There has been news circulating that MPs have been given and extra £10,000 income to help with additional costs during this current COVID-19 situation. The money is not income to MPs. It is an additional sum made availble in MPs budgets, allocated by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. If not needed it will not be claimed. It is not avaialble for any purpose other than enabling offices to continue to operate.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, said:
"It is wrong to characterise this extra £10,000 allocated by IPSA as MPs giving themselves additional funds. On the contrary, this money is being used to enable MPs' staff to set up home working to support distressed constituents at a time of crisis. Many MPs have seen their casework soar as a direct result of coronavirus.
“Enabling staff to work remotely is the best and the safest way for them - and the constituents they are in contact with - to communicate and work together during these difficult times. The additional budget is there to draw down on if it is needed and required - and it will have to be accounted for in the usual way."
In my own office we have managed to get staff working from home at little additional cost by borrowing laptops from a central pool in Parliament. So far I have not needed to draw on this funding.
