The expenses scandal brought the reputation of Parliament into disrepute and I shared the anger of the general public at the abuse of taxpayers’ money. That is why I pledged to be open and transparent about my own expenses.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority will be publishing our expenses on a quarterly basis but I intend to publish my own expenses more regularly. In March 2011, IPSA made some changes to what I can claim. Unlike my predecessor, from May 2010 I was not allowed to claim for a second home allowance but this has been reviewed and from April 2011 I am eligible now to do so. In order to make my expenses as transparent as possible, from April 2011 (the start of the new financial year) I have broken my claims into two categories: claims that are effectively office costs i.e. those relating to suppliers, and claims which are personal expenses i.e second home allowance. Despite being eligible, I have no intention to claim for food or travel costs to and from or around the constituency.

You can find the details of my expenses to date below. The total for the financial year 2010-11 is now available. If you would like further details please do not hesitate to contact me directly via email.