Question

To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, on what criteria additional staff allowances other than for staff sickness or maternity leave are given to hon. Members.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.

Letter from Marcial Boo, October 2014:

As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about the criteria for additional staffing expenditure budget.

The MPs’ Scheme of Business Costs and Expenses sets out the criteria for contingency funding in Chapter 10. We consider applications for additional funding for staffing or non-staffing costs on a case-by-case basis and take into account the following criteria:

• whether there are exceptional circumstances warranting additional support;
• whether the MP could reasonably have been expected to take any action to avoid the circumstances which gave rise to the expenditure or liability; and
• whether the MP's performance of his or her parliamentary functions would be significantly impaired by a refusal of the claim.