Author: simon
MP Andrew Turner To Repay Some Expenses (Update 3)
Thursday, 17th December, 2009 at 11:21 am, Isle of Wight
Following the review of MPs expenses, by Sir Thomas Legg, Isle of Wight MP Andrew Turner has been asked to repay some of the expenses that he claimed.
The Legg report to the Members Estimate Committee will say
“Mr Turner was paid £681.60 in 2006/07 for mortgage insurance, which is not an allowable expense. (The claim was made on his behalf while he was away ill).”
Today Mr Turner said:
“As Sir Thomas points out this claim was made on my behalf whilst I was recovering from a stroke. The expenditure had been incurred in the preceding year and like every other claim I have made was supported by documentary evidence. I am disappointed that such an error was made as the claim was prepared in close co-operation with the Parliamentary Fees Office. However, this is my responsibility and I have repaid the sum in full to the House of Commons.”
Background
Obviously MPs expenses were all over the media earlier this year.
VB reported Andrew Turner’s in detail back in May.
When the paperwork was officially published, we also poured over them.
He was asked back in the middle of October to provide more details, in common with other MPs.
Following Sir Christopher Kelly publishing his recommendations on how MPs expenses could be reformed, a detailed review of all MPs expenses was announced back in November.
Andrew Turner responded.
Most recently, at the beginning of the month, all MPs expenses were all published.
image: woodleywonderworks under CC BY 2.0
Related posts:
- Andrew Turner On His MP Expenses – Statement
Below is the statement from Andrew Turner on his expenses.... - Andrew Turner Responds to Kelly MP Expenses Report
Full response from Andrew Turner.... - MP Andrew Turner Reveals His View Of MPs Expenses Being Secret
Remember the news that the government backed out of trying... - MP Andrew Turner Asked For More Documentation By Legg Enquiry (UPDATED)
MP asked for more documentation... - Telegraph MP Expenses Spotlight Turns On Andrew Turner: Full Details
Andrew Turner received _the_ letter from the Telegraph asking detailed...
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Schadenfreude? No! Just very sad that our MP has
had to apologise again – Will there be more
revelation, more errors and more apologies?
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As you well know, this has been a very very thorough investigation. All of our Mp’s expenses claims have been gone through with a fine toothed comb. This one simple error was made by a staff member while he was absent, having suffered a stroke.
Your constant sniping borders on the libelous in my opinion. To avoid defamation I’d be very careful where you make your dodgy anti Tory comments if I were you. The nastier national newspapers haven’t given Mr Turner a hard time, why do you, unless for selfish political purposes?
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because he’s our MP!!!!
I wonder, and its complete guesswork, would the money have been repayed if he had not been ‘found out’.
We can only ponder!
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Libellous? What I write is without fear or favour.
Are you going to sue me Caring Lady? At least if you did we would know just who you were.
Come out of the closet my dear.
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The National Newspaper are only after the big fish;
surely you must understand this madam.
Big fish make the bigger splash.
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Caring lady wrote,[All of our Mp’s expenses claims have been gone through with a fine toothed comb.]
I agree, then out came the black ink.
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If either the inland revenue or my employer trawled through five years worth of my expenditure and rpts they would probably find some mistakes. I wouldn’t bet on them finding me 100% error free.
For Mr Smith to make a song and dance about one bill claimed in his absence is evidence that some people will always find fault if they want to.
No doubt anyone that thinks Mr Turner has been profligate will choose not to vote for him in a few months time. That’s democracy.
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Caring lady,
You are defending the indefensible.
I do not make the news – I do not make mistakes in my accounts – I do not employ an accountant to check my accounts and income tax returns.
I am not smearing anyone; our MPs are quite capable of doing that for themselves.
Only one bill Caring Lady? Good job MPs have plenty of black ink, and why do they all keep apologising and paying the money back to the Chancellor for what they have wrongly claimed?
‘Profligate’! At the very least incompetence.
Unlike you madam, I give you my name, I do feel that a letter submitted with a name carries far more credibility; just a though. If you write to the editor of CP, you must give your name address and telephone number; makes it much more authentic, you must agree.
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Well said Don I hope uncaring lady gets the message .
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you may very well be amiss in your accounts…but then we don’t vote for you :-)
It is not ‘one bill’ as well you know. Trying to ignore 4/5 months worth of posts on ATs expenses, which is his 1st home and which his 2nd, the electorate paying for his industrial tribunial payments and his employees ‘training’ courses does not add up to one bill, which he may or may not have paid back if found our.
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Photo. shoots and Q&A with school children is not the answer Andrew. Time you (or your aide) put pen to paper; that would allow us to put some questions to you or your aide. Continually apologising is not acceptable.
This issue will not go away. so erase all the irrelevant black ink and let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.
You could use any of the media’s to give your point of view and it would put an end to all this innuendo.
I will not let this issue go away until we have been given full, unadulterated transparency.
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After my long autumn break, I am on holiday until the 4th Jan. 2010. No more ‘Posts’(Unless) and I’m spending more of my cash on e-bay or maybe another two weeks in Lanzarote. In an emergency…Tough
I’m resting.
Merry Xmas to one and all and may 2010 bring you all much happiness and joy.
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Lucky you, sounds like you must have more than a state pension Mr Smith? See you next year, have a good break. I did believe you said you’d been to the Mp’s office to examine his unredacted figures? No wonder you need a holiday!
Mr Wareham is obviously a very cautious and thorough man. He must be if he can claim so certainly never to make even minor mistakes with his accounts. I wonder what he does for a living?
Whatever it is, perhaps he’d become a full time assistant, if and when Mrs Wareham convinces enough of the great unwashed to vote liberal rather than tory. I’m backing her! We girls must stick together.
No5 should know that any emloyer fighting a staff member at an employment tribunal is entitled to charge the cost to their business. It’s a business expense in the accounts. In most circumstances, we the taxpayer fund these cases. The money won doesn’t come from the bosses wage packet. Turner did nothing any other employer wouldn’t do. In the modern world, these things happen all too often.
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Rubbish..the money came from the tax-payer
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Caring Lady Don Smith said that not me.I thought you were a bit harsh on Don he wasn,t only critical about Andrew Turner but Parliamentarians in general.
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Caring Lady, I do wish you would read the ‘Posts’ more carefully.
I did visit Andrew Turner MP but it was not to scrutinize his blackened out expense receipts, etceteras.
We had a good chat, and all I will tell you is that I was informed that no one had been to his office to scrutinize his accounts; just what I had suspected
That’s all I am prepared to inform you of regarding my visit to see our MP.
And after thirty-seven years serving Queen and country. I do have an other income – And very well deserved. Options open to any able-bodied person.
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Nobby Wareham is a fisherman!
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Doh! I said it came from the taxpayer. That’s because the cost of employees is always a legitimate business expense. Turner did what anyone would have done with this kind of employment tribunal. If it happened in my business or anyone elses it would be an allowable expense against tax. Whatever way you look at it, we taxpayers fund employment tribunals and any payout awwarded.
This is a long way from the massive fiddles some Mp’s have been involved with from all parties.
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The basic pay of our MP is about half what the IW Council pays its senior civil servants. Can someone tell me what Steve Beynon’s pay is, and what expenses he claims in addition – and he doesn’t have to commute to London to do his job. Remember Joe Duckworth’s £100,000 “relocation allowance” for coming here for 2 years – and he didn’t even “relocate”.
The “expenses” system for MPs was devised to enable them to run their office and meet their other responsibilities, because the great British public apparently expect their elected representatives to be paid peanuts while the Whitehall mandarins (many of whom earn more than the Prime Minister) keep a low profile.
It was a big mistake. If our MPs were paid a decent salary to include expenses of the job such as housing and travel, plus a fixed office allowance, and then had to justify claiming expenses to the Inland Revenue, we wouldn’t be going through the trauma and costs of the current investigations.
I have known all the Island MPs going back to Peter Macdonald (MP 1924-1959), who rarely spoke in the House and came within a whisker of being unseated by Labour in 1945. If you want financial exploitation you don’t have to look further than Mark Woodnutt. I don’t have any political axe to grind (I’ve got County Press photos of me with Stephen Ross) but Andrew Turner is probably the most “hands-on” of all of them. Despite the time out during his illness, he has worked tirelessly for his constituents, and it is a pity if Islanders concentrate on this charade by dragging him over the coals for £681 paid by his office while he was sick, and don’t recognise what an effective job he does.
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Simon, I think you made a Freudian slip in pouring over Andrew Turner’s papers, instead of poring over them.
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Not on holiday – weather – trains and planes.
Stuff them all, just like the turkey. Good job I paid with my plastic, yes! Caring lady, I do have more than the state pension, I worked thirty- seven years for Queen and country, every able- bodied person has that option.
You will please to note that I am not going to keep quiet about what has become a threat to our democracy. Sedition! I hear someone cry.
Yes! ‘Watchdog’ (who ever you are) you make some good points. We are not just talking about the things that have leaked out and apologies made. I am more concerned by the lack of openness and total transparency. Many MPs are still whining and some should be behind bars. Not one prosecution – Why?
The majority of MPs have second, third and even up to twenty other jobs; most are on the make. How do you think they become millionaires and multi-millionaires? Why does Cameron want to be in politics? He doesn’t need the money – How many of his old Eton chums will be elevated to the House of Lords if he ever becomes PM (God help us)?
I do agree that the salaries and perks of our top council employees want regulating; Many should take a cut in salary; their salaries are, in this depressing period, bordering on criminal. Who actually controls their pay and perks. Yes! Just like the Westminster lot they do it between themselves. I wonder if you can be prosecuted for sedition? It is obvious you can not be prosecuted for fraud if you work at Westminster.
Did you watch the MPs farewell firework display?
Tow fingers! Carbon footprint; the farce of the summit in Copenhagen. Prince Charles poking his big snout into things. And here I am, sat in a light that reminds me of a gas mantle in years gone by.
Merry Xmas to all and do not forget to say thanks (small tip) to the public servants that work for a living.
PS: I will never fly with BA ever again.
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BA called off their strike. It was never going to happen. I hope you don’t lose your money.
If you don’t mind my saying, It’s people like you Sir who have brought this country to its knees, not a handful of dodgy Mps. We’re paying all former state workers far more than we can afford in index linked pensions. It really is bankrupting the country. And British Airways!
By the way, I don’t blame you lot, I blame the politicians who know this but lack the stomach to put a stop to it. At least BA are trying.
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Handful Helen!
Add the hundreds of MPs who have been on the gravy train to the number of members of the House of Lords who have, and are still milking the system and that amounts to a very big handful.
It’s on par to a brigade of troops.
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