Description of MPs' Allowances

1) Additional Costs Allowance (ACA): reimburses MPs for costs incurred when staying overnight away from their main home whilst performing parliamentary duties.

2) Incidental Expenses Provision (IEP): meets cost of accommodation for office or surgery use; equipment and supplies for office or surgery; work commissioned or other services; and certain travel and communications.

3) Staffing Allowance: enables MP to engage staff (in 2001/02 a new system for MPs’ allowances was introduced. Most MPs transferred at the end of June 2001 from the old system to the new system.

4) Members’ Travel: subject to certain rules, free tickets or reimbursement of mileage for travel on parliamentary business within the UK, plus European travel.

5) Members’ Staff Travel: Each MP is entitled to a total of 18 single journeys, shared between all employees, per calendar year between Westminster and the constituency boundary.

6) Centrally Purchased Stationery: the cost of items including stationery with pre-paid postage for use in direct connection with an MP’s parliamentary duties. The 2001-02 and 2002-03 figures do not include associated postage costs.

7) Centrally Provided Computer Equipment: cost of equipment supplied on loan to each MP. Provision is for up to 1 laptop, 3 desktop PCs, 2 CD rewriters and 1 or 2 printers. The costs show the asset value spread over a 4-year period.

8) Other Costs: incurred from central budgets, including temporary secretarial allowance which pays for additional help when staff are absent due to sickness; central contributions to security costs for the office; resettlement grant; ill-health retirement grant; and winding-up allowance paid to defeated or retiring MPs or representatives of deceased MPs.