5. Letter to Mr Michael Barnbrook
from the Commissioner, 7 July 2009
Thank you for your letter of 2 July with your complaint
against Ms Nadine Dorries MP about the identification of her main
home for the purpose of her claims against the Additional Costs
Allowance for her designated second home.
In essence, your complaint is that Ms Dorries wrongly
identified her main home as her designated second home for the
purposes of her claims against the Additional Costs Allowance.
I note your quotation from my Memorandum in the Standards
and Privileges Committee's 14th Report of Session 2007-08.[218]
The full paragraph is as follows:
"I do not believe that, given the particular
circumstances of these two Members, the identification of their
main home is a simple matter of fact. It is possible to imagine
circumstances when that part of the rule clearly applies. If a
Member has his or her family living permanently in their constituency
home and has modest accommodation in London big enough only for
themselves, and which they use only when Parliament is in session,
then it would clearly seem to be a matter of fact that that Member's
main home is in the constituency."
As the paragraph makes clear, that statement is of
course based on the particular circumstances of the Members whom
I had investigated.
I enclose a note which sets out the procedure I follow.
You will know that this letter is subject to parliamentary privilege
and should not be disclosed to others.
Having accepted your complaint, I have written to
Ms Dorries, inviting her comments. When I receive her response,
I shall consider how best to proceed.
7 July 2009
218 Ibid. Back
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