Iain Duncan Smith among 19 MPs to have official credit card suspended
Page 1 of 1
Iain Duncan Smith among 19 MPs to have official credit card suspended
Work and pensions secretary and his opposite number, Rachel Reeves, among MPs subject to action after failing to show spending was valid
Iain Duncan Smith had his official credit card suspended after running up more than £1,000 in expenses debts, it can be revealed. The work and pensions secretary was among 19 MPs subject to action by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) after failing to show spending was valid.
The details, disclosed in response to a freedom of information (FoI) request submitted by the Press Association, are likely to prove embarrassing for Duncan Smith, who has previously backed prepaid cards for benefits claimants to control what they can spend their money on.
The senior cabinet minister is responsible for identifying £12bn of welfare cuts and the benefit sanction regime, which cuts off payments for more than a month at a time for failing to meet certain criteria. It has been criticised by the Commons work and pensions committee for causing severe hardship, sometimes when people are penalised for relatively minor breaches.
According to the FoI response, Duncan Smith’s card was blocked when he owed £1,057.28. He does not currently have any debt.
A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions said it looked like it was an error by Ipsa, while suggesting the watchdog had apologised. But a spokesman for Ipsa said it was not a mistake and Duncan Smith’s card had indeed been cut off earlier this year. The watchdog said it had separately made a mistake in relation to the work and pensions secretary’s expenses in May.
While IPSA several times confirmed to the Guardian that the FOI information was correct, a spokesman for Duncan Smith insisted it was a mistake by the watchdog. “Iain has not had his card suspended. IPSA have confirmed twice in writing that this issue was an error on their part. To be clear, no money is owed,” she said.
MPs are issued with credit cards by Ipsa to cover expenses such as travel and accommodation. They then have to prove the spending was genuine by the end of the month, or they build up debts to the watchdog.
According to the FoI response, Ipsa suspended the cards of 19 MPs since the beginning of this year because they had not settled outstanding sums. The debts were then recouped by not paying out valid claims filed by the politicians.
Others to have their cards suspended included Duncan Smith’s Labour opposite number, Rachel Reeves, who owed £4,033.63 at the time. Shadow business minister Toby Perkins was subject to action when he owed £693.30.
Health minister Ben Gummer had his card stopped with £1,290.07 outstanding, defence minister Mark Lancaster had a £600 tab, and former universities minister David Willetts owed £1,172.05.
Disgraced former Labour MP Eric Joyce, who assaulted a colleague in a Commons bar in 2012, had his card blocked when he owed £12,919.61, and later had his salary docked.
Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes had a stop placed on his card when he owed £826.56.
All have since cleared their debts.
Ipsa also released information about 25 MPs who had sums outstanding as of this week.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jul/01/iain-duncan-smith-among-19-mps-to-have-official-credit-card-suspended
what a two faced hypocritical swanker IDS really is
Iain Duncan Smith had his official credit card suspended after running up more than £1,000 in expenses debts, it can be revealed. The work and pensions secretary was among 19 MPs subject to action by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) after failing to show spending was valid.
The details, disclosed in response to a freedom of information (FoI) request submitted by the Press Association, are likely to prove embarrassing for Duncan Smith, who has previously backed prepaid cards for benefits claimants to control what they can spend their money on.
The senior cabinet minister is responsible for identifying £12bn of welfare cuts and the benefit sanction regime, which cuts off payments for more than a month at a time for failing to meet certain criteria. It has been criticised by the Commons work and pensions committee for causing severe hardship, sometimes when people are penalised for relatively minor breaches.
According to the FoI response, Duncan Smith’s card was blocked when he owed £1,057.28. He does not currently have any debt.
A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions said it looked like it was an error by Ipsa, while suggesting the watchdog had apologised. But a spokesman for Ipsa said it was not a mistake and Duncan Smith’s card had indeed been cut off earlier this year. The watchdog said it had separately made a mistake in relation to the work and pensions secretary’s expenses in May.
While IPSA several times confirmed to the Guardian that the FOI information was correct, a spokesman for Duncan Smith insisted it was a mistake by the watchdog. “Iain has not had his card suspended. IPSA have confirmed twice in writing that this issue was an error on their part. To be clear, no money is owed,” she said.
MPs are issued with credit cards by Ipsa to cover expenses such as travel and accommodation. They then have to prove the spending was genuine by the end of the month, or they build up debts to the watchdog.
According to the FoI response, Ipsa suspended the cards of 19 MPs since the beginning of this year because they had not settled outstanding sums. The debts were then recouped by not paying out valid claims filed by the politicians.
Others to have their cards suspended included Duncan Smith’s Labour opposite number, Rachel Reeves, who owed £4,033.63 at the time. Shadow business minister Toby Perkins was subject to action when he owed £693.30.
Health minister Ben Gummer had his card stopped with £1,290.07 outstanding, defence minister Mark Lancaster had a £600 tab, and former universities minister David Willetts owed £1,172.05.
Disgraced former Labour MP Eric Joyce, who assaulted a colleague in a Commons bar in 2012, had his card blocked when he owed £12,919.61, and later had his salary docked.
Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes had a stop placed on his card when he owed £826.56.
All have since cleared their debts.
Ipsa also released information about 25 MPs who had sums outstanding as of this week.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jul/01/iain-duncan-smith-among-19-mps-to-have-official-credit-card-suspended
what a two faced hypocritical swanker IDS really is
Guest- Guest
Similar topics
» Iain Duncan Smith’s doomed Universal Credit scheme cost £225k PER PERSON
» Iain Duncan Smith facing Commons grilling over his Universal Credit benefit 'reform' shambles
» Iain Duncan Smith Unveils 'Strict' Test For Migrant Benefit Claimants
» End to rip-off credit card fees as Government announces major crackdown
» Iain Duncan Smith losing his temper with Owen Jones
» Iain Duncan Smith facing Commons grilling over his Universal Credit benefit 'reform' shambles
» Iain Duncan Smith Unveils 'Strict' Test For Migrant Benefit Claimants
» End to rip-off credit card fees as Government announces major crackdown
» Iain Duncan Smith losing his temper with Owen Jones
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
Sat Mar 18, 2023 12:28 pm by Ben Reilly
» TOTAL MADNESS Great British Railway Journeys among shows flagged by counter terror scheme ‘for encouraging far-right sympathies
Wed Feb 22, 2023 5:14 pm by Tommy Monk
» Interesting COVID figures
Tue Feb 21, 2023 5:00 am by Tommy Monk
» HAPPY CHRISTMAS.
Sun Jan 01, 2023 7:33 pm by Tommy Monk
» The Fight Over Climate Change is Over (The Greenies Won!)
Thu Dec 15, 2022 3:59 pm by Tommy Monk
» Trump supporter murders wife, kills family dog, shoots daughter
Mon Dec 12, 2022 1:21 am by 'Wolfie
» Quill
Thu Oct 20, 2022 10:28 pm by Tommy Monk
» Algerian Woman under investigation for torture and murder of French girl, 12, whose body was found in plastic case in Paris
Thu Oct 20, 2022 10:04 pm by Tommy Monk
» Wind turbines cool down the Earth (edited with better video link)
Sun Oct 16, 2022 9:19 am by Ben Reilly
» Saying goodbye to our Queen.
Sun Sep 25, 2022 9:02 pm by Maddog
» PHEW.
Sat Sep 17, 2022 6:33 pm by Syl
» And here's some more enrichment...
Thu Sep 15, 2022 3:46 pm by Ben Reilly
» John F Kennedy Assassination
Thu Sep 15, 2022 3:40 pm by Ben Reilly
» Where is everyone lately...?
Thu Sep 15, 2022 3:33 pm by Ben Reilly
» London violence over the weekend...
Mon Sep 05, 2022 2:19 pm by Tommy Monk
» Why should anyone believe anything that Mo Farah says...!?
Wed Jul 13, 2022 1:44 am by Tommy Monk
» Liverpool Labour defends mayor role poll after turnout was only 3% and they say they will push ahead with the option that was least preferred!!!
Mon Jul 11, 2022 1:11 pm by Tommy Monk
» Labour leader Keir Stammer can't answer the simple question of whether a woman has a penis or not...
Mon Jul 11, 2022 3:58 am by Tommy Monk
» More evidence of remoaners still trying to overturn Brexit... and this is a conservative MP who should be drummed out of the party and out of parliament!
Sun Jul 10, 2022 10:50 pm by Tommy Monk
» R Kelly 30 years, Ghislaine Maxwell 20 years... but here in UK...
Fri Jul 08, 2022 5:31 pm by Original Quill