Members' Payments and Allowances

Part of Business of the House – in the House of Commons at 12:28 pm on 22 January 2009.

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Photo of Nick Harvey Nick Harvey Shadow Secretary of State for Defence 12:28, 22 January 2009

I was interested by the answer the Leader of the House gave to Natascha Engel that if freedom of information requests seek to go further than her 26-category scheme, the House will accede to those requests. The House announced last July after the High Court ruling that we would publish down to receipt level. Today, the right hon. and learned Lady is introducing a 26-category scheme. If we are to be compelled to answer queries going down to receipt level in the way she has described, will we not in fact be leaving randomly in the hands of freedom of information applicants the decision as to which Members' information comes out to receipt level and which Members' information simply comes down to a category level? Has not this House previously always taken the view that the rule for one is the rule for all?