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By Gabriel Milland, Political Correspondent
Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "With all-night sittings, there was an argument for MPs having a taxpayer-funded London flat, but these days those within commuting distance should go home."
The first 'citizens' juries' on the future of the NHS cost taxpayers nearly £900,000 – prompting claims they simply reward Labour cronies.
The first of the Prime Minister's much-vaunted 'new type of politics' sessions were each priced at £96,547.
Nine of the public consultation meetings – described by critics as expensive 'talking shops' – were held across Britain last month.
The total sum of £868,930 was paid to organiser Opinion Leader Research – Mr Brown's favourite private pollsters, run by former Labour researcher Debbie Mattinson.
Matthew Elliott, head of the Taxpayers' Alliance campaign group, said: 'This cash is going to Gordon Brown's favourite personal pollster – is it simply paying them back for all the work they've done in the past?'
Shadow Health Minister Stephen O'Brien said the focus groups were a waste of taxpayers'money. 'If Labour was serious about listening, they would hear patients when they say they want to keep their local A&E and maternity services,' he said.
The consultations allowed more than 1,000 people to voice their concerns ahead of health minister Lord Darzi's review of the NHS.
The Department of Health said the costs included 'project management, venue hire, design and production, recruitment, analysis and reporting'.
A spokesman insisted consultations were 'fundamental to understanding what people want from their NHS'.
FAMILY doctors will today admit that out-of-hours care has dramatically deteriorated since they were allowed to opt out of working at evenings and weekends.
Nearly two-thirds of GPs think standards have slipped since Primary Care Trusts took over the service in 2004, a survey reveals.
Only just over half of those who become ill outside office hours now see a doctor. The rest are visited by nurses or are given advice over the phone.
One family doctor interviewed by the GPs' magazine Pulse said that sending nurses to patients was 'inappropriate' and amounted to 'conning the public'.
One in five patients questioned in a separate poll said they received 'poor' or 'very poor' out-of-hours care.
Richard Hoey, deputy editor of Pulse, said: 'The Government keeps insisting out- of-hours care is improving, but that's not the message we're getting from doctors or patients.
'The fact is that ministers hugely underestimated the size of the task in running outofhours services, so when trusts took over responsibility many lacked the funding or expertise to do so adequately.
'But doctors are not going to go back to the old days - when they ran services with little recognition or reward.'
Last night campaigners said it was ironic that GPs should be deriding out-of-hours care when it is they who should really be providing it.
Matthew Elliott, of the Taxpayers' Alliance pressure group, said: 'It's a bit rich for GPs to now say that out-of-hours services are so poor when it was them who pulled out of providing it. People who pay their taxes and have seen their National Insurance contributions-rise to pay for the NHS will be disappointed to see that the money is being spent so badly.'
The survey comes after more than 90 per cent of family doctors opted out of responsibility for their patients outside working hours as part of a lucrative new contract.
This has seen their average pay soar by almost 60 per cent in three years. Ministers were surprised by the number of doctors who decided they would take a £6,000 pay cut in order to give up out-of-hours care.
Trusts have employed a mixture of in-house teams and private firms to plug the gaps but complaints have soared.
An investigation also revealed that the amount spent by trusts on out- of-hours- care varies widely across England and Wales.
While Birmingham East and North trust spends just £2.43 per patient per year, Pembrokeshire spends £17.62.
It has also emerged that rising numbers of patients are ringing 999 or turning up at overstretched A&E departments.
In the Pulse poll, almost half of the 880 GPs surveyed admitted patients had complained about out-of-hours care in the past year.
Some said trusts were increasingly using nurses rather than doctors and too many were relying on 'telephone triage' rather than face-to-face consultations.
Health Minister Ben Bradshaw yesterday defended the policy of letting GPs stop providing out-of-hours care, saying: 'Primary care trusts have a legal responsibility to make sure patients are well cared-for during the out-of-hours period'.
NURSES will be trained in how to feed patients properly after ministers admitted the elderly were effectively being starved to death on hospital wards.
Health minister Ivan Lewis admitted that too many nurses had moved away from their core role of caring for the sick.
'The vast majority of nurses do their best in very difficult circumstances but there are some examples of sheer neglect and malpractice that should be subject to disciplinary action,' he said.
Mr Lewis has unveiled an action plan, coming into effect next year, which is designed to tackle poor nutrition in NHS hospitals. It includes regular weigh-ins for elderly patients.
But none of the measures in the plan will be compulsory, which patients' groups say is not acceptable.
Jargon-busters are being paid thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money - so council officials can communicate in plain English.
Language boffins have been hired by County Hall at a cost of £1,000 a year to edit documents so the public can understand them.
Staff will even be sent on courses to teach them how to cut out jargon.
Bosses at Lancashire County Council said the move will save money in the long run.
But today outraged politicians branded it "bonkers" and a "total waste of money".
Nigel Evans, MP for Ribble Valley, said: "It's a total waste of money, total rubbish. They should be able to put things into plain English in the first place and if they can't they should not be in the job."
County Hall has shelled out the cash to be members of the Plain English Campaign.
County Coun David Whipp, leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the council, said: "I don't think this is public money well spent, this should be the bread and butter of local council activity."
Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the Taxpayers Alliance, said: "If council officials can't speak to members of the public in plain English they should not be in their jobs."
The council has been working with organisations that promote the use of plain English for more than five years, according to council leader Hazel Harding, but it has only recently signed up with the Plain English Campaign.
Coun Harding said "It is important to us that we clearly communicate everything we do."
by ROBERT WATTS and BEN LEAPMAN
THE MPs who provide the best - and worst - value for taxpayers' money are revealed today.
The Sunday Telegraph's league table exposes the politicians who do the least work while submitting the biggest expenses claims, as well as those who work the hardest for the lowest cost.
The best-value MP is shown to be Philip Hollobone, a backbench Conservative who has no staff at Westminster and handles all his own casework. He had the lowest expenses claim of any MP last year while maintaining an attendance record that is well above average.
At the other end of the table are two Left-wing rebels, Clare Short and George Galloway, who seldom take part in votes or speak in debates, yet who each claimed more than pounds 100,000 in expenses last year.
At his constituency surgery yesterday, Mr Hollobone said it was "nice to know'' he had been judged the best-value MP. "I attach a lot of importance to attending the chamber, making contributions to debates, and voting,'' he said. "I feel that if I am not there to vote on behalf of my constituents, nobody else can.''
Miss Short said: "My secretary and I are extremely good value. Your figures do not take account of the enormous amount of casework we do in the constituency. I don't attend the Commons more often because it has become a farce with MPs only ever voting with their party.'' Mr Galloway did not return our call.
MPs faced criticism last week when new figures showed that they shared a total of pounds 87 million in expenses last year, an increase of five per cent on the previous year.
Matthew Elliot, chief executive of the pressure group the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: "This league table blows apart the claim by MPs that they need more resources and more expenses so that they can
perform better for their constituents. People should look at tables like this when they decide how to vote.''
Our analysis is based on a House of Commons breakdown of how much was claimed by more than 640 MPs. We also take into account how hard each one works, as measured by their voting attendance; how often they speak in debates, and the number of written questions they put to ministers.
We exclude Cabinet ministers and opposition leaders, whose many official duties often take them away from Westminster. Also excluded are the Speaker, his deputies, and MPs who recently won their seats in by-elections.
Charles Kennedy, the former Liberal Democrat leader, is included as he was not a party leader in the period measured. His seat is in Scotland, where MPs say they are disadvantaged by the higher cost of travelling to far-flung constituencies, but the four worst performers in our table all sit for English seats within 120 miles of Westminster.
MPs are entitled to claim back money spent on travel, staff wages, postage, office equipment and the cost of running a second home. The money is paid on top of their basic salary of pounds 60,277 for backbenchers, more for ministers and government whips.
Some claim that money spent on staff and postage enables them to work harder for their constituents.
The Parliamentary authorities have launched a legal attempt to stop The Sunday Telegraph using the Freedom of Information Act to obtain details of how much MPs claim for mortgage interest, hotel bills, furniture and groceries.
MPs for Dorset and the New Forest claimed more than £1million worth of expenses last year, latest figures reveal.
The eight local politicians were responsible for £1,009,561 of the total expenses bill of £87.6million.
Chris Chope, MP for Christchurch, claimed the most at £138,436, marginally higher than South Dorset MP Jim Knight at £137,970.
At the bottom end of the scale is Desmond Swayne, MP for New Forest West, who claimed £91,737.
Other MPs' claims were all very similar. Bournemouth East MP Tobias Ellwood claimed £124,884 while his Conservative colleague in Bournemouth West Sir John Butterfill claimed £129,379.
Poole MP Robert Syms' claim was £129,034 while Annette Brooke, who represents Mid Dorset and North Poole, claimed £125,392. Bob Walter, MP for North Dorset, claimed £132,729.
The payments are in addition to an MP's basic salary of £59,686 and pension, and have been slammed by the TaxPayers' Alliance.
Even Mr Swayne said he was against a number of the expenses MPs could claim, including the new £10,000-a-year for communication, and added: "To be perfectly honest with you, I think we're paying too much and it's not all necessary.
"I think we could have a more effective parliament at a lower cost."
But Mr Chope said he represented good value for money and added: "If you are a reasonably active MP then you will incur expenses."
And Nick Harvey MP, who is on the members' estimate committee, agreed: "As well as playing a vital role in the House of Commons in debates, law making and scrutiny, MPs have to undertake frequent journeys between the constituency and Westminster and elsewhere.
"They also have to ensure that offices are fully staffed and properly equipped and provide the level of support and communication increasingly expected and demanded by constituents," he added.
Our MPs claimed Pounds 88m on expenses last year. The 646 members of the Commons claimed Pounds 136,000 on average to cover staff salaries, travel allowances, second home allowances and office costs.
The figure was hailed by Liberal Democrat Nick Harvey, a spokesman for the members estimate committee, as "excellent value for money". But Matthew Elliott of the Taxpayers' Alliance pressure group said: "No wonder voters have little respect for politicians when they see so many MPs with their snouts in the trough."
Shahid Malik, Labour MP for Dewsbury, headed the list by claiming Pounds 185,421, while Philip Hollobone, Tory MP for Kettering, managed to get by on just Pounds 44,551.
They should make the most of it while they can: a study showed last week that MPs who lose their seats often struggle to find work in the real world. One former member told researchers from Leeds University: "It's a hard, cold, unforgiving world outside Westminster."
By JESSICA BOULTON
EXCLUSIVE 8 kids, free home £21k benefits and no council tax, 5 TVs, two PS2s, Sky, a new £1000 kitchen, trampoline, swings & 5 mountain bikes ..Yet grasping mum demands even more
SCROUNGER Alison Goulding rakes in thousands of pounds a year of your hard-earned cash - but she still wants MORE.
And she's even praying for one of her EIGHT children to be diagnosed with a serious medical condition so she can carry on freeloading.
Alison - who is five months pregnant - reckons she's been left struggling on the breadline by uncaring benefits chiefs.
Yet her family pocket more than £20,000 a year in handouts, even though none of them has done a day's work this century. They pay NOTHING for their three-bed house, which boasts a new ultra-modern kitchen.
The home is littered with state-of-the-art goodies including FIVE tellies - including a £1,000 widescreen - a hi-fi, Sky TV, two Play-Station 2s and four DVD players.
And their huge garden boasts a full-size trampoline, two sets of swings and FIVE mountain bikes.
But Alison, 38, insists she hasn't got enough to get by.
The giro jockey said: "We're not scum - we've been ignored by the council.
"We're forced to live on top of each other and it's not fair.
"This is worse than how some people in developing countries have to live."
She added: "People say we're abusing taxpayers - but how are we?" Alison shares the house with lover Ian Hurditch, 40, their son Keaton, one, and her six kids from two failed marriages - Sam, 19, Daniel, 16, Sophie, 13, Ashley, nine, Alex, seven, and four-year-old son Brandon.
She also has a 17-year-old daughter Laura, who has moved out to live with her boyfriend.
Alison is hoping doctors will rule Brandon has debilitating ADHD- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - to force town hall chiefs to meet her demands for a bigger home.
She said: "We are all crammed into three bedrooms but we have a massive garden.
"I asked for an extension, just another two bedrooms, but the council won't do one unless you have a disability.
"So we're waiting for tests to see if Brandon has ADHD.
"It may sound horrible but we hope he has because it could help us get more housing points - or maybe the extension."
Shameless Alison revealed she is jubilant she is pregnant again - despite complaining about the overcrowding at home.
And she insisted it was her "duty" to have child No 9.
She said: "I love giving birth - it's always so quick for me.
"People say I should stop breeding but it's not their business.
"Most of the children are from my two marriages - only Keaton is Ian's.
"I felt it was my duty to give him another one."
But taxpayers are having to foot the bill for the ever-growing family. Alison's clan pocket £20,280 a year in benefits.
They pay NOcouncil tax - an annual saving of £1,052.07p.
And they get a FREE house, worth £3,016 a year in rent.
But their cash demands don't stop there.
Ian - who quit work in 2000 because of back trouble - is trying for incapacity benefit, worth an extra £3,772 a year. He has already been turned down once.
And Samuel is making a bid for a £2,366-a-year handout he can get if a doctor diagnoses him as "socially backward".
On top of that, the family get £10 gift vouchers from Boots for each of the kids at Christmas.
But Alison said: "It's rubbish - you can't get anything decent for that from Boots." The People met Alison at her home in Beeston, Nottingham, as the family prepared for a half-term break to Skegness.
Brandon, four, was transfixed by the violent PlayStation game True Crime: Streets Of New York - even though it has an adults-only rating.
Beside him, toddler Keaton spat out his dummy and said: "B*****ks". And Ian carried in a heavy box containing a pram he'd just bought - and slammed benefits chiefs for refusing to agree he was disabled.
He said: "We've been victimised by the council. I can't help it, my back means I can't work."
Moments later he complained planners had forced him to rip down an illegal porch - which he'd built HIMSELF. Asked how he could do construction work with his back, he said: "Some days I'm fine, other days I wake up in agony. People don't understand."
And Alison defended claiming so many handouts by saying: "Even if we could work, we'd be worse off because you have to pay for childcare and rent.
"We just try to make sure we get enough benefits to get by."
Alison also blasted her local Broxtowe Borough Council.
She said: "My sister has nine kids and the council gave her two houses knocked into one.
"Then shemoved to Cornwall and the new council bought a private house for them.
"I don't know why they can't do that here."
Alison also hinted she was losing out to immigrants.
She said: "There were these lovely four-bed houses round the corner but an Asian family got one.
"I'm not racist but I think we should look after our ownfirst."
Ian added: "We're definitely not racist - I've got a distant cousin who's black."
The couple are now considering taking the council to the European Court of Human Rights.
Alison said: "We only want what's fair."
And patting her bump, she added: "God knows where I'm going to put this latest one."
Alison then announced the family were going to have one of their twice-weekly takeaways.
She added: "People say we're scroungers - but they know nothing about our life." The Taxpayers' Alliance last night condemned the family.
Boss Matthew Elliot said: "Taxpayers are sick and tired of doling out fistfuls of cash to people who can't be bothered to get off their backsides.
"The more we give some people the more they seem to want.
"People who can't afford to have children should take more precautions."
Broxtowe Council said they had assessed the family's needs andwould consider them when a suitable house came up.
But a spokeswoman said: "If a suitable property comes up we will give them the opportunity to be considered. It depends on whether there's another family with greater needs."
BY ADAM ASPINALL
EXCLUSIVE 50 different languages spoken in Midlands
WEST Midlands Police has spent a staggering £10 MILLION on translators for foreign criminals since the year 2000.
Shocking figures released to the Sunday Mercury reveal the police have been forced to spend thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money on interpreters for languages as obscure as Kikuyu, Lingala and Twi.
By far the biggest expenditure was on languages such as Kurdish (£746,598), Arabic (£427,176) and those from the Indian subcontinent (£2,8 8 5,8 04).
But even though the hard-pressed cops were forced to deal with languages like Krio, Amharic and Dari, they also spent £2,332,982 on languages they could not even identify.
The cash spent on translation could have paid for more than 300 new bobbies on the beat or 400 nurses on the region's wards.
Last night Khalid Mahmood, Labour MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, slammed the costs as a complete waste of money.
"If immigrants had a better standard of English before they entered the country in the first place, we would not have these costs," he said.
"The cost of interpreters is very high to the taxpayer. It is extremely important that the Government places a greater emphasis on language proficiency when people are applying for visas.
"What is more important is the cost of keeping these people in the country, once they are found guilty.
"Foreign criminals should be deported immediately to their country of origin rather than have the British taxpayer foot the bill of having them stay in our prisons.
"There are currently more than 4,000 of them filling our prisons and they are becoming a terrible burden on our economy."
Fiona McEvoy, campaign agent for the West Midlands TaxPayers' Alliance also criticised the cost.
"Spending huge amounts of public money on translators for a multitude of different languages is typical of a modern police force that lays too much emphasis on pushing diversity agendas to the detriment of much-needed frontline policing," she said.
"This is yet another cost of immigration that is rarely spoken of."
According to Government figures, the cost of translating and interpreting for UK residents who do not speak English is increasing on a yearly basis and is conservatively estimated to cost at least £100 million a year.
Police spend up to £21 million on translation services across the country, while local councils spend up to £25 million.
Meanwhile, the courts system spends more than £10 million - not counting the cost of legal aid - and NHS translators are estimated to cost at least £55 million per year.
According to a former Midland policeman, the need for 24-hour interpreters is having a morale-sapping effect on the force.
Speaking to the Sunday Mercury before his emigration to Canada this month, Stuart Davidson said he believed foreign criminals see British police as a "soft touch".
"There is no doubt that migrants have caused a lot more problems for frontline police officers over the last few years," he said.
"One of our biggest problems was finding translators, not to mention how much they cost. Where do you find a Kurdish-Surani speaker on a Sunday afternoon?
"You're left with situations where you have half your officers back at the station, waiting for the translator to turn up."
Sutton Coldfield MP Andrew Mitchell believes the Government must help the West Midlands force by providing increased resources.
"The use of interpreters is clearly important for the police and also to ensure that any suspect is able to exercise their rights," he said. "But the cost looks very high.
"While the police must use the interpreter service in a cost-effective way, they must also receive extra compensation from the Home Office for an expense which falls disproportionately on the West Midlands force."
Last week Hazel Blears, the Communities Secretary, bowed to mounting public pressure and announced that local councils and other public organisations, including the health service, are to be urged to reduce translation services.
They will instead focus on promoting English.
The move is part of a package of measures intended to encourage integration of new immigrants. Other measures include the issuing of information packs and Citizen Days, where immigrants will learn about local customs and life in Britain.
The packs will also include advice on social norms such as queuing and tolerance towards other faiths and communities.
Last night a spokesman for West Midlands police said: "Costs of interpreting services reflect the increasing diversity of the communities we serve.
" It is important to stress that this is not just about criminal matters but an active engagement with both new and established communities about any issues which may affect their quality of life.
"This is part of our continued efforts to provide the highest quality service to all our communities."
In case you're wondering, Kikuyu is spoken in Kenya, Lingala in Congo and Twi in Ghana. Krio is heard in Sierra Leone, Amharic in Ethiopia and Dari in Afghanistan.
Jasper Gerard
One can only speculate if the cheeks of Shaun Woodward turn a little pink when his butler pads into the baronial breakfast room with his post, which might include his parliamentary expenses - almost pounds 134,000 a year, including pounds 22,000 for a second home. Make that 'second' home.
For while the minister and his Sainsbury's heiress wife have sadly relinquished the Oxfordshire bolthole they sold for pounds 24m and the Westminster digs they passed to that other fastidious house collector, Sting, they are not quite homeless. Woodward enjoys properties in France, the West Indies and that Blackpool of America's eastern seaboard, the Hamptons. He also requires pads at the South Bank and, though he perhaps doesn't spend as much time there as he would like, in his constituency of St Helens. Another white stucco affair late of Shaun and Camilla's portfolio even proved sufficiently capacious to satisfy Peter Mandelson after that misunderstanding over the mortgage.
Not that Shaun is breaking any rules. He is entitled to claim for a second home near Westminster. Yet honourable members evoke the old line about journalists who save their talent for writing and their genius for expenses.
And it's become endemic, shown by the resignation of John Bourn, chief government waste-buster, who ran up pounds 365,000 travelling in three years. This is Marcosian, as in the Philippines. A Labour peer, legally, receives money to introduce an arms lobbyist to a defence minister. I'm even told privately of an MP in receipt of social security.
MPs justify generous perks by arguing they could earn more in the private sector. Except this cosy thesis is cruelly debunked by a comprehensive study suggesting only 4 per cent could make pounds 100,000 a year post-Westminster.
Sure, MPs need expenses. I know some who work damned hard. Working-class MPs were once so poor they could only eat at Lyons Corner Houses. Against the billions wasted on ID cards, the amounts are footling, so does this matter? Well, yes, because it makes politicians cavalier about serious public lolly. Like the pounds 12bn ministers frittered on an NHS computer that broke down 110 times in four months - after they were warned it would be a costly failure.
The TaxPayers' Alliance claims the public sector wastes pounds 81bn a year. We might dispute this. One person's waste is Gordon Brown's investment. Why is it wasteful, for instance, treating asthma? Even seeming extravagances can be justified. There was probably a good reason the Arts Council spent pounds 77,000 sending artists to the North Pole to build a snowman. Ditto the 58 'media and marketing personnel' allegedly employed by Ken Livingstone. And the pounds 120,000 Experience Nottinghamshire spent redesigning its logo with a big 'N'. But suspicion grows that those apt to spend fortunes would be less adept earning fortunes.
There is a case to give those on lower incomes tax cuts. But assuming Labour won't allow people - even the poor - to retain more of their own money, couldn't state bounty be better spent on the truly needy? For instance, I wouldn't mind long-term unemployed keeping benefits for a period after they returned to work. Some spending may save money in the long term.
But ministers just don't 'get' saving, as evidenced by taking 'surplus' money from well-managed schools. So while Woodward and his ilk spend fortunes, the ones missing out are his butler and all those who couldn't even aspire to carry Woodward's silver salver bearing his government hand-outs.
Report from the Asian News International brought to you by the Hindustan Times
London, Oct. 27 -- Painting a zebra crossing across a street or thoroughfare should in the normal course not cost much, but in Britain, a mind boggling 114,000 pounds is spent on each of these pedestrian crossings.
Of the 114,000 pounds, 11,000 pounds is for 'design work'. A further 16,000 pounds is spent on beacons, electrical wiring and road signs, while the balance 87,000 pounds is earmarked for labour costs.
The Daily Mail quoted Tory MP Oliver Letwin as saying that he discovered this exorbitant wastage of public money when he wanted to build a crossing outside a school in his West Dorset constituency.
When officials refused to meet his demand, he requested the figures with a view to raising the money locally.
He was so incensed by the answer he received that yesterday he devoted his weekly column in his local newspaper to the subject.
He wrote: "If the pay rate of the labourers is, say, 20 pounds per hour, then the crossing must take 4,350 man-hours to make. That is more than 100 man-weeks, or 50 people working for two weeks. It is mind-boggling."
Letwin has spent the past 18 months campaigning for the crossing on the A35 in Winterbourne Abbas, near Dorchester.
The pressure group Taxpayers Alliance said the price tag for a zebra crossing was one of the "worst ever examples of waste of public money".
A spokesman for the Highways Agency said that although the cost of the crossing "may appear high", the agency was committed to making sure it was "constructed to the correct standard".
The spokesman said the 103,000 pounds to construct the crossing includes traffic management whilst the crossing is under construction, drainage, excavation of existing pavement, disposal of material, new kerbing and paving, anti-skid surfacing, road markings and studs, new traffic signs, electrical connection and supply pillars and new signal heads and poles.
BY JAMES MILLS
HOW much would you think it costs to build a zebra crossing? A couple of workmen, a few pots of black and white paint, two Belisha beacons -- it doesn't sound like a lot.
Yet it emerged yesterday that the Highways Agency spends a staggering £114,000 on each new pedestrian crossing.
Incredibly, the figure for the familiar black and white crossing includes £11,000 for 'design work'.
A further £16,000 is spent on the beacons, electrical wiring and road signs while the remaining £87,000 is swallowed up by labour costs, the equivalent of three and a half years pay for the average worker.
The cost was discovered by Tory MP Oliver Letwin, who wants a crossing installed outside a school in his West Dorset constituency. When officials refused, he requested the figures with a view to raising the money locally.
He was so incensed by the answer he received that yesterday he devoted his weekly column in his local newspaper to the subject.
He wrote: 'If the pay rate of the labourers is, say, £20 per hour, then the crossing must take 4,350 man-hours to make.
'That is more than 100 manweeks, or 50 people working for two weeks. It is mind-boggling.'
Mr Letwin has spent the past 18 months campaigning for the crossing on the A35 in Winterbourne Abbas, near Dorchester.
The pressure group Taxpayers Alliance said the price tag for a zebra crossing was one of the 'worst ever examples of waste of public money'.
Chief executive Matthew Elliott said: 'It is typical of the profligacy and waste in the public sector. The Government wastes £101billion each year with precisely this sort of over-priced scheme.'
A spokesman for the Highways Agency said that although the cost of the crossing 'may appear high', the agency was committed to making sure it was ' constructed to the correct standard'.
It would be fully signalled, she added.
The spokesman said the £103,000 to construct the crossing includes traffic management whilst the crossing is under construction, drainage, excavation of existing pavement, disposal of material, new kerbing and paving, anti-skid surfacing, road markings and studs, new traffic signs, electrical connection and supply pillars and new signal heads and poles.
Spending three or four years watching Hollywood movies to obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree sounds like a fun way to get a "qualification", but media and film studies is not alone. These days almost anything can be studied as an "academic" degree course in Britain.
Universities are cashing in on student demand, outdoing each other to offer the most "attractive" degree courses - some of them of dubious academic merit.
An equine psychology degree offered by a Welsh college is derided as a "horse-whispering degree"; Manchester Metropolitan University's BA in retail-fashion buying has been dubbed a "shopping" degree; and degrees in science fiction and culture (University of Glamorgan) and golf management (University of Swansea) have raised eyebrows.
All figure in the first comprehensive list of "non-degrees" offered by British universities released by London-based pressure group the Taxpayers Alliance this summer. According to the group, more than 400 "non-degrees" are available, costing £40 million (HK$632.68 million) to run, often heavily subsidised by taxpayers.
"By offering 'non-courses' and blurring the distinction between learning that demands serious scholarship and that which requires none, universities put at risk academic credibility," the group's Corin Taylor said.
Two years ago, the Swansea Institute in Wales withdrew its BA in surf and beach management because it was threatening the reputation of its more mainstream degrees.
"It is not fair on our other students to be tarred with the same brush," institute principal David Warner said at the time. But Swansea was an exception and the number of "non-degrees" had grown, Mr Taylor said. More than 2,500 students were enrolled last year on degree programmes identified as "non-courses".
Lightweight degrees, particularly "hobby and lifestyle" courses, were labelled "Mickey Mouse" degrees by former British higher education minister Margaret Hodge, who said they might not have much relevance in the labour market.
"Despite its professed efforts to end what it calls 'Mickey Mouse' degrees, the government is demanding that universities increase admissions dramatically," Mr Taylor said.
Among the new degree courses are floral design (flower arrangement) and a BA in lifestyle management offered by Leeds Metropolitan University.
Britain is not alone. Australia's former education minister Brendan Nelson recently mocked degrees in surfing and aromatherapy. In the United States, a BA in astrology (including Chinese astrology) has been offered for some years. Physical education degrees are routinely handed out to US college athletes who would not normally gain a place on an academically rigorous degree programme.
Featuring strongly on the TPA list are large numbers of Bachelor of Science degrees in complementary therapies which David Colquhoun, professor of pharmacology at the University of London, says are not science subjects at all.
TPA lists some 60 "non-degrees" in aromatherapy, traditional Chinese medicine, reflexology and acupuncture. These were better taught as "part of a cultural history or sociology course," said Dr Colquhoun, who wants the universities' Quality Assurance Agency to prevent such courses being classified as science degrees, which can attract extra government subsidies.
There is undeniable public demand for qualifications in alternative therapies, and unlike many other "hobby" degrees, graduates are able to make a living as independent practitioners, once qualified.
The same may not be true for graduates in "equine studies" (some 80 degree courses listed) and "adventure travel" (more than 30 degree courses).
So what drives students to spend good money on flakey degrees? Academics blame the expansion of higher education, which has meant a degree is an essential basic qualification for a decent job.
"The idea of many students is to just get a degree because many employers recruit on a generic basis. The whole society is pushing the idea of university as a good thing," said Phillip Brown, a professor at the University of Cardiff and author of The Opportunity Trap.
The book argues that despite the rhetoric about knowledge economies and the need for more graduates, the British economy is unable to cope with the huge expansion in higher education and its accompanying "rising tide of individual, social and political expectations".
The vice-chancellors group Universities UK strongly defends the courses as "based on demand from employers and developed in association with them".
But only a few "non-courses" fit that description. Most "are a bit remote from what would enhance students lives and enhance the economy", said Alan Smithers, professor of education and employment at Buckingham University.
"The trouble is the government is assuming this will improve the country's economic competitiveness and that is not the case," he said.
Computer gaming courses are one example where an apparent "hobby" degree has developed according to employer demand and propelled Britain to world-class status in that industry. But with so many universities jumping on the gaming bandwagon, supply of graduates now far outstrips demand.
"The new degrees that are popping up are the latest fad." said John Sears of the University of Derby's computer gaming course. "If you put 'game' in the course title, it can attract students."
Recently Jeffrey Matthews, recruitment head of UA - one of the largest computer gaming employers - put the cat among the pigeons when he said gaming students would be better off with a degree in physics.
Academics blame a proliferation of TV crime series for the rise in student numbers wanting to study glamorous forensic science, even though the normal route into forensics is a chemistry degree.
"We saw a huge rise in interest in forensics at the same time as we saw a decline in interest in subjects like chemical engineering," said Matthew Holton, assistant dean at Teesside University's School of Computing.
This year the number of students wanting to study Japanese has grown for the first time in a decade, but even professors of Japanese acknowledge that the popularity of Japanese manga and animated films has partly fuelled that growth.
"If we offered a degree in 'manga studies', we might find we would have few takers for Japanese language, and would fill the course many times over," one lecturer said.
Although sports studies' degrees have been around for some time, the latest trend is degrees in specific sports, including cricket and martial arts.
Charles Springer, who runs the martial arts degree at Derby University, pointed to Beijing Sports University and Japan's National Institute for Sports, which have degrees in wushu and karate, respectively.
"A lot of our students want to become coaches, but this is more than a coaching qualification, it includes anthropology, sociology, culture," he said.
Andreas Schleicher, head of education analysis and indicators at the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, said the challenge for higher education in the future would not simply be to produce more graduates but to retain a balance between academically oriented qualifications and those more closely linked to occupational orientations.
But for now, as long as students just want to have fun, universities are happy to accommodate them.
THE figures are in again for MPs' expenses claims.
Against an average of around £135,600 for 2006/7, House of Commons figures show that West Dorset MP Oliver Letwin claimed a total of £147,084 and South Dorset member Jim Knight claimed £137,970.
Both figures are increases on the previous year's claims. Mr Letwin's total climbed about 20 per cent.
"I hope I give value for money, but that is for my constituents to judge," Mr Letwin said.
His claims included £838 for rail travel and £21,244 for staying away from home.
"I try to take up and deal with everything people talk to me about and my staff are certainly working full tilt - we sent about 15,000 letters and emails last year."
He said temporary cover to replace a sick member of staff had accounted for the rise in his claim.
Expenses cover areas such as office running costs, staff, stationery, postage and travel.
Mr Knight, who spent £2,590 on rail travel, said: "I think I'm pretty much in the middle of all the MPs in terms of amount claimed.
"I tend to use the five and a half hours a week I spend on the train working. Going first class means I am guaranteed a seat and have more space to get that work done."
The campaign group The Taxpayers' Alliance expressed itself unhappy with the figures. Spokesman Matthew Elliott said: "MPs should be ashamed of themselves.
"Families are struggling to pay higher tax bills while MPs are spending more and more of our money on themselves each year."
DARWEN and Rossendale MP Janet Anderson claimed almost £14,000 in car mileage last year.
Mrs Anderson topped the list for MPs' mileage for the second year running, with a claim for £13,851.
The figures, released last night, reveal MPs' taxpayer-funded expenses bill rose by nearly three times the rate of inflation last year.
They claimed £87.6million for London housing, staff and office costs, travel, stamps, IT and stationery - around 5 per cent up on the like-for-like figure for 2005/6 and an average of £135,813.
Mrs Anderson's total expenses claim weighed in at £155,610, compared to the top entry of £185,421 for junior minister Shahid Malik, who represents Dewsbury in Yorkshire.
Blackburn MP and justice minister Jack Straw claimed a total of £122,520, while Nigel Evans, who represents Ribble Valley, came to £136,090.
Other local MPs were Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle, £145,515, Greg Pope of Hyndburn at £148,800, Pendle MP Gordon Prentice (£132,752) and Burnely MP Kitty Ussher (£145,562).
Campaigning group the Taxpayers' Alliance has branded this years' figures "extortionate".
Labour Mp Dan Norris claimed the fourth highest expenses bill in the Commons at more than £172,000, official figures published yesterday showed.
The amount the Wansdyke MP received for costs such as travel, London housing and postage was almost £60,000 more than fellow West MP David Davies.
The Parliamentary data showed Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy, Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury), Oliver Letwin (West Dorset) and David Laws (Yeovil) also claimed well above the average sum of £135,813.
The total bill for all MPs rose to £87.6 million, around five per cent up on the previous year, and one outspoken critic said they should be ashamed of the above-inflation increase.
Mr Norris's expenses and allowances included more than £87,000 for staffing costs, £20,558 for stationery and £8,534 for travel.
The MP, who was the 13th highest claimer last year, said: "There are two areas that are higher than normal for MPs, postage and staff cover costs.
"The postage is down to the child protection booklet I wrote on bullying.
"I've had 50,000 requests for it and when someone asks me for a copy, I send them one.
Excellent value for money
"The success of the booklet has been absolutely phenomenal, I'm very proud of it. If people don't include a stamped envelope I can't write back to them to ask for one because it would defeat the object. Postage costs will remain high in the near future because of the booklet.
"The other area of cost was to pay for cover for staff sickness."
Some West MPs were first elected in the 2005 General Election, meaning they had relatively big increases, as they did not serve a full 12 months in the previous financial year.
They include Ms McCarthy, 45th in the list this year, compared with 332 in 2005-06, and South Swindon MP Anne Snelgrove.
Hereford Liberal Democrat MP Paul Keetch and Tory Westbury MP Dr Andrew Murrison both claimed less this year than for the previous 12 months.
Monmouth Tory MP Mr Davies, who was ranked 593 and claimed £113,376, received less than £3,000 for stationery, and under £55,000 for staff, much lower than the maximum allowed.
The biggest overall claim was from International Development Minister Shahid Malik, at £185,421, including £21,266 on postage, on top of his £59,686 MP salary and pension.
The lowest claimer once again was Philip Hollobone (Con, Kettering) with just £44,551, followed by veteran Labour left-winger Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) with £67,891.
Matthew Elliott, of the TaxPayers' Alliance pressure group, said: "Families are struggling to pay higher tax bills whilst MPs are spending more and more of our money on themselves each year.
"No wonder voters have little respect for politicians when they see so many MPs with their snouts in the trough."
But North Devon Lib Dem MP Nick Harvey, spokesman for the committee that oversees expenses, insisted British voters got "excellent value for money" from representatives.
"As well as playing a vital role in the House of Commons in debates, law making and scrutiny, MPs have to undertake frequent journeys between the constituency and Westminster and elsewhere," he said.
All the payments were subject to "careful control and scrutiny", said Mr Harvey, whose £145,767 claim put him 160th in the list.
MPs for seats outside central London can claim up to £22,110 a year for staying away from their main home to carry out their Parliamentary duties. The others can take advantage of a London supplement of £2,712.
Office costs are reimbursed up to £20,400 and MPs enjoy a mileage rate of 40p a mile for the first 10,000 miles and 25p a mile thereafter.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown - still Chancellor during the period in question - claimed £135,525, £7,860 less than Tory rival David Cameron.
Former PM Tony Blair, who was in office through the period, claimed £97,084.
Westcountry MPs cost the taxpayer £3.3 million last year as it emerged their expense claims are up by a quarter.
Figures released last night showed Devon and Cornwall MPs claimed an average £164,651 for travel, staff, London homes, office costs, computers and stationery - more than 20 per cent higher than the £135,850 national average.
Across the two counties, the 16 MPs submitted expense claims for 2006-07 totalling £2.6 million, in addition to their salaries of a little under £60,000 each. Last night, MPs rallied to insist they represented good value for money - but the TaxPayers' Alliance said they should be "ashamed of themselves".
MPs from the Westcountry can claim up to £22,110 a year for staying away from their main home to carry out their Parliamentary duties. Office costs can be reimbursed up to £20,400 and MPs enjoy a mileage rate of 40p a mile for the first 10,000 miles and 25p a mile thereafter. Motorbike riders can claim 24p a mile and cyclists 20p a mile.
Nationally, MPs claimed £87.6 million in allowances last year - a like-for-like rise of around five per cent on the sum for the previous year.
Matthew Taylor, MP for Truro and St Austell, tops the region's league table claiming £179,461 compared to Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw, who received £38,000 less.
However, the full breakdown of figures showed Torridge and West Devon MP Geoffrey Cox falls just outside the top ten nationally for office costs - £29,143 - while Tiverton and Honiton MP Angela Browning spent £95,920 on staff costs, the 17th highest in the country.
Plymouth Sutton MP Linda Gilroy spent more than any other Westcountry MP on stationery and postage. Her run on stamps, envelopes and notepaper came to £3,540.
North Devon MP Nick Harvey insisted British taxpayers got "excellent value for money" compared to those in other countries.
St Ives MP Andrew George said people were wrong to think the money went into MPs' pockets. "If that is what it costs, that is what it costs. I don't gain a penny from this."
But Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Families are struggling to pay higher tax bills while MPs are spending more and more of our money on themselves each year."
The bill for MPs' taxpayer-funded expenses reached almost £90m last year, figures show.
Today, the TaxPayers' Alliance pressure group said MPs should be "ashamed" at the scale of their claims.
Shahid Malik, Labour MP for Dewsbury and International Development Minister, submitted the biggest overall claim by an MP of £185,421, including £21,266 on postage.
Close behind were Home Office Minister Liam Byrne (Birmingham Hodge Hill) on £178,116 and Labour MP Joan Ryan (Enfield North), who claimed £173,691, despite representing a London constituency.
The lowest claimer was Philip Hollobone (Con, Kettering), who claimed just £44,551 followed by veteran Labour left-winger Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) with £67,891.
MPs claimed £87.6m for London housing, staff and office costs, travel, stamps, IT and stationery, about five per cent up on the like-for-like figure for 2005-06 and an average of £135,813.
But Liberal Democrat MP Nick Harvey, who sits on a committee that oversees expenses, insisted British voters got "excellent value for money" from their representatives compared with other countries.
MPs for seats outside central London can claim up to £22,110 a year for staying away from their main home to carry out their Parliamentary duties.
The others can take advantage of a London supplement of £2,712.
Office costs can be reimbursed up to £20,400 and MPs enjoy a mileage rate of 40p a mile for the first 10,000 miles and 25p a mile thereafter.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown - who was still Chancellor of the Exchequer during the period in question - claimed a total of £135,525, which was £7,860 less than Tory rival David Cameron.
Scottish MPs emerged last night as among the most expensive in the UK in a year in which Westminster expenses increased by 5%.
Four of the 10 most costly UK representatives are from north of the border, with Aberdeen North Labour MP Frank Doran in sixth place in a league table, charging £172,000.
The others were Western Isles Angus MacNeil (£170,000 and seventh), First Minister Alex Salmond, SNP MP for Banff and Buchan, and Tory shadow Scottish secretary David Mundell (both at £167,000 at ninth and tenth).
Last year's most expensive MP, Eric Joyce, Labour MP for Falkirk, pruned back his own costs and came in at number 11, charging £164,000.
This year's cheapest northern Scot was Argyll and Bute Liberal Democrat MP Alan Reid, who collected just £133,000.
Altogether MPs claimed £87.6million for the cost of living in London, staff, offices, stationary, travel and computers, up nearly three times the government figure for inflation.
Astonishingly the most expensive UK MP was Shahid Malik, Labour MP for Dewsbury in Yorkshire and Overseas Development Minister, who raked in £185,000, including £21,266 on postage.
The cheapest was Kettering Tory Philip Hollobone who claimed just £44,551.
TaxPayers' Alliance chief executive Matthew Elliott said: "Families are struggling to pay higher tax bills while MPs are spending more and more of our money on themselves each year.
"No wonder voters have little respect for politicians when they see so many MPs with their snouts in the trough."
But Mr Doran, chairman of the Commons administration committee, issued a vigorous defence, blaming the high cost of flying between Aberdeen and London.
He said: "It is the same old story. The further you are from Westminster and the harder you work, the more expensive the operation is. I run a full-time office in my constituency.
"I travel back to the constituency every week to be available to my constituents and it is an expensive business."
Mr MacNeil, whose seven-hour journey from his croft on Barra to Westminster involves a car drive to the beach runway, a flight to Glasgow, a flight to London and a train to the Commons, said: "We are in this situation because parliament is on the fringes of the UK.
"If it was not in the far, remote south-east and closer to the centre of things in the Hebrides, it would not cost as much to travel there."
Mr Joyce said he had taken a long hard look at his costs after coming top of the league last year and slashed his travel expenses by half, using cheap Ryanair and Flybe flights and even occasionally using Air France via Dundee to save money.
Scottish MPs can claim up to £22,110 a year for a London home plus up to £20,400 in office costs.
They can charge up to 40p a mile for driving the first 10,000 miles in their own cars and 25p a mile thereafter and can have up to three trips to other European capitals.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who was still chancellor during the period in question, claimed £135,525 - £7,860 less than Tory rival David Cameron.
MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, Mr Brown claimed £17,017 for London accommodation, £9,557 for air tickets and £2,812 on postage and stationery.
The Conservative leader, who represents Witney in Oxfordshire, was reimbursed for £20,563 of London housing costs and £12,775 spent on postage and stationery.
Former prime minister Tony Blair, who was in office through the period, claimed £97,084.
It's the sort of sum that could buy a house or a Ferrari.
The North-east's six MPs have racked up an average of £159,499 in annual expenses.
That's nearly £1 million between them.
Top of the list was Aberdeen North's Frank Doran, pictured, who ran up a tab for £171,836.
Mr Doran, who ranked sixth out of the country's 646 MPs, claimed £29,684 for travel alone.
The Labour politician said the high cost of air fares between Aberdeen and London was a factor.
He said: "The further you are from Westminster and the harder you work, the more expensive the operation is.
"I travel back to the constituency every week to be available to my constituents and it is an expensive business."
Like all MPs, the bulk of expenses were for staff costs - in his case, £81,557.
Among other expenses were office bills at £26,159. Staying in London added £22,110.
Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan) claimed £166,814; Anne Begg (Aberdeen South), £154,230; Malcolm Bruce (Gordon), £158,580; Angus Robertson (Moray), £158,151; and Robert Smith (West Aberdeenshire), £147,388.
The North-east's total bill was £956,999.
Across the UK MPs claimed £87.6 million - an average 5% rise.
The most expensive was Shahid Malik, Labour MP for Dewsbury in Yorkshire, who claimed £185,000.
Cheapest was Kettering Tory Philip Hollobone, at just £44,551.
TaxPayers' Alliance chief executive Matthew Elliott said: "Families are struggling to pay higher tax bills while MPs are spending more and more of our money each year."
Our MPs have claimed almost £1million in expenses in the last year.
A league table of MP's expenses reveals the amount of cash they have spent on travel by themselves and their staff, as well as their London homes, office costs, computers and stationery.
And it showed Sharon Hodgson, MP for Washington West and Gateshead East, claimed the highest amount in Wearside and East Durham with £155,222.
It included £8,652 on stationery and postage, £22,110 on staying away from home, £5,744 in car mileage, £6,169 on rail and £1,476 on air travel.
John Cummings, MP for Easington, received £153,319 for expenses.
He also spent £22,110 staying away from home, £6,450 in car mileage, £11,240 on the train and £2,088 on stationery and postage.
Sunderland South MP Chris Mullin remained at the bottom of Wearside and East Durham's spenders, claiming £115,356.
Mr Mullin spent £13,591 on staying away from home, £522 in car mileage, £4,919 on rail travel, £192 on flights and £2,047 on postage and stationery.
All the claims are on top of MP's basic salaries of £60,277.
Democrat MP, Nick Harvey, who represents the Members' Estimate Committee, said British taxpayers got "excellent value for money" compared to other countries.
He said: "As well as playing a vital role in the House of Commons in debates, law making and scrutiny, MPs have to undertake frequent journeys between the constituency and Westminster and elsewhere.
"They also have to ensure that offices are fully staffed and properly equipped and provide the level of support and communication increasingly expected and demanded by constituents."
MPs for seats lying outside central London can claim up to £22,110 a year for staying away from their main home to carry out duties.
Office costs can be reimbursed up to £20,400 and MPs enjoy a mileage rate of 40p a mile for the first 10,000 miles and 25p a mile after.
Matthew Elliott, chief executive of pressure group the TaxPayers' Alliance, blasted MPs for costing the taxpayer so much - the national bill was at £87.6million.
He said: "Families are struggling to pay higher tax bills whilst MPs are spending more and more of our money on themselves each year.
"What's worse, is that they won't even give us a full itemised breakdown of their expenses as MSPs do in Scotland.
"No wonder voters have little respect for politicians when they see so many MPs with their snouts in the trough."
SOUTH Yorkshire's MPs claimed more than £2m of taxpayers' cash in expenses last year.
New figures revealed that the region's MPs claimed on average £138,127 from the public purse - compared to the £135,850 average for the UK's 645 MPs.
Their claims helped cover the cost of London housing, staff and office costs, travel, stamps, IT and stationery.
Sheffield Heeley MP Meg Munn claimed the most in South Yorkshire in 2006/07 - £156,462.
This made her the 42nd most expensive MP in the country
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Her total included £14,882 in postage and £3,326 on other stationary.
Her combined £18,208 claim for postage and stationary was the 16th highest in the country.
Ms Munn's other major costs were the £83,544 she claimed for staff and the £22,110 for living away in London.
She told the Star: "I think I have reduced my travel expenses by the fact we have a better system in place now. We can buy cheaper tickets, and I am doing that.
"My staff costs are well within the allowance and in terms of postage this is very much in line previous years.
"I have got 40,000 constituents. If you divide it by the number of constituents, it's not that high.
"When looking at expenses it is important to remember that this is not just money that goes into the pockets of MPs."
High staffing costs of £79,912 and office costs of £27,508 contributed to Wentworth MP John Healey being the second most expensive MP in South Yorkshire with a total claim of £150,551.
He said: "All the money is to help me to do my job as an MP. It stands to reason that if you offer a good constituency office, then the costs will reflect that."
The figures show that car usage differed widely between the region's MPs.
Doncaster North MP Ed Miliband claimed £909 from the MPs' 40p a mile car mileage allowance, while Rother Valley MP Kevin Barron claimed £8,509
Rotherham MP and former Europe minister Denis MacShane's regular trips to the continent meant he claimed the most in South Yorkshire for air travel - £1,284.
Liberal Democrat leadership contest frontrunner Nick Clegg claimed £146,022 - £7,191 more than his only declared rival, Chris Huhne.
Mr Clegg, MP for Sheffield Hallam, claimed almost the full allowance for London housing costs as well as £4,539 in train fares and £4,148 on postage.
Meanwhile, two of Barnsley's three MP had the region's lowest claims - Jeff Ennis claimed £104,243 and Michael Clapham £102,510
Nationally, the most expensive MP in the country was the international development minister Shahid Malik. He cost the taxpayer £185,421 in 2006/07.
MPs claimed £87.6 million in allowances overall last year - a like-for-like rise of around 5% on the sum for the previous 12 months.
Liberal Democrat MP Nick Harvey, who represents the Members Estimate Committee, insisted British taxpayers got "excellent value for money" compared to those in other countries.
But the TaxPayers' Alliance pressure group said MPs should be "ashamed" at the scale of the claims.
Chief executive Matthew Elliott said: "Families are struggling to pay higher tax bills whilst MPs are spending more and more of our money on themselves each year."
Prime Minister Gordon Brown - who was still Chancellor during the period the latest figures refer to - claimed a total of £135,525.
His Tory rival David Cameron - who represents Witney in Oxfordshire, claimed £7,860 more - including £20,563 on London housing and £12,775 on postage and stationery.
YORKSHIRE'S husband-and-wife Ministerial team Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper came under the expenses spotlight last night after it was revealed that they claimed £32,000 in allowances to fund their London home last year.
Mr Balls, the Schools Secretary, and Ms Cooper, the Housing Minister, whose combined Ministerial salaries come to nearly £240,000, also emerged as the two members of the current Cabinet who registered the highest amounts in 2006-07.
According to the latest report on MPs expenses, published last night, Normanton MP Mr Balls claimed £157,076 in Parliamentary allowances - including £15,979 towards staying away from their main home in Castleford - in addition to his salary.
Pontefract and Castleford MP Ms Cooper claimed a total of £150,658, including £15,995 towards mortgage payments on their London residence.
MPs with seats outside central London can claim up to £22,100 in second home allowances and the couple made separate claims on their one house in the capital.
But a spokesman for the couple stressed that they had abided by the rules and could have claimed more.
"Ed and Yvette claim far less than they are entitled to under the rules, as the maximum between them is around £44,000," he said.
MPs can recoup a huge range of expenditures. As well as rent and mortgage payments, the second home allowance also covers furniture, electrical goods, council tax, utility bills and TV licences. Even groceries are covered.
Up to £20,440 a year is available for incidental expenses and up to £87,276 for staff in London and the MPs' constituencies.
Last night, the chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) , Matthew Elliott, said MPs "should be ashamed of themselves" at the total £87m bill to the public purse.
He added: "Families are struggling to pay higher tax bills while MPs are spending more and more of our money on themselves each year.
"What's worse is that they won't even give us a full itemised breakdown of their expenses as MSPs do in Scotland.
"No wonder voters have little respect for politicians when they see so many MPs with their snouts in the trough."
But Selby MP John Grogan - the highest claiming Yorkshire MP in 2003-04, the second highest in 2004-05 and again the highest in 2005-06 - last night defended the expenditure, maintaining that being an active and effective MP meant using allowances.
"I continue to travel frequently backwards and forwards between Selby and London to attend as many meetings as possible in the constituency whilst playing a full part as an active backbench MP at Westminster," said Mr Grogan, who claimed £158,013 last year.
"In recent months constituency meetings have included many sessions on flooding, the future of the Tate and Lyle site and Selby Hospital.
"In addition to receiving my Parliamentary allowances I paid in an extra £4,000 of my salary in order that my office has the resources necessary to respond to the many demands placed upon it."
Liberal Democrat MP Nick Harvey, who represents the House of Commons Members Estimate Committee, insisted that British taxpayers got "excellent value for money" for their representatives compared with other countries.
WHAT MPs CAN CLAIM
£60,277 standard backbencher salary, and pension.
Additional cost allowance
Last year allowed to claim up to £22,110 towards a second home in the capital: could be spent on rent, mortgage interest or hotel bills.
Ministers with "grace and favour" homes may also have second home, but must prove that they use it. Back costs for groceries, furniture, white goods, electrical equipment, utility bills, council tax, "decoration" and TV licences if incurred in London. Do not have to provide receipts for purchases under £250.
Incidental expenses
Up to £20,440 a year for constituency office rental and maintenance costs, office supplies and equipment, utilities, repairs, postage from the constituency, and newspaper subscriptions.
But cannot claim for camcorders.
Staffing allowance
£87,276 a year for secretarial and research staff in the constituency and Commons offices. Individual MPs decide where to locate their staff and how much to pay them.
Travel
Unlimited first class travel within the UK and car mileage of 40p per mile, for parliamentary business. May also claim 24p a mile for motorbike travel and 20p per mile for bicycle travel.
They can also claim for three trips a year in Europe, if destination has a parliament.
Spouses and close family members also entitled to a
total of 15 return journeys between the constituency and London.
n Other costs
MPs' staff travel costs, special House of Commons stationery and postage. Also allowed three computers and a laptop.
A YORKSHIRE MP was officially crowned the "most expensive" in Britain last night for claiming more than £185,000 in travel, housing, staff, and other expenses from the public purse.
Dewsbury MP Shahid Malik came top of 645 MPs with spending including £21,266 on postage - the equivalent of more than 88,600 second class stamps - and £95,000 on wages for his personal staff.
But Mr Malik, a junior International Development Minister, insisted his relatively high costs were down to opening and equipping a new, bigger
constituency office and writing
"regularly" to his constituents.
Justifying the expenditure, Mr Malik said: "Local people are delighted with the service they receive and I will continue to use all resources available to me to make a difference to my constituency."
The figures emerged last night as Parliament unveiled details of the £86.9m claimed by MPs during 2006-07, which prompted critics to dub the sharp increase from the previous year's £80.9m bill "extortionate".
MPs claimed an average of £134,659, on top of the basic backbench salary of £60,277 and pension - more in the cases of most Ministers and other senior MPs.
Under Commons rules, they can access a range of allowances. Some cover the costs of rent and mortgage payments on London homes, and the groceries, furniture and electrical goods to fill them.
Travel budgets include unlimited first-class rail travel, generous mileage rates and three trips a year to Europe. Other allowances pay for MPs' secretarial and research staff, office costs and stationery.
TaxPayers' Alliance chief executive Matthew Elliott said the £6m rise in the total bill compared to the year before was "extortionate".
Of Yorkshire and Humber's 56 MPs, the second and third highest claims were from Hull North's Diana Johnson, on £162,584, and Harrogate and Knaresborough's Phil Willis, on £159,147.
Backbencher Michael Clapham, the Barnsley West and Penistone MP, claimed the least of any Yorkshire MP with £102,510, followed closely by last year's lowest spender Barnsley East and Mexborough MP Jeff Ennis, on £104,243.
HIGH-spending West Yorkshire MP Shahid Malik has been revealed as Britain's most expensive MP.
New figures show that the Dewsbury MP claimed £185,421 of taxpayers' cash for London housing, staff and office costs, travel, stamps, IT and stationery.
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His claim - on top of his £60,675 salary - was almost £50,000 higher than the average £135,850 for the country's 646 MPs.
Mr Malik, an international development minister, claimed £21,266 for postage - one of the highest claims in the country. The average postage claim was £3,750.
The Labour MP also claimed £25,856 for running his office and £22,110 for costs incurred in staying away from his West Yorkshire home.
He claimed £8,256 on travel costs, of which £6,259 was from the MPs' generous 40p a mile car mileage allowance, while £1,977 was on rail tickets.
He yesterday explained that his office costs are high because following his election he opened a town centre office which is six times bigger than the office he inherited.
Kitting out the office and security measures have exaggerated the 2006/07 claim because he also drew down money from his 2007/08 budget.
He said the high postage bill reflected the extent to which he keeps his constituents informed about issues in the community.
He has written to constituents about the Mirfield 25 development, problems with heavy goods vehicles in Earlsheaton, local health plans and traffic calming.
Mr Malik said: "Local people are delighted with the service they receive and I will continue to use all resources available to me to make a difference to my constituency."
The figures show that West Yorkshire's MPs claimed more than £2.3m from the public purse.
Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Phil Willis and Selby MP John Grogan were both in the top 30 most expensive MPs.
Mr Grogan, who claimed £158,013, said: "I continue to travel frequently backwards and forwards between Selby and London to attend as many meetings as possible in the constituency whilst playing a full part as an active backbench MP at Westminster.
"In addition to receiving my Parliamentary allowances I paid in an extra £4,000 of my salary in order that my office has the resources necessary to respond to the many demands placed upon it."
Normanton MP Ed Balls was the most costly cabinet minister, claiming £157,076. This included £10,740 in postage costs.
His claim also included including £15,979 towards staying away from the main home in Castleford he shares with his wife and fellow minister Yvette Cooper.
Ms Cooper, who represents Pontefract and Castleford, claimed a total of £150,658 - including £15,995 to finance staying away from home.
Together they received nearly £32,000 in Additional Costs Allowance towards the mortgage on their second home in London.
But a spokesman for the couple - who jointly earn nearly £240,000 as ministers - insisted they had abided by the rules and could have claimed more.
"Ed and Yvette claim far less than they are entitled to under the rules, as the maximum between them is around £44,000," he said.
In Leeds, only Hilary Benn (Leeds Central; Lab) claimed below the national average, with expenses of £105,987.
The figures reveal that car usage differed greatly among the region's MPs.
Hilary Benn and John Grogan only used public transport, while Hemsworth MP Jon Trickett claimed £5,989 in car mileage and Batley and Spen's Mike Wood £5,759.
Mr Grogan claimed £3,570 in the "third-party vehicle mileage" category, which includes taxis.
Overall, the country's MPs claimed £87.6 million in allowances last year - a like-for-like rise of around 5 per cent on the sum for the previous 12 months.
Liberal Democrat MP Nick Harvey, who represents the Members Estimate Committee, insisted British taxpayers got "excellent value for money" compared to those in other countries.
But the TaxPayers' Alliance pressure group said MPs should be "ashamed" at the scale of the claims.
Chief executive Matthew Elliott said: "Families are struggling to pay higher tax bills whilst MPs are spending more and more of our money on themselves each year."
Prime Minister Gordon Brown - who was still Chancellor during the period the latest figures refer to - claimed a total of £135,525.
His Tory rival David Cameron - who represents Witney in Oxfordshire, claimed £7,860 more - including £20,563 on London housing and £12,775 on postage and stationery.
TOTAL expenses
Shahid Malik (Dewsbury; Lab) £185,421
Phil Willis (Harrogate and Knaresborough; Lib Dem) £159,147
John Grogan (Selby; Lab) £158,013
Ed Balls (Normanton; Lab) £157,076
Fabian Hamilton (Leeds North East; Lab) £155,346
Mike Wood (Batley and Spen; Lab) £151,941
Greg Mulholland (Leeds North West; Lib Dem) £151,647
Yvette Cooper (Pontefract and Castleford) £150,658
Philip Davies (Shipley; Con) £148,060
Colin Burgon (Elmet; Lab) £145,819
John Battle (Leeds West; Lab) £142,298
Paul Truswell (Pudsey; Lab) £141,740
Jon Trickett (Hemsworth; Lab) £141,647
George Mudie (Leeds East; Lab) £140,930
Mary Creagh (Wakefield; Lab) £139,275
Colin Challen (Morley and Rothwell; Lab) £138,579
Hilary Benn (Leeds Central; Lab) £105,987
Bill Jacobs Westminster Editor
LIVINGSTON MP Jim Devine has overtaken Edinburgh colleague Nigel Griffiths to become the most expensive Westminster parliamentarian in the Lothians.
Mr Devine was elected to represent the West Lothian seat after the death of his close friend Robin Cook in 2005.
His GBP 163,402 expenses bill last year makes him the 13th highest-claiming of the UK's 645 MPs at March 31, when the figures were calculated. The average claim was GBP 135,850. The biggest part of Mr Devine's claim was GBP 91,993 for staffing costs in his constituency and Westminster offices.
The former union official said: "I claimed what I did because I do a proper job.
"I represent my constituents, I employ the staff to make sure I can do that, and I pay them as a Labour MP the proper rate for the job."
Mr Griffiths, who represents Edinburgh South and was the most expensive Lothian MP for the two previous years, claimed GBP 154,230 last year, compared with GBP 153,570 the year before.
He said: "I held more constituency surgeries than ever before. There were 140 of them, attended by more than 1000 people.
"What MPs actually achieve is not how much they cost but what they actually do."
He has now dropped to third most expensive MP in the Lothians, behind Mr Devine and Linlithgow and East Falkirk MP Michael Connarty, who claimed GBP 157,769.
The total MPs' expenses bill rose by nearly three times the rate of inflation to GBP 87.6 million.
Claims, which cover London housing, staff and office costs, travel, stamps, IT and stationery, were up by about five per cent on the previous year.
The TaxPayers' Alliance pressure group said MPs should be "ashamed" at the claims.
Chief executive Matthew Elliott said: "Families are struggling to pay higher tax bills whilst MPs are spending more and more of our money on themselves each year."
But Liberal Democrat MP Nick Harvey, who sits on a committee which oversees expenses, insisted British voters got "excellent value for money" compared to other countries.
Mr Devine's claims include GBP 21,499 for living away from his main home and another GBP 20,622 for his office costs. They also include GBP 4889 for stationery.
Chancellor and Edinburgh South West MP Alistair Darling claimed GBP 136,854, Edinburgh East MP Gavin Strang GBP 137,769 and East Lothian MP Anne Moffat GBP 136,483.
Dunfermline MP Willie Rennie came in at 122nd with GBP 147,685.
Mark Lazarowicz, Labour MP for Edinburgh North and Leith, was 172nd on GBP 145,184 and Edinburgh West Lib Dem John Barrett 181st with GBP 144,427.
By Phillip Nifield South Wales Echo
staggering £87.6m during the last 12 months. Details of the claims,
including money for travel by MPs and their staff, London homes, office
costs, computers and stationery, were published yesterday by
Parliament. Ogmore's Labour MP Huw Irranca-Davies - who was the 49th
highest claimant overall - spent £155,115 of public money. The
Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Wales Office said: "I am very glad
that all the allowances are out in the open, I think it's one of the
best things the Government did.
"I'm pleased people can see that we are accountable.
"The work we do includes an extensive number of surgeries. We hold more than 80 every year, in every community.
"In addition, we have 7,500 cases on our files, and we employ three or four full-time members of staff. We give good value for money, and if I could do more for my constituents, whether it's helping them with tax credit issues or things literally outside their front door, I would."
In contrast, Dai Davies, the independent MP for Blaenau Gwent, claimed £94, 940 - one of the lowest - in 637th place.
Liberal Democrat MP Nick Harvey, who represents the Members' Estimate Committee, said: "Compared to parliamentarians in other countries, this represents excellent value for money."
But Matthew Elliott, chief executive of pressure group the TaxPayers' Alliance, took a different view. "Families are struggling to pay higher tax bills while MPs are spending more and more of our money on themselves each year," he added.
MICHAEL SETTLE CHIEF UK POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
MPs claimed £87.6m in expenses last year, a like-forlike rise of around 5% on the previous 12 months, it was announced last night by the House of Commons.
Frank Doran, the Labour MP for Aberdeen North, topped the Scottish list of 59 MPs with a total for 2006-07 of £171,836.
The least-expensive Scottish MP was Commons Speaker Michael Martin, who represents Glasgow North-East, and who ran up a total allowances bill of £82,286.
Nick Harvey, who represents the Members Estimates Committee in the Commons, claimed taxpayers got "excellent value for money" from their Westminster parliamentarians compared to those in other countries.
"As well as playing a vital role in the House of Commons in debates, lawmaking and scrutiny, MPs have to undertake frequent journeys between the constituency and Westminster and elsewhere, " he said.
"They also have to ensure that offices are fully staffed and properly equipped and provide the level of support and communication increasingly expected and demanded by constituents, " added Mr Harvey, who represents North Devon for the Liberal Democrats.
However, Matthew Elliott, from the pressure group the TaxPayers' Alliance, said MPs should be "ashamed of themselves". He went on: "Families are struggling to pay higher tax bills whilst MPs are spending more and more of our money on themselves each year. What's worse is that they won't give us a full itemised breakdown of their expenses as MSPs do in Scotland."
He added: "No wonder voters have little respect for politicians when they see so many MPs with their snouts in the trough."
Mr Doran blamed the high cost of flying between Aberdeen and London for his expenses record. He said: "It is the same old story: the further you are from Westminster and the harder you work, the more expensive the operation is. I run a full-time operation in my constituency. I travel back to it every week to be available tomy constituents and it is an expensive business."
In terms of travel allowances, 16 of the 20 MPs claiming the most were Scots with Angus MacNeil, the SNP MP for Na h-Eileanan An Iar, running up the largest bill at £37,273.
The high prevalence of Scots is hardly surprising given the distance between their constituencies and London and, in some cases, the rural nature of their seats.
Eric Joyce, the Labour MP for Falkirk, who came top of the UK expenses league in 2005/6, totting up £174,811 compared to £164,180 last year, was also number one when it came to travel, racking up £44,985. However, last year, while still number two in the travel stakes across the UK, he reduced his total to £33,587.
Last night, he told The Herald he was "chuffed" that his travel bill was coming down and insisted: "Next year, it will come down still further."
The back bencher explained that six months into last year heasked the authorities what his travel bill was and was told it stood around £23,000. He decided to travel less and use cheaper flights between Scotland and Westminster, thus claiming to have "halved" his travel costs in the second half of the year. "It's no bad thing to be aware of all the expenditure, " he added.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who was Chancellor during the period the latest figures refer to, claimed a total of £135,525 for 2006-07. The MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath claimed £17,017 for London accommodation, £9557 for air tickets and £2812 on postage and stationery.
His Tory rival David Cameron, who represents Witney in Oxfordshire, claimed £7860 more, including £20,563 on London housing and £12,775 on postage and stationery. His travel expenses were £950 in car mileage and a £20 rail fare but nothing for his bicycle riding.
Tony Blair, who was in office as PM through the period, claimed a total of £97,084.
The MP with the highest overall claim was Shahid Malik, the Labour MP for Dewsbury and the International Development Minister, with £185,421. Lowest was Conservative Philip Hollobone, MP for Kettering near Northampton, with £44,551.
The largest postage bill was run up by Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh, who represents Mitcham and Morden in London. She spent £35,207 on stamps and another £13,900 on stationery.
Arguably the most contentious expense was that run up by husband-and-wife cabinet team Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper, the respective Schools Secretary and Housing Minister, who represent neighbouring northern England seats. Together, they claimed nearly £32,000 in allowances to fund their London home last year.
The couple have been embroiled in controversy over whether they broke the spirit of Commons rules by using allowances to pay for their property in London.
What your representative charged 1Frank Doran, Lab, Aberdeen North, £171,836. 2 Angus MacNeil, SNP, Na hEileanan An Iar, £169,971. 3 Alex Salmond, SNP, Banff and Buchan, £166,814. 4 David Mundell, Con, Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale, £166,598. 5 Eric Joyce, Lab, Falkirk, £164,180. 6 Jim Devine, Lab, Livingston, £163,402. 7Mohammad Sarwar, Lab, Glasgow Central, £159,341. 8Malcolm Bruce, LibDem, Gordon, £158,580. 9 Angus Robertson, SNP, Moray, £158,151. 10 Michael Connarty, Lab, Linlithgow and East Falkirk, £157,769. 11 Brian Donohoe, Lab, Central Ayrshire, £157,663. 12 Alistair Carmichael, LibDem, Orkney and Shetland, £157,184. 13 Danny Alexander, LibDem, Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, £157,153. 14 Katy Clark, Lab, North Ayrshire and Arran, £156,767. 15 Anne Begg, Lab, Aberdeen South, £154,230. 16 Nigel Griffiths, Lab, Edinburgh South, £154,182.
17Tom Harris, Lab, Glasgow South, £153,862. 18 Rosemary McKenna, Lab, Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East, £153,608. 19 Russell Brown, Lab, Dumfries and Galloway, £153,561. 20 Frank Roy, Lab, Motherwell and Wishaw, £152,997. 21 John McFall, Lab, West Dunbartonshire, £151,852. 22 Michael Moore, LibDem, Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk, £151,295. 23 Jim Sheridan, Lab, Paisley and Renfrewshire North, £151,272. 24 Gordon Banks, Lab, Ochil and South Perthshire, £151,260. 25 Jim McGovern, Lab, Dundee West, £149,098. 26 Ian Davidson, Lab, Glasgow South West, £148,678. 27 Will Rennie, Lib Dem, Dunfermline and West Fife, £147,685. 28 John Robertson, Lab, Glasgow North West, £147,599. 29 Sir Robert Smith, LibDem, West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, £147,388. 30 Pete Wishart, SNP, Perth and North Perthshire, £147,142. 31 Jim Murphy, Lab, East Renfrewshire, £147,121. 32 Anne McGuire, Lab, Stirling, £146,705. 33 Tommy McAvoy, Lab, Rutherglen and Hamilton West, £145,770. 34 Mark Lazarowicz, Lab, Edinburgh North and Leith, £145,184. 35 John Barrett, LibDem, Edinburgh West, £144,427.
36Tom Clarke, Lab, Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill, £144,246. 37 Sir Menzies Campbell, Lib Dem, North East Fife, £142,810. 38 Stewart Hosie, SNP, Dundee East, £142,628. 39 Jo Swinson, LibDem, East Dunbartonshire, £141,392. 40 Mike Weir, SNP, Angus, £140,681. 41 Gavin Strang, Lab, Edinburgh East, £137,769. 42 Des Browne, Lab, Kilmarnock and Loudoun, £137,346. 43 Alistair Darling, Lab, Edinburgh South West, £136,854. 44 Anne Moffat, Lab, East Lothian, £136,483. 45 Charles Kennedy, LibDem, Ross, Skye and Lochaber, £135,769. 46 Gordon Brown, Lab, Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, £135,525. 47 John Thurso, LibDem, Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, £134,592.
48John Reid, Lab, Airdrie and Shotts, £133,613. 49 David Hamilton, Lab, Midlothian, £133,384. 50 Alan Reid, LibDem, Argyll and Bute, £133,049. 51 Douglas Alexander, Lab, Paisley and Renfrewshire South, £131,383. 52 Ann McKechin, Lab, Glasgow North, £131,351. 53 John MacDougall, Lab, Glenrothes, £130,150. 54 David Marshall, Lab, Glasgow East, £129,653. 55 David Cairns, Lab, Inverclyde, £126,852. 56 Sandra Osborne, Lab, Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock, £123,731. 57 Jimmy Hood, Lab, Lanark and Hamilton East, £123,173. 58 Adam Ingram, Lab, East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow, £104,667. 59 Michael Martin, Lab, Glasgow North East, £82,286.
MPs came under fire last night after it was revealed their taxpayer-funded expenses bill rose by nearly three times the rate of inflation last year.
They claimed £87.6 million for London housing, staff and office costs, travel, stamps, IT and stationery, around 5 per cent up on the like-for-like figure for 2005/6 and an average of £135,813.
Shahid Malik, the Labour MP for Dewsbury and international development minister submitted the biggest overall claim of £185,421, including £21,266 on postage.
The TaxPayers' Alliance group said MPs should be "ashamed".
MPs claimed £87.6m in allowances last year - a like-for-like rise of around 5% on the sum for the previous 12 months. The cash includes money for travel by MPs and their staff, London homes, office costs, computers and stationery. The highest claims was made by West Yorkshire MP Shahid Malik who claimed £184,421. The Welsh MP with the highest claim was Ogmore MP Huw Irranca-Davies - the 49th highest overall - who spent £155,115. Mr Irranca-Davies said, "I am very glad that all the allowances are out in the open, I think it's one of the best things the Government did. "I'm pleased people can see that we are accountable. "The work we do includes extensive number of surgeries, we hold more than 80 every year, in every community. "In addition we have 7,500 cases on our files, and we employ three or four full-time members of staff.
"We give good value for money, and if I could do more for my constituents, whether its helping them with tax credit issues or things literally outside their front door, I would." The Welsh MP who claimed the least was Swansea West's Alan Williams, who claimed £92, 980. Dai Davies, the independent MP for Blaenau Gwent, claimed £94, 940. Liberal Democrat MP Nick Harvey, who represents the Members Estimate Committee, said British taxpayers received "excellent value for money" compared to those in other countries. He said, "As well as playing a vital role in the House of Commons in debates, law making and scrutiny, MPs have to undertake frequent journeys between the constituency and Westminster and elsewhere. "They also have to ensure that offices are fully staffed and properly equipped and provide the level of support and communication increasingly expected and demanded by constituents."
All the payments to MPs were subject to "careful control and scrutiny" and was being opened to the public in ever more detail - including the additions of information this year on the modes of transport each used.
"To repeat a comment I made last year, compared to parliamentarians in other countries this represents excellent value for money."
Matthew Elliott, chief executive of pressure group the TaxPayers' Alliance, took a different view. He said MPs should be "ashamed of themselves". "Families are struggling to pay higher tax bills while MPs are spending more and more of our money on themselves each year," he added.: Where Welsh MPs stand in the overall rankings:The top five 49. Huw Irranca-Davies, Ogmore £155,115 92. Hywel Williams, Caernarfon £149,278 114. Chris Ruane, Vale of Clwyd £148,336 131. Nia Griffith, Llanelli £147,298 156. Adam Price, Carmarthen East and Dinefwr £145,929 The bottom five 546. Ian Lucas, Wrexham £120,976 565. John Smith, Vale of Glamorgan £118,496 593. David Davies, Monmouth £113,376 637. Dai Davies, Blaenau Gwent £94,940 641. Alan Williams, Swansea West £92,980
MPs racked up almost £88million in expenses last year - a five per cent rise.
The bill for travel, staff and office costs, London homes, stationery and computers rose at nearly three times last month's 1.8 per cent inflation rate.
The £87.6million comes on top of salaries that s
