MPs must repay
MPs have been ordered to repay a total of
Former judge Sir Paul Kennedy upheld a number of appeals by MPs against the repayment demands, resulting in the recommended figure in a long-awaited review by Sir Thomas Legg being lowered by £185,000.
Sir Thomas condemned the Westminster system as "deeply flawed", saying in his executive summary the "rules were vague, and MPs were themselves self-certifying as to the propriety of their use of the allowance".
There was also a "prevailing lack of transparency" and officials had a "culture of deference" to MPs.
"A particular challenge has proved to be the widespread lack of proper evidence on the record from MPs to support substantial payments, especially of mortgage interest, even though this was expressly required by the rules," added Sir Thomas.
Copyright © Press Association 2010
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