Review of past ACA payments:
supplementary report
Decisions on further appeals
1. On 4 February we published Sir Thomas Legg's report
on past ACA[1] payments,
together with Sir Paul Kennedy's decisions on the appeals.[2]
When we agreed to publish that material, we also decided that
Members who had not had an opportunity to appeal before the December
deadline should be able to do so. Those affected were mainly Members
who had not submitted mortgage or rent information requested by
Sir Thomas in time for him to make recommendations, but there
were also several other Members who had not received relevant
letters in time or at all. The number of these further appeals
was 14, including two from former Members who contacted us after
Sir Thomas's report was published on 4 February.
2. The appeals have now been considered by Sir Paul
Kennedy, and the main purpose of the current report is to publish
his decisions on them. They are Appendix 1 of this report.
Correction of errors
3. We are also taking the opportunity to correct
several errors in Sir Thomas's report, as follows:
· Alan
Keen MP had repaid the full sum recommended. The report should
have said:[3]
Total repayments received since 1 April 2009: £1,321.85
Balance recommended to be repaid: £0.00
(The repayment by Mrs Ann Keen should have been lower
by a corresponding amount, though still leaving no balance to
be repaid.)
· John
Mark Taylor, a former Member, had repaid the full sum recommended.
The report should have said:[4]
Total repayments received since 1 April 2009: £2,123.45
Balance recommended to be repaid: £0.00
· For
Diana Organ, a former Member, the repayment recommended should
have been £14,901.34, rather than £15,964.01.[5]
· For Ann Clwyd
MP, the reduction on appeal was £2,650.62 rather than £2,360.62.[6]
We also note that Huw Irranca Davies MP repaid less
than the full sum recommended only because he was wrongly informed
by the review team of the amount outstanding.
Further repayments
4. As regards current Members, all the remaining
sums listed in Sir Thomas Legg's report as balances recommended
to be repaid (adjusted if appropriate by the appeal decisions
published in this volume) have either been repaid or in 13 cases
are covered by an agreement to repay. By 31 July all the agreements
to repay should have been fulfilled.
5. As regards former Members, almost all have repaid
the sums recommended for repayment by Sir Thomas Legg. The House
Service is discussing repayment arrangements with the small number
who have not yet repaid the sums recommended.
1 Accommodations Costs Allowance. Back
2
First Report of the Members Estimate Committee, 2009-10, Review
of past ACA payments, HC 348. Back
3
Ibid, p 87. Back
4
Ibid, p 168. Back
5
Ibid, p 163. Back
6
Ibid, p 48. Back
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