| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:MPs expenses | |
| Posted by: | James Dixon | |
| Date/Time: | 21/05/09 23:18:00 |
| Suzanne May I please pick you up on a couple of points here? [1] I am not at all sure of the arithmetic here, but I assume that the MPs' final salary scheme is probably much akin to other final salary schemes, and assumes a very long period of service. There used to be a 40/60 rule which said that you got 2/3 of your final salary in many instances if you had had 40 years of continuous service; no MP [unless you were the likes of Edward Heath] had that length of service, so I really don't see where the figure of £150,000 per annum can possibly come from. Perhaps there is some special deal for MPs, rather like the special deal they have voted for themselves with regard to the income tax treatment of certain expenditure. [2] A vast amount of MPs' time is spent working on committees, not on the Floor of the House, so it is scarcely surprising that the Chamber often appears pretty empty. However, it would be very interesting to know if average attendances in the Chamber itself have declined over the years. If numbers get too low, debates can actually be 'counted out', which is disastrous |