Members: Allowances

Mr. Maude
To ask the Leader of the House (1) what the level of the communications allowance for hon. Members is in 2007-08; and what it will be in 2008-09;

(2) whether the communications allowance may be spent on payments to political parties for the provision of communications services on (a) commercial and (b) non-commercial terms;

(3) what her definition is of campaigning with regard to the prohibition of the use of communications allowance for campaigning;

(4) what the maximum financial amount in cash terms is in 2007-08 that can be transferred to communications allowance from (a) incidental expenses provision and (b) staffing allowance;

(5) what guidance has been published on using party political descriptions in literature financed under the communications allowance.

Helen Goodman
The communications allowance was introduced on 1 April 2007. It was set by the House at a level of £10,000 p.a. It will increase in April each year by the annual rise in the retail price index as at 31 December of the preceding year.

The purpose of the allowance is to meet the cost of proactive communications by Members to their constituents. The rules and guidance in the Green Book, as approved by the Members Estimate Committee are set out and published in July 2007.

Members must avoid any arrangement which may give rise to an accusation that public money is being diverted for the benefit of a political organisation. Campaigning, which is prohibited by the rules, is understood to be the use of parliamentary funds to seek to gain a party or sectional electoral advantage.

The allowance rules in the Green Book permit Members the flexibility to transfer money between allowances so that they can use the available funds to meet the needs of their constituents more efficiently. Members may transfer up to 10 per cent. from their staffing allowance and 100 per cent. from their incidental expenses provision to the communications allowance.

The Members Estimate Committee undertook to consider and where necessary review the rules and guidance in the light of experience.