A very British response

Various news sources have reported today that the new body being setup to scrutinise MPs expenses will cost 6 times as much to setup as what is being claimed back from MPs who broke expenses rules. The new government department will cost about £6.6 Million to setup, most of this money being spent on accommodation and new IT systems. The new body called The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has replaced the Commons Fees Office. If this new body is being setup to replace another, why does it simply not use the offices and equipment that is being used by the current department?

Whilst there is a need to spend on recruitment and small, amount on some new IT equipment. There is no need to purchase offices for the new department when it can simply occupy the offices of the old depart. This is ultimately a very British political response. Spend a lot of money to achieve very little except to make it look like the Government is trying to fix the problem. After all, it is politically better to appear to be fixing a problem than to actually do so but get no publicity. Image after all is everything results nothing.

The politicians who have the most to loss from the expenses report are Labour Mps Elliot Morley, Jim Devine and David Chaytor and Tory Peer Lord Hanningfield all of who will be charged under the Theft Act. All four have denied any charges.