The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.

Letter from Marcial Boo, March 2015:

As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about travel expenditure.

IPSA has not made an assessment of the effects of the discontinuation of the East Coast Rewards Scheme. We will continue to reimburse the costs of travel necessarily incurred for the performance of MPs’ parliamentary functions, in accordance with the MPs’ Scheme of Business Costs and Expenses.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.

Letter from Marcial Boo, January 2015:

As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about publication of MPs' business costs and expenses.

IPSA routinely publishes on our website all costs incurred by MPs and claimed from us. In doing so, we set out to which budget the cost relates; for example, office costs or staffing. In doing so, we set out which budget each cost relates to, whether to the office cost, staffing or other budget.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.

Letter from Marcial Boo, October 2014:

As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about office accommodation for MPs' staff.

We have not conducted such a comparative estimate.

Under the MPs’ Scheme of Business Costs and Expenses, MPs may choose where to locate their staff, based on how they wish to carry out their parliamentary functions. If an MP chooses to base some or all of his or her staff in the constituency, the costs associated with office rental may be charged to the MP’s Office Costs Expenditure budget (administered and paid for by IPSA). Costs associated with provision of an office on the Parliamentary estate are borne by the House of Commons centrally.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.

Letter from Marcial Boo, October 2014:

As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about the criteria for additional staffing expenditure budget.

The MPs’ Scheme of Business Costs and Expenses sets out the criteria for contingency funding in Chapter 10. We consider applications for additional funding for staffing or non-staffing costs on a case-by-case basis and take into account the following criteria:

• whether there are exceptional circumstances warranting additional support;
• whether the MP could reasonably have been expected to take any action to avoid the circumstances which gave rise to the expenditure or liability; and
• whether the MP's performance of his or her parliamentary functions would be significantly impaired by a refusal of the claim.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.

Letter from Marcial Boo, October 2014:

As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about IPSA's consultation on the staffing expenditure budget.

IPSA last consulted the public and MPs on the composition of the staffing expenditure budget in November 2011. We asked on what basis we should calculate the staffing expenditure budget and whether we should take into account factors such as the relative deprivation of the constituency. The relevant consultation question received 45 responses, four of which mentioned interns. All of our public consultations and the responses are available on our website www.parliamentarystandards.org.uk

Following the consultation, for 2012-13 we increased MPs’ staffing expenditure budgets by 19% for non-London Area MPs and 25 per cent for London Area MPs.

We have reviewed the level of the staffing expenditure budget as part of subsequent annual reviews and further increased the budget by 1 per cent this year. For 2014-15 the budget is £138,600 for non-London Area MPs and £145,500 for London Area MPs.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.

Letter from Marcial Boo, July 2014:

As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about IPSA staffing.

29 of our current employees have worked for IPSA since 2010. Of those 29, 17 have remained at the same grade and received pay rises of 1% in 2012 and 2013.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.

Letter from Marcial Boo, July 2014:

As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about contracted out services.

Contracted out expenditure has been interpreted as all third party expenditure and the data are set out in the below table.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.

Letter from Marcial Boo, July 2014:

As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about the loss of IT equipment.

In 2013 and 2014 to date, no mobile telephones, BlackBerrys or laptops were lost by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.

Letter from Paul Hayes, dated May 2014:

As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about the number of staff employed by IPSA.

The below data include individuals on permanent and fixed-term contracts and on secondment. Data are not available for temporary staff, who in June 2010 made up the majority of our workforce.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Substantive answer from Charles Walker to David Davis:

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.

Letter from Andrew McDonald, March 2013:

As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about the engagement of Matrix Chambers. Counsel from Matrix Chambers were identified as one of IPSA's preferred legal Counsel as part of a tender exercise for legal services in 2010.

Accordingly, Counsel from Matrix Chambers were instructed by IPSA's solicitors, Addleshaw Goddard LLP, in connection with the matter in March 2013.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.

Letter from Andrew McDonald:

As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about IPSA's Contingency Panel.

The rules concerning the Contingency Panel are set out at Paragraph 10.12 of the MPs' Scheme of Business Costs and Expenses.

They set out that in relation to each application the Contingency Panel will consider:

a. whether there are exceptional circumstances warranting additional support;

b. whether the MP could reasonably have been expected to take any action to avoid the circumstances which gave rise to the expenditure or liability; and

c. whether the MP's performance of parliamentary functions will be significantly impaired by a refusal of the claim.

Given the significant increase in staffing budgets made in 2012/13, we have not provided contingency funding for MPs' staffing expenditure budgets on the basis of increased casework in 2013/14.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.

Letter from Andrew McDonald:

As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about IPSA's Contingency Panel.

In 2012/13 the highest uplift approved by the Contingency Panel was £13,909 and the lowest was £600.

In 2013/14 to date, the highest has been £17,900 and the lowest £600.

These figures do not include other uplifts to provide cover for staff on maternity, paternity, adoption and long term sick leave.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.

Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated March 2013:

As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about the IPSA Contingency Panel.

The Panel is chaired by the Director of Policy and Communications. Other members of the panel are the Director of Finance and Operations (or a representative), the Head of Validation and MP Support, the Head of Payroll, the Head of Policy and the Policy Manager. Others will attend according to the topics being discussed.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.

Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated March 2013:

As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about increased staffing expenditure budgets.

There have been no MPs who have received higher staffing expenditure budgets as a result of increased demand for assistance from constituents in 2013-14. A small number of MPs have received increased budgets this year as a result of commitments entered into before this financial year.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.

Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated March 2013:

As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about MPs' staffing budgets.

If all MPs were to spend up to the limit for staffing expenditure in 2013-14 set out in the ‘MPs' Scheme of Business Costs and Expenses’, then the total expenditure by MPs on staffing costs in this financial year would be £89.8 million. Our estimate for 2013-14, however, includes provisions for £78.2 million on MPs' staffing. We expect this to be fully spent by the end of the financial year.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.

Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated March 2013:

As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about overtime paid to IPSA staff.

From April to December 2013, £4,567 was paid in overtime to IPSA staff.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.

Letter from Andrew McDonald, December 2013:

As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about briefing notes for the media provided with respect of the recent determination of MPs' pay.

No such briefing notes were prepared or given.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.

Letter from Andrew McDonald, December 2013:

As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about the determination of MPs' pay.

The determination on MPs' pay was made at the meeting of the Board on 5 December 2013.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.

Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated December 2013:

As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about contact between IPSA and the media.

We do not keep a record of our contact with media organisations.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.

Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated December 2013:

As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about hon. Members' future salaries.

We have no plans to produce a briefing note for MPs in addition to my letter to all MPs of 12 December 2013 and our report, published the same day. The background to our determination and the results of our consultation can be found in that report.

Copies of the report are available in the Vote Office and on our website:

www.parliamentarystandards.org.uk