60. Letter to Ms Julie Kirkbride from
the Commissioner, 26 January 2010
Thank you for your letter of 21 January responding
to the letter which I sent you on 5 November in respect of this
complaint about the claims you made against the Additional Costs
Allowance for your constituency home.
I was grateful to receive this. In the light of this
helpful information, I would be most grateful if you could clarify
the following points:
1. I have noted the description of the help which
your brother gave you in terms of childcare. You refer to other
carers. It would be helpful to know the dates during which your
brother (as opposed to other carers) provided the overnight childcare
for your son.
2. Could you let me know where your brother has his
main residence?
3. Could you give me an estimate of the number of
nights a week which your brother spent overnight in your constituency
home?
4. Could you let me know whether there is any basis
to the suggestions in the press reports that your brother was
registered to vote at your Bromsgrove address and that he gave
it as his usual residential address to Companies House? If it
is true, could you explain why he was registered to vote there
and gave that address to Companies House, given the use that you
have told me he made of the property?
5. Could you let me know whether your brother spent
any time, including any overnight stays, in the Bromsgrove property
when you and your son were not there?
6. Could you help me on the arrangements which you
and your husband, Mr Andrew Mackay MP, had in staying overnight
with your son in your constituency property? You noted that your
brother covered childcare on Friday and Saturday. It would be
helpful to know whether you or your husband were there with your
son other nights of the week and, if so, who covered childcare.
I appreciate that these are personal questions, but I do need
to have responses to them if I am satisfactorily to resolve this
matter. You may also wish to discuss your response to this question
with your husband.
7. Could you let me know, as requested in my letter
of 5 November, whether you claimed from your ACA for the full
mortgage interest on your constituency home? If you did not, what
proportion of that interest was represented by your claims?
It would be helpful if you could let me have a response
to this letter within the next two weeks. Subject to that response,
I would propose to consult the Department of Resources, including
asking them for further details about the discussions you report
with a member of the then Department of Finance and Administration.
I would then show you their response for any comments you may
wish to make. It may be that then we should meet for an interview
before I resolve this matter.
26 January 2010
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