Andrew MacKay MP Repayment

12.46.24pm GMT Mon 8th Feb 2010

Andrew MacKay MP and his wife may have repaid almost £60,000 of the Additional Costs Allowance they claimed between 2004 and 2009 but this hardly leaves them out of pocket.

Since the figures for this allowance were first published in 2001-2, Andrew MacKay and his wife, Julie Kirkbride MP, have claimed £285,000 towards the cost of their 'second' homes. Had the Legg review included this earlier period, a further payment of £35,000 would have been required, based on the application of the two-thirds rule for joint ownership.

Painful though the repayments may have been, the application of the 'two-thirds' rule seems to have been extremely generous in this case. At least half, and may be even the full amount, should have been repaid. As it is, each MP has only repaid one third. The result is a further saving of nearly £30,000!

Both MPs are still receiving salaries in excess of £60,000 a year and claiming allowances, which in Mr MacKay's case, totalled nearly £140,000 in 2008/9. When they stand down they will each be able to claim a winding-up allowance of up to £37,000, to cover the cost of any outstanding Parliamentary business.

They will also be able to claim a much reduced resettlement allowance of about £10,000 each, in addition to their substantial pension entitlements, but haven't they already claimed enough from the public purse?

In the circumstances many will feel that Andrew MacKay has got off extremely lightly. Stepping down of course was his only option and he should have gone much sooner.

Ray Earwicker

Lib Dem Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Bracknell