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Office Allowances

Oral Answers to Questions — Wales – in the House of Commons at 11:30 am on 2 November 2005.

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Photo of Ian Lucas Ian Lucas Labour, Wrexham 11:30, 2 November 2005

Pursuant to his oral answer of 20 July 2005, Hansard, columns 1240–41, what discussions he has had with the National Assembly for Wales Government on the use made of office allowances.

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The oral answer to which the hon. Member refers is here: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2005-07-20a.1240.2

Submitted by Paul Mitchell

Photo of Peter Hain Peter Hain The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, The Secretary of State for Wales

Periodic ones. I believe that regional list Assembly Members are abusing taxpayers' money by setting up rival offices to Constituency Members by whom they were defeated to help them to reverse the results next time.

Photo of Ian Lucas Ian Lucas Labour, Wrexham

Members' allowances in this House have been in the news during the past week. Does my right hon. Friend agree that we should be vigilant in ensuring that expenditure incurred by Members of Parliament is used to serve our constituents rather than to promote the particular interests of individual political parties?

Photo of Peter Hain Peter Hain The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, The Secretary of State for Wales

I completely agree with my hon. Friend. It is significant that, of the 20 list Assembly Members representing regions of Wales rather than constituencies, 15 have established Constituency offices, funded by taxpayers, in the seats where they were last defeated, in order to run campaigns to try to reverse those results. That is a misuse of taxpayers' money. It is interesting that in Scotland and New Zealand, there are different—

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Would the Labour Party be so keen to concentrate their efforts on Regional Members if they had any Regional Members themselves? Could this be an attempt to change the rules in order to gain more Labour seats in Cardiff?

Submitted by Samantha La Roche

Photo of Michael Martin Michael Martin Chair, Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, Speaker of the House of Commons, Chair, Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

Order. Can the Secretary of State explain why this is his responsibility?

Photo of Peter Hain Peter Hain The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, The Secretary of State for Wales

Because the Government of Wales Bill will deal with this matter when I introduce it in a few months' time.

Photo of Michael Martin Michael Martin Chair, Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, Speaker of the House of Commons, Chair, Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

Then we will deal with it when the Government of Wales Bill comes before us.

constituency

In a general election, each Constituency chooses an MP to represent them. MPs have a responsibility to represnt the views of the Constituency in the House of Commons. There are 650 Constituencies, and thus 650 MPs. A citizen of a Constituency is known as a Constituent

Secretary of State

Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.