MPs' food expenses claims really do take the biscuit
Following the continuing saga of MPs' expenses, I discovered, this week, following the publication (albeit it heavily censored), of all expenses, that MPs actually have a £100 per week allowance for food, and no receipts are required.
I queried this with our upstanding Mr Peter Bottomley, as he had claimed 100 x 28 for the year 2006 – 2007.
He replied that some MPs claim the 100 allowance 52 times a year.
I was pleased to see that David Cameron claimed nothing, nor did Gordon Brown, but the latter did appear to spend rather a lot of our money on gardening.
I have to ask, why on earth should we pay for an MP to eat? Surely that is why they are paid a salary?
And 100 is not far short of what we spend, for a family of four, per week, including extras like washing powder, toilet rolls, cleaning materials, etc. And from my salary, like most normal people.
So we buy them a second home, furnish it, pay its running costs and then pay for their food.
Surely if they are in their second home, they are not away from home, therefore they should buy their own food?
For me this takes the biscuit (excuse the pun).
Anthony Farrar
Compton Ave
Goring by Sea
NOTE: All letters must include a name and address which can be withheld by request.
Write in to Readers' Letters, Worthing Herald series, Cannon House, Chatsworth Road, Worthing, BN11 1NA, or email the Herald.
-------------------------------------
Click here for more readers' letters.
Where are you? Add your pin to the Herald's international readers' map by clicking here.
Email the Herald: letters@worthingherald.co.uk
Click here for the Herald staff directory.
Want to read this page in French, German, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, Urdu or 48 other languages? click here for Google translate.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Worthing
Tuesday 14 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 4 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 3 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North west
