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Too Much Information… Or Too Little….?
Over the past few weeks there has been a lot of comment about what MPs and MEPs get paid, whether we employ relatives, what we have been given as gifts etc.
This section of my website is my attempt to shed some light on what MEPs receive and through transparency hopefully start the process by which we politicians regain the trust of the public.
I am also using it as a kind of “aide memoir”. Each year, in December, MEPs are asked to complete a “declaration of financial interests” which is then posted on the European Parliament’s website. For me, this involves spending a long time going through my various diaries and Microsoft Outlook entries, checking that I have included everything I should.
So starting from 1st January, 2008, I am using this part of my website to record details for my declaration as I go along.
The rules state that I need to declare anything that has a financial value of over €100. To be on the safe side of any currency fluctuation, I am posting anything over the value of £60. Just in case you wonder why I am not declaring hundreds of dinners with lobbyists – it is not because I am dodging doing this by setting the bar high – rather more that I get lobbied plenty during the day and the last thing I want to do with my evenings is spend them being wined and dined by lobbyists. I’m not saying I don’t go to the occasional dinner, but I would much rather spend the evening in a pub (normally “Fat Boys” or “Kitty O’Shea’s”) having a couple of beers and watching sport. (In Strasbourg, I tend to head towards "Murphy's Bar" or "Seven").
As a UK Member of the European Parliament, I get paid the same as a backbench Member of the House of Commons: £61,820 per year.
Each day we are in Brussels or Strasbourg (not weekends or public holidays though!) we can "sign in" and receive a daily allowance of €287. This is meant to cover accommodation (I rent an appartment in Brussels and stay in hotels in Strasbourg) and food.
MEPs also get a "General Expenditure Allowance" which is currently £2896.17 per month. This is meant to cover all sorts of things including: Office rental, telephone lines, computers etc, mobile phone costs, travel within my region and the UK, newspapers/magasines, stamps and other postage, office equipment, etc etc. There have been some stories in the newspapers about MEPs being allowed to pay for a "additional voluntary pension" from this allowance. Whilst it is true that you can do this, MEPs are expected to repay this money (which is deducted at source). Anyhow I have not been a member of the scheme since 2004.
I use Alliotts Accountants in Guildford as my "Service Provider". They ensure that all the money I have allotted to me for staff is spent correctly, that the correct tax, national insurance and other deductions are made and report this annually to the European Parliament services. Their address is: "Friary Court", 13-21 High Street, Guildford, Surrey. GU1 3DL.
I do currently employ a member of my family to work for me. My wife, Jayne, is my UK Diary Secretary and she is paid within the salary band £10k - £20k. Should you wish to meet with me about European issues, either in Brussels, Strasbourg or (preferably) the UK, please hit the “Contact Chris” link on the left-hand menu and we can start the ball rolling.
I also employ two full-time staff in Brussels (Keith Newman and Jonny Goff) and in the UK (as well as Jayne) have a Press Officer (Lydia Smith), administrative services provided for me (by West Northamptonshire Conservative Grouping), a Researcher, Rupert Matthews, (who also keeps this website uptodate), occasionally pay Limelight Software Ltd who do all the funky stuff on this website , take occasional legal and academic advice and, when finances allow, bring out work experience students to Brussels for short periods of time. I also pay my Interns, as and when I have them. All this means I spend pretty much all the Secretarial Allowance given to me each year and hopefully offer my constituents a reasonable service.
MEPs also can receive up to 4000 Euros per year for travel to meetings and conferences etc in places outside their own country. This year I have used most of mine up on a trip to Washington DC and then on down to Atlanta. I departed on May 11th (using the wonderful, but now no longer operating) Silverjet (return flight cost about £830 and shared the transfer from Newark Airport to DC with three others (my cost about $150). I spent three nights in the Hotel Lombardy, Washington ($981.28) and then flew down to Atlanta where I spent two nights at the Ritz Carlton Buckhead ($554.95). Finally I flew back up to Newark and home again. The two internal flights cost about £200 between them and I also took a number of taxis in DC and one in Atlanta that came to about $150.
In Washington on day 1 I met with Ed Ingle, from Microsoft's Government Affiars office there (and I paid for my own lunch!) to talk about their on-going issues in Europe. I was keen to see him because he knows what is happening politically in DC....! I then met with Tim Schriver, who heads up my favourite organisation in the sporting world - the Special Olympics movement and, after a reception a The Heritage Foundation, I had dinner with an old friend, fantastic political tactician and currently top-lobbyist, Jason Roe (and yes, I paid for my half of the dinner there too!)
Day 2 in DC was pretty much taken up by a conference at The Heritage Foundation that I spoke at and a tour of the West Wing, organised by the American Leglislative Exchange Council.
Day 3 was another speech, this time at The CATO Institute, before rushing off to the airport to head to Atlanta.
Day 4 in Atlanta started with a whistle-stop tour around the CNN Centre, followed by a tour around Margaret Mitchell House before lunch with UPS executive, meetings at the UPS HQ and then an early dinner with other UPS executives. We talked about all sorts of things from congestion charges and ways of lowering emissions on huge fleets to the design of the very beautiful UPS HQ itself.
Day 5 was spent with Coca-Cola. It started with a tour of the Coca-Cola Museum (don't touch the drink called Beverley!) and then a discussion and lunch with Coca-Cola executives. We talked about two things mainly: forthcoming EU labelling laws and Coca-Cola's long-standing support of the Special Olympics movement.
I'll let you decide if this was a juncket or not.
Ongoing Declaration of Interests:
January 23rd: Day trip to La Havre, France, from Brussels. Travel (business class) return to Paris and taxi shuttle to La Havre. This and lunch paid for by Citron. Purpose: To see one of the most impressive and innovative European businesses in the field of recycling. Citron recycle batteries, extracting the heavy metals so that they can be re-used and leaving behind an usable asphalt-like substance. Various EU Directives concerning recycling of waste materials and batteries will mean that shortly Europe will need many more plants like this one in La Havre.
January 29th/30th: Trip to London (from Brussels) with other MEPs and one member of my staff. Business class Eurostar, accommodation and meals paid for by the Premier League and their constituent clubs. Visited Tottenham Hotspurs’ Youth Academy and Community Schemes. Watched Arsenal v Newcastle evening match. Returned on a very early Eurostar the following morning.
February 10th/11th: As part of the European version of the Industry Parliament Trust, I visited and spent a couple of days with Real Madrid Football Club. I paid for the travel and hotel myself. Real Madrid provided me with two tickets to their Sunday evening game and some hospitality. Day 2 was spent meeting and listening to presentations from various Real Madrid executives. Lunch was paid for by Real Madrid.
February 12th: Dinner debate at “Maison du Cygne”, Brussels. Guest of Stockholm Network, a free market think-tank.
February 21st: 4 tickets to see “Last Emperor” Exhibition, provided by British Museum.
April 2nd: Dinner (for both me and my two Brussels based staff) at the L'Orchinee Bleue (兰亭酒家)Chinese restaurant in Brussels, paid for by the Mission of the People's Republic of China to the EU. As Chairman of the "Sports Intergroup" in the European Parliament, I am hoping to lead a delegtion of interested MEPs to China to visit various sporting venues and "talk sport" - probably sometime in October. This was the second planning meeting.
May 10th: Guest (with my Wife) at the "Private Hire Ball" at the Intercontinental Hotel, Hyde Park Corner, London. Also was given transport to and from Richmond-Upon-Thames, where we stayed the night at my In-Laws!
May 13th: Dinner and drinks with the Washington DC Tories (Conservatives Abroad). I'm sure this came in well under the declarable value, but I wanted to mention it here because they were a really great fun group of people.
May 15th: Spent the day at the UPS HQ in Atlanta, USA. Went on a short tour of "Margaret Mitchell's House" (the amazing lady who wrote "Gone With The Wind") and also received lunch and dinner courtesy of UPS.
May 16th: Had a tour of the Coca-Cola Museum and then lunch with Coca-Cola executives, courtesy of Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola also kindly provided transport to and from Atlanta airport for me.
May 17th: Two FA Cup final tickets, provided by The English FA.
May 26th - May 30th: OK, do I need to declare this...? This is where the EP rules are more than vague, so I'm listing this anyway! My Mum and Dad took me and my family away to Centre Parcs in Sherwood Forest. Bar the rain, we all had a great time.
This information was last updated on Sunday 31st August, 2008.
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