Should the MP weekly grocery allowance be higher than dole?

[barleycorn]

Should MPs just be paid dole? After ann they do not require any more money than that do they?

 

What kind of people would we get as MPs if we paid them a pittance in wages?

 

Rich ones i.e. those who already have a great deal of personal wealth.

 

jb

 

ETA: MPs first started getting paid in 1911 with an annual salary of £400 (equivalent to ~£33,000 today)

[tinfoilhat]

Foie gras and lobster tails cost a lot more than a trip to tesco or the local greengrocer old chap.

 

Is this allowance just a for an mps sustenance (in which case it should be zero) or is it for tea and bickies for when you (or whoever) goes to an mps surgery etc ?

[andygardener]

Is this allowance just a for an mps sustenance (in which case it should be zero) or is it for tea and bickies for when you (or whoever) goes to an mps surgery etc ?

 

Looking at their latest rules it's an overnight subsistence allowance of £25 per night spent away from their main home on parliamentary business.

 

Not a huge amount (I remember getting a fair bit more than that in real terms 15 years ago) but only if they're staying in a hotel. As I understand it we pay for second homes near the capital for them so food and drink shouldn't cost them any more whichever residence they're at so I can't see why subsistence allowance is needed.

[ricgem2002]

Should MPs just be paid dole? After ann they do not require any more money than that do they?

 

What kind of people would we get as MPs if we paid them a pittance in wages?

look at the people we got paying them a lot of money:huh:

[francypants]

look at the people we got paying them a lot of money:huh:

 

They still weren't satisfied with the huge wages either were they ? They fiddled their expenses too.

[Magilla]

Never seen a poll like this one, pretty much everyone thinks they should pay for their food out of their wages, like everybody else.

 

The thing is though, there is an assumption that it's "their" food, whereas the reality is it's probably food for hospitality as part of their job.

 

Unfortunately you didn't include a link to clarify what the allowance was actually for.

 

I'd wager most people would change their tune if their job entailed taking people out to lunch and they were expected to pay for that lunch out of their own pocket.

 

(I didn't vote in the poll).

[Cyclone]

The thing is though, there is an assumption that it's "their" food, whereas the reality is it's probably food for hospitality as part of their job.

 

Unfortunately you didn't include a link to clarify what the allowance was actually for.

 

I'd wager most people would change their tune if their job entailed taking people out to lunch and they were expected to pay for that lunch out of their own pocket.

 

(I didn't vote in the poll).

 

Do you think that they have a grocery allowance in order to cook for guests? If it were a hospitality allowance then it would be called that, but I expect that their departments pay directly for such things.

[Magilla]

Do you think that they have a grocery allowance in order to cook for guests?

 

I don't know, the OP hasn't included enough information to make that determination one way or the other.

 

Googling it suggested the claim was false:-

 

http://www.latentexistence.me.uk/mps-expenses-and-other-inaccurate-claims/

 

I couldn't find anything concrete one way or the other, though confess I only spent a couple of mins looking.

 

If it were a hospitality allowance then it would be called that, but I expect that their departments pay directly for such things.

 

If you say so, I wouldn't know. Maybe the OP can clarify where the information came from (and when)?

[andygardener]

The thing is though, there is an assumption that it's "their" food, whereas the reality is it's probably food for hospitality as part of their job.

 

Unfortunately you didn't include a link to clarify what the allowance was actually for.

 

I'd wager most people would change their tune if their job entailed taking people out to lunch and they were expected to pay for that lunch out of their own pocket.

 

(I didn't vote in the poll).

 

As I mentioned above, it's a fixed subsistence payment for nights spent away from their main home on parliamentary business. It's not receipt based so it can be spent on anything,

 

The latest available copy of the green book is here

 

Relevant part is -

 

Subsistence

A flat-rate sum of £25 may be claimed for any night

which a Member spends away from his or her main home

on parliamentary business. No other payment in respect of

subsistence may be claimed

[Magilla]

As I mentioned above, it's a fixed subsistence payment for nights spent away from their main home on parliamentary business. It's not receipt based so it can be spent on anything,

 

The latest available copy of the green book is here

 

Relevant part is -

 

Subsistence

A flat-rate sum of £25 may be claimed for any night

which a Member spends away from his or her main home

on parliamentary business. No other payment in respect of

subsistence may be claimed

 

Ahh I see, that makes the poll results even more surprising (IMV).