have been
submitted. I apologised immediately and took immediate steps to
repay all monies relating to the television package at my Redditch
home. I attach a letter from [the Director of Operations] in the
House of Commons Department of Resources which acknowledges this
repayment.
In relation to the specific points you raise, I am
pleased to provide the information you require:
- the circumstances in which
you came to include the film items in the claim which has been
publicized in the media;
As part of a claim for the period 1 April 2008-1
May 2008, on 4 May 2008 I submitted a claim for a Virgin Media
package which comprised telephone line rental, broadband connection
and television services.
The Virgin Media bill I submitted as part of that
claim also set out (i) advance charges for the period 20 May-19
June and (ii) event charges for films watched 'on demand'. These
event charges should never have been claimed for, and were inadvertently
and mistakenly included in the claim I submitted for 1 May 2008-1
June 2008, dated 4 June 2008.
- whether there are similar
claims which you have made for paid-for films against the allowance;
I submitted claims for the Virgin Media package in
March, April, June, July, September, October, November and December
2008.
- the actions you have taken
to rectify the position.
Clearly, event charges for films watched 'on demand'
should not have been included in any claim made by me. As soon
as I realised this error I took steps to pay back all monies relating
to all television services provided by Virgin Media at my Redditch
home.
I deeply regret this mistake, and take full responsibility
for it. I apologised for the mistake as soon as I became aware
of it, and I took immediate steps to repay all monies relating
to the television package at my Redditch home.
I sought and received confirmation from the Department
of Resources that the total amount I claimed for the months listed
above for a media package including television and broadband was
£553.20. Excluding broadband services, that total was £393.20.
On 28 March 2009, I wrote a cheque for £400
for the Department of Resources to cover the costs of claims for
the television package in its entirety. [The Director of Operations']
letter of 8 April, attached, confirms receipt of this cheque to
reimburse the House for amounts paid towards a Virgin Media package,
minus the cost of the basic broadband package available from Virgin,
for my constituency home
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to respond
to Mr Waterhouse's complaint. Please do not hesitate to contact
me again if you require further clarification in relation to this
matter.
23 April 2009
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