The authoritative guide to MPs allowances and expenses, and salaries and pensions, is the House of Commons "Green Book".

Reading through the booklet it could not be more evident - the regulations make it abundantly clear what expenses are allowable, and what are not.

On the first page speaker Michael Martin tells MPs: "Members themselves are responsible for ensuring that their use of allowances is above reproach".

A few pages down, Andrew Walker, Director of Finance and Administration, spells out : "It is your (MPs') responsibility to satisfy yourself that any expenditure claimed from the allowances has been wholly, exclusively and necessarily incurred for the purpose of performing your Parliamentary duties". (pg 3)

The booklet then goes on to outline in detail MPs salaries and allowances :

Basic salary 2008/09 : £63,291.

In addition MPs may claim :

Additional Costs Allowance (ACA) : Maximum Allowance : £23,083 - "to reimburse MPs for expenses wholly exclusively and necessarily incurred when staying overnight away from their main UK residence for the purpose of performing Parliamentary duties". (pg 10)

"You must ensure that arrangements for your ACA claims are above reproach and that there can be no grounds for a suggestion of misuse of public money". (pg 10)

"You should avoid purchases which could be seen as extravagant or luxurious". (pg 11)

190 MPs allowance claims have been revealed - out of 646 MPs.

Of the 190 there is barely a handful who have not claimed to the limit - ranging from the personal, incidental, and bizarre, through to large scale property gains. It’s estimated these run to £14 million in one year.

  • Phantom mortgages : claims for mortgage interest on "second home" (even third home) properties with no mortgage. Claiming over successive years - bogus claims as much as £70,000.
  • Property development: claiming for "second home" mortgage capital payments as well as allowable interest. Changing main and "second home" addresses (flipping) back and forth to claim maximum second home allowance. Selling most expensive property as "first home" and avoiding capital gains. Individual cases property capital gains over £100,000 .
  • Double usage of "first" and "second" homes: second homes being used for "other" business practices. Or being occupied by relatives, shared with relatives, or rented and sub-let. Or MP couples double claiming. Individual "ambiguous" claims up to £90,000 consecutive years.
  • Property maintenance: claims and payments up to £70,000 for maintenance and development of first and second home properties. Including: grounds maintenance, gardening, estate forestry work, home extensions, swimming pool cleaning, tennis court up-keep, moat clearing - entire property refurbishment and redecoration.
  • Private staff costs (unrelated to MP work): domestic staff, cleaning, house-keeping - up to £14,000 a year.
  • House-hold furnishings and utilities: furniture, sound systems, plasma TVs, cookers, fridges, washing machines, beds, luxury carpets, decorations, dining tables, dining sets, bathroom suits - whole new kitchens. No cost spared - claims for main and second homes up to £70,000 consecutive years.

It’s a tsunami of excessive claiming, demolishing the principle of expenses "wholly, exclusively, and necessarily incurred when staying overnight away from your main UK residence" and "you should avoid purchases which could be seen as extravagant or luxurious".

One by one MPs are saying: "sorry", “it was a mistake"; “it was an "error"; “I was wrongly advised by the expenses office.”

These MPs have filled out official forms dozens of pages long, claiming mortgage interest payments on mortgage-free property, and signed the form at the end, and that is a mistake? An error of judgement? They didn't "mean" to fill out and sign the form?

Claims for luxury furniture, plasma TVs, and exotic carpets, swimming pool and tennis court upkeep, and tax free capital gains - how can any of these claims be called mistakes, or errors, and not deliberate?

If they were “errors”, then what do we say of MPs who cannot read and understand their own basic guide book on the subject? MPs who think that "necessary" claims for expenses "wholly, exclusively, and necessarily incurred when staying away overnight" means maintaining mansions, and buying luxury goods for multiple homes?

It is astonishing that MPs who have claimed excessively - contrary to all the clear guiding principles in their own guide books (you should avoid purchases which could be seen as extravagant or luxurious) - think all will be well if they hand back their over-claims and are prepared to step down.

Well done Mr or Mrs MP.

So it’s okay for employees throughout the land to appropriate all they can from their employer, or public funds, and when caught out simply pay back and walk away ?

It’s okay for fraudsters and thieves when caught to say sorry, offer to hand back what they have taken, and go off home?

Surely the way forward is repayment in all cases, with an appropriate fine - double what has been claimed "inappropriately". For the more severe cases, prosecution under the 2007 Fraud Act. On conviction, recovery of all property and gains from fraudulent claims, and forfeit of all pension rights.

I believe the public view is that this is all a matter now for law and law officers - not for politicians. For the first time in history we are looking behind powerful public images into the fine details of MP's lives, and we are disgusted.

People expect real accountability, as when any benefit claimants abuse allowances. Serious offenders should be prosecuted and penalised, and nothing less.

NB Apologies to all the fair and hard working MPs doing a great job. Sorry Parliament is shot through with so many duffers and cheats. And what of the House of noble Lords, with overnight allowances of £165 per night, more than a single parent with two children has to live on for a whole week?

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What the Green Book regulations say

Additional Costs Allowance are to "reimburse MPs for expenses wholly exclusively and necessarily incurred when staying overnight away from their main UK residence for the purpose of performing Parliamentary duties". (pg 10)

"You must ensure that arrangements for your ACA claims are above reproach and that there can be no grounds for a suggestion of misuse of public money". (pg 10)

"You must avoid any arrangement which may give rise to an accusation that you are, or someone close to you is, obtaining an immediate benefit or subsidy from public funds". (pg 10)

"You must make sure that you do not claim twice for any element of these costs."

(pg 10) "You must inform the Department if you are claiming ACA in respect of a property which you share with another Member". (pg 10)

"You are strongly advised to avoid subletting or renting out any part of a property for which you claim the additional costs allowance." (pg 10)

"You should avoid purchases which could be seen as extravagant or luxurious". (pg 11)