An independent office holder whose primary role is to enquire into allegations regarding MPs' claims for business costs and expenses

YOU ARE HERE: Home > Transparency > Complaints Handled

Details of complaints handled

Details of complaints handled each financial year can be found on this page, and are updated every quarter. You can find out more about the complaints process here.

Where the complaint proceeds to an investigation, the MP's name and details of the complaint are published at the outset of the investigation on this page.

Select a financial year below to view details of complaints handled during that year.

Complaints handled in 2012-13

Reference	Complainant	MP	Details of the complaint	Outcome	Reason
CO2012-A006	Public	MP 1	Alleged that staff employed by the MP were engaged in non-parliamentary work during contracted hours and that the constituency office was used for party activity	Closed prior to an investigation	Staff member conducted political activity outside of contracted hours. Analysis of information provided by IPSA showed no evidence of a Scheme breach
CO2012-A007	Public	MP 2	Complained that an advert for a volunteer position was in breach of IPSA's rules	Closed prior to an investigation	No claims had been made by the MP for either the advert or the volunteer
CO2012-A008	MP Staff	MP 3	Complained that the MP claimed for bought-in staff services rather than employing staff through IPSA	Closed prior to an investigation	Such arrangements are permitted under the Scheme
CO2012-A009	Public	MP 4	Alleged that a letter sent by the MP to constituents contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	Analysis of information provided by complainant and IPSA showed no evidence of a Scheme breach
CO2012-A010	IPSA	MP 5	Claims for mobile phone costs were paid to private company rather than direct to the MP	Closed prior to an investigation	The MP owned the company prior to becoming an MP and had a business phone contract which allowed him to reduce the cost of his claims. Analysis of information provided by IPSA showed no evidence of a Scheme breach
CO2012-A010a	Public	MP 6	Alleged that claims for Ministerial expenses were ineligible	Closed prior to an investigation	Ministerial expenses are not paid by IPSA
CO2012-A011	Public	MP 7	Allegations relating to the MPs' Code of Conduct and ineligible claims for travel and hotels	Closed prior to an investigation	MPs' Code of Conduct is outside the remit of the Compliance Officer. Analysis of information provided by IPSA showed no evidence of a Scheme breach
CO2012-A012	Public	MP 8	Alleged that a letter sent by the MP to constituents contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	Analysis of information provided by complainant and IPSA showed no evidence of a Scheme breach
CO2012-A013	MP Staff	MP 9	Alleged that staff employed by the MP were engaged in non-parliamentary work during contracted hours and constituency office used for party activity	Closed prior to an investigation	MP was able to provide necessary evidence demonstrating clear distinction between parliamentary and political activities
CO2012-A014	Public	MP 10	Complained that MPs should not claim for business class flights	Closed prior to an investigation	Analysis of information provided by IPSA showed no evidence of a Scheme breach
CO2012-A015	Public	MP 11	Alleged that the MP's claims for travel were ineligible and breaches of the MP's Code of Conduct	Closed prior to an investigation	MPs' Code of Conduct is outside the remit of the Compliance Officer. Analysis of information provided by IPSA showed no evidence of a Scheme breach
CO2012-A016	Public	MP 12	Complained that the MP continued to claim for mortgage interest after 2010, shouldn't have claimed for mileage and had previously claimed for first-class rail travel	Closed prior to an investigation	All claims referred to in the complaint were within the rules of the Scheme
CO2012-A017	Journalist	MP 13	Complained that the MP owned a property and was claiming rent for a property in London	Closed prior to an investigation	The arrangement was within the terms of the Scheme and there was no evidence of a Scheme breach
CO2012-A018	Journalist	MP 14	Complained that the MP owned a property and was claiming rent for a property in London	Closed prior to an investigation	The arrangement was within the terms of the Scheme and there was no evidence of a Scheme breach
CO2012-A019	Journalist	MP 15	Complained that the MP owned a property and was claiming rent for a property in London	Closed prior to an investigation	The arrangement was within the terms of the Scheme and there was no evidence of a Scheme breach
CO2012-A020	Journalist	MP 16	Complained that the MP owned a property and was claiming rent for a property in London	Closed prior to an investigation	The arrangement was within the terms of the Scheme and there was no evidence of a Scheme breach
CO2012-A021	IPSA	Nadine Dorries	Alleged that the MP was not routinely resident at accommodation	Formal investigation opened. Full details of the investigation can be found via this link.	Breach of the Scheme
CO2012-A021	MP	Nadine Dorries			Breach of the Scheme
CO2012-A022	IPSA	Bob Blackman	Unusually high claims for mileage	Closed prior to an investigation	No clear evidence of a Scheme breach. MP provided with guidance and assistance from IPSA to improve claim information.
CO2012-A023	Public	MP 20	Alleged that claims for mileage were incorrect and that the registration of dependants was invalid	Closed prior to an investigation	All claims referred to in the complaint were within the rules of the Scheme
CO2012-A024	Public	MP 21	Alleged that the MP's website possibly contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	Fine distinction between parliamentary communication and political campaigning and it was judged, on balance, that the adverts did not constitute party-political messaging
CO2012-A025	Public	MP 22	Alleged that the MP was claiming the cost of a rented property when he owned a property in the area	Closed prior to an investigation	Such arrangements are not prohibited under the Scheme
CO2012-A026	Public	MP 23	Alleged that the MP duplicated a claim for rental accommodation	Closed prior to an investigation	Duplicate payment to the landlord was made in error by IPSA and was not the fault of the MP
CO2012-A027	Public	MP 24	Alleged that a letter sent by the MP to constituents contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	Stationery and associated costs were not claimed from IPSA

Complaints handled in 2013-14

Reference	Complainant	MP	Details of the complaint	Outcome	Reason
CO2012-A028		MP 1	Alleged that the MP's website possibly contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	Analysis of information provided by complainant and IPSA showed no evidence of a Scheme breach
C1314-001	Journalist	MP 2	Alleged that the MP was not routinely resident at rented accommodation	Closed prior to an investigation	MP provided documentation in support of the claim that he was routinely resident
C1314-002	Journalist	MP 3	Alleged that the MP was not routinely resident at rented accommodation	Closed prior to an investigation	MP provided documentation in support of the claim that he was routinely resident
C1314-003	Journalist	MP 4	Alleged that the MP was not routinely resident at rented accommodation	Closed prior to an investigation	MP provided documentation in support of the claim that he was routinely resident
C1314-004	Journalist	MP 5	Alleged that the MP was not routinely resident at rented accommodation	Closed prior to an investigation	MP provided documentation in support of the claim that he was routinely resident
C1314-005	Journalist	MP 6	Alleged that the MP was not routinely resident at rented accommodation	Closed prior to an investigation	MP provided documentation in support of the claim that he was routinely resident
C1314-006	Member of the Public	MP 7	Alleged that a letter sent by the MP to constituents contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	Unclear whether the stationery used was claimed from IPSA or provided to the MP by the House of Commons. The content of the letters itself was not overtly political.
C1314-007	MP Staff	MP 8	Alleged that staff employed by the MP were engaged in non-parliamentary work during contracted hours	Closed prior to an investigation	Staff members took leave or time off in leiu to undertake non-parliamentary work
C1314-008	Member of the Public	MP 9	Alleged that the MP's constituency office premises were being utilised for party-political activity	Closed prior to an investigation	Minimal evidence was found to support the allegations made in the complaint but the MP was provided with support to ensure full compliance with the Scheme
C1314-009	MP Staff	MP 10	Alleged that staff employed by the MP were engaged in non-parliamentary work during contracted hours	Closed prior to an investigation	Assessment suspended due to related on-going criminal proceedings relating to the complainant
C1314-010	Member of the Public	MP 11	Alleged that a claim for a stall at a local fair constituted campaigning	Closed prior to an investigation	Claim was in support of parliamentary functions and was not political campaigning
C1314-011	Member of the Public	MP 12	Alleged that the MP's website possibly contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	Content was parliamentary in nature and therefore within the terms of the Scheme
C1314-012	Political campaigner	MP 13	Complained that the MP shouldn't claim for a taxi	Closed prior to an investigation	Claims for taxis are valid under the Scheme (within certain conditions). These conditions were met and the cost was therefore allowed
C1314-013	Member of the Public	MP 14	Alleged that staff employed by the MP were engaged in non-parliamentary work during contracted hours	Closed prior to an investigation	Staff member undertook non-parliamentary work outside contracted hours
C1314-014	Member of the Public	MP 15	Complained about irregularities regarding office leases held by IPSA and the share of costs being claimed by the MP	Closed prior to an investigation	MP was able to provide documentation in support of the share of costs claimed
C1314-014a	Compliance Officer	MP 16		Closed prior to an investigation
C1314-015	Member of the Public	MP 17	Alleged that the MP was not routinely resident at rented accommodation	Closed prior to an investigation	MP provided documentation in support of the claim that he was routinely resident
C1314-016	Member of the Public	MP 18	Alleged that a letter sent by the MP to constituents contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	Stationery and associated costs were not claimed from IPSA
C1314-017	IPSA	MP 19	Alleged that staff employed by the MP were engaged in non-parliamentary work during contracted hours	Closed prior to an investigation	MP provided sufficient evidence that the staff member was not undertaking non-parliamentary work during his contracted hours
C1314-018	Member of the Public	MP 20	Alleged that MPs who share a property were both claiming for the property	Closed prior to an investigation	Information provided by IPSA showed each MP only claimed 50% of the costs, in line with the Scheme
C1314-019	Member of the Public	MP 21	Alleged that a letter sent by the MP to constituents contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	Stationery and associated costs were not claimed from IPSA
C1314-020	Member of the Public	MP 22	Complained that MP shouldn't share constituency office with local party	Closed prior to an investigation	Allegation is not, of itself, a breach of the Scheme. Analysis of information provided by complainant and IPSA showed no evidence of a Scheme breach
C1314-021	Member of the Public	MP 23	Alleged that website and report circulated by the MP possibly contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	Website costs not claimed from IPSA. Report was unequivocally parliamentary in nature and therefore within the terms of the Scheme

Complaints handled in 2014-15

Reference	Complainant	MP	Details of the complaint	Outcome	Reason
C1415-001	Member of the Public	MP 1	Alleged that a party-political campaigner was working for the MP	Closed prior to an investigation	Individual in question was not paid through IPSA, and complaint therefore fell outside Compliance Officer's remit
C1415-002	Member of the Public	All MPs in Norfolk	Complained about a general increase in expenses claimed	Closed prior to an investigation	The complaint was that MPs were claiming more than they had the year before, which is not a breach of the Scheme
C1415-003	Member of the Public	MP 3	Alleged that staff employed by MP were engaged in non-parliamentary work during contracted hours	Closed prior to an investigation	Analysis of information provided by complainant and IPSA showed no evidence of a Scheme breach
C1415-004	Councillor	MP 4	Complained that MP shouldn't be claiming mortgage interest subsidy	Closed prior to an investigation	Following the establishment of IPSA in 2010, MPs were prohibited from claiming mortgage interest costs. Transitional measures were put in place for a number of MPs until 2012 and the MP's arrangement fell within these measures.
C1415-005	Member of the Public	MP 5	Alleged that staff employed by MP were engaged in non-parliamentary work during contracted hours	Closed prior to an investigation	Analysis of information provided by complainant and IPSA showed no evidence of a Scheme breach
C1415-006	Member of the Public	MP 6	Complained that a letter sent by the MP to constituents was unsolicited	Closed prior to an investigation	Analysis of information provided by complainant and IPSA showed no evidence of a Scheme breach
C1415-007	Councillor	MP 7	Alleged that staff employed by MP were engaged in non-parliamentary work during contracted hours and constituency office used for party activity	Closed prior to an investigation	Analysis of information provided by complainant and IPSA showed no evidence of a Scheme breach
C1415-008	Member of the Public	MP 8	Alleged that a claim for a taxi journey was outside Scheme rules	Closed prior to an investigation	Claim was a legitimate error by a member of staff and was repaid in full by the MP
C1415-009	Member of the Public	MP 9	Alleged that a letter sent by the MP to constituents contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	Stationery and associated costs were not claimed from IPSA
C1415-010	IPSA	Bob Blackman	Unusually high claims for mileage	Formal investigation opened. Full details of the investigation can be found via this link.	Breach of the Scheme
C1415-011	IPSA	MP 11	Questioned the eligibility of claims for staff travel, alleged that possible duplicate claims for travel and hotel accommodation had been made	Closed prior to an investigation	Staff travel claims were suitably supported by evidence obtained through initial enquiries. The MP provided a valid explanation for why two separate hotels were claimed inadvertently for the same night and were repaid.
C1415-012	MSP	MP 12	Alleged that letter sent by MP to constituents contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	Stationery and associated costs were not claimed from IPSA
C1415-013	Member of the Public	MP 13	Complained that the MP's attendance at Bilderberg meetings constituted a Scheme breach	Closed prior to an investigation	Related to events prior to the establishment of IPSA in 2010 and therefore outside the remit of the Compliance Officer
C1415-014	Member of the Public	MP 14	Alleged that a letter sent by the MP to constituents contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	Stationery and associated costs were not claimed from IPSA
C1415-015	Journalist	MP 15	Alleged that claims for advertising by the MP constituted party-political campaigning	Closed prior to an investigation	Advertising is permitted where it spreads awareness of an MP’s parliamentary functions - spreading awareness among constituents of the methods by which they can contact their local MP. It was judged, on balance, that the adverts did not constitute campaign expenditure.
C1415-016	Member of the Public	MP 16	Alleged that a letter sent by the MP to constituents contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	Stationery and associated costs were not claimed from IPSA
C1415-017	Member of the Public	MP 17	Alleged that a letter sent by the MP to constituents contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	Stationery and associated costs were not claimed from IPSA
C1415-018	Member of the Public	MP 18	Complained that the MP's claims for toner ink were too expensive and could be found cheaper online and that the MP claims first class travel	Closed prior to an investigation	Neither of the complainants complaints were breaches of the Scheme. Analysis of information provided by complainant and IPSA showed no evidence of a Scheme breach
C1415-019	Member of the Public	MP 19	Alleged that the MP's constituency office contained party-political material, that the MP had made ineligible claims for hotels, and that the MP was paid London Area Living Payment (LALP)	Closed prior to an investigation	Constituency office costs were not claimed through IPSA, hotel claims were within the Scheme, MP is eligible for LALP
C1415-020	Member of the Public	MP 20	Alleged that a letter sent by the MP to constituents contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	Stationery and associated costs were not claimed from IPSA
C1415-021	PPC	MP 21	Alleged that office equipment was being used by the MP's local party	Closed prior to an investigation	MP repays the annual fee to IPSA for use of office equipment by the local party, and there is therefore no breach of the Scheme.
C1415-022	Member of the Public	MP 22	Alleged that a letter sent by the MP to constituents contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	Stationery and associated costs were not claimed from IPSA
C1415-023	Member of the Public	MP 23	Alleged that two posts on the MPs' website contain party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	MP removed posts in question from the website
C1415-024	MP Staff	MP 24	Alleged that staff employed by the MP were engaged in non-parliamentary work during contracted hours	The complaint contained allegations of a criminal nature. As such, the Compliance Officer's assessment was suspended and the complaint was referred to the Metropolitan Police Service.
C1415-025	IPSA	MP 25	Staffing costs	The complaint contained allegations of a criminal nature. As such, the Compliance Officer's assessment was suspended and the complaint was referred to the Metropolitan Police Service.
C1415-026	Member of the Public	MP 26	Alleged that a letter sent by the MP to constituents contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	Stationery and associated costs were not claimed from IPSA
C1415-027	Compliance Officer	MP 27	Alleged that the MP's website possibly contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	MP had two websites. The website claimed under IPSA's Scheme did not contain party-political messaging
C1415-028	Compliance Officer	MP 28	Alleged that the MP's website possibly contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	MP opted to repay £9 domain charge to IPSA
C1415-029	Compliance Officer	MP 29	Alleged that the MP's website possibly contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	MP removed small amount of party-political content
C1415-030	IPSA	MP 30	Staffing costs	The complaint contained allegations of a criminal nature. As such, the Compliance Officer's assessment was suspended and the complaint was referred to the Metropolitan Police Service.
C1415-031	Member of the Public	MP 31	Alleged that a letter sent by the MP to constituents contained party-political messaging	Assessment suspended	Assessment suspended due to the General Election, following which the MP did not return.
C1415-032	MP	MP 32	Alleged that staff employed by the MP were engaged in non-parliamentary work during contracted hours	Closed prior to an investigation	Analysis of information provided by complainant and IPSA showed no evidence of a Scheme breach
C1415-033	Compliance Officer	MP 33	Alleged that the MP's website contained a post soliciting donations	Closed prior to an investigation	Post in question was removed from the website
C1415-034	Member of the Public	MP 34	Alleged that a letter sent by the MP to constituents contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	Stationery and associated costs were not claimed from IPSA
C1415-035	Member of the Public	MP 35	Alleged that a letter sent by the MP to constituents contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	Letter was parliamentary in nature (rather than political) and there was not therefore any Scheme breach
C1415-036	Member of the Public	MP 36	Alleged that staff employed by the MP were engaged in non-parliamentary work during contracted hours	Closed prior to an investigation	Staff member was employed on a part-time basis and undertook political work outside of her contracted hours
C1415-037	Member of the Public	MP 37	Alleged that staff employed by the MP were engaged in non-parliamentary work during contracted hours	The complaint contained allegations of a criminal nature. As such, the Compliance Officer's assessment was suspended and the complaint was referred to the Metropolitan Police Service.
C1415-038	Member of the Public	MP 38	Alleged that a staff member was not fulfilling working hours	Closed prior to an investigation	No evidence found to support the allegation
C1415-039	PPC	MP 39	Alleged that family business registered at accommodation address claimed by MP under the Scheme	Closed prior to an investigation	Analysis of information provided by complainant and IPSA showed no evidence of a Scheme breach
C1415-040	Member of the Public	MP 40	Alleged that a letter sent by the MP to constituents contained party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	Letter was parliamentary in nature (rather than political) and there was not therefore any Scheme breach

Complaints handled in 2015-16

Reference	Complainant	MP	Details of the complaint	Outcome	Reason
C1516-001	PPC	MP 1	Alleged that two posts on the MPs' website contain party-political messaging	Closed prior to an investigation	MP removed the post in question from the website
C1516-002	Member of the public	MP 2	Complained that the MP's constituency office was being used for campaigning	Closed prior to an investigation	The MP had already informed IPSA of his intentions regarding the use of the office and remitted the appropriate portion of costs incurred to IPSA.
C1516-003	IPSA	MP 3	Alleged that staff employed by the MP were engaged in non-parliamentary work during contracted hours	Closed prior to an investigation	No evidence of a Scheme breach
C1516-004	IPSA	MP 4	Staffing costs	Closed prior to an investigation	The complaint did not relate to a payment made by IPSA under the Scheme and was therefore outside the remit of the Compliance Officer
C1516-005	IPSA	MP 5	Staffing costs	Closed prior to an investigation	The complaint did not relate to a payment made by IPSA under the Scheme and was therefore outside the remit of the Compliance Officer
C1516-006	IPSA	MP 6	MP did not provide sufficient information for a claim for capital expenditure during the period in which further restrictions were in place	Closed prior to an investigation	Sufficient information provided by the MP
C1516-007	Member of the public	MP 7	Complained that the MP had claimed mileage for a journey outside the Scheme rules	Closed prior to an investigation	No evidence of a Scheme breach
C1516-008	Member of the public	MP 8	Alleged that staff employed by the MP were engaged in non-parliamentary work during contracted hours	Closed prior to an investigation	The MP had already informed IPSA of his staff member's intention to take unpaid leave to conduct non-parliamentary work
COM-1026	Member of the public	MP 9	Complained the the MP was in breach of the Code of Conduct	Closed prior to an investigation	The Compliance Officer is not responsible for the Code of Conduct and the complainant was advised to contact the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
COM-1029	Member of the public	MP 10	Alleged that MP claimed twice for hotel accommodation	Closed prior to an investigation	MP was charged twice in error by the hotel. The hotel had already refunded the duplicate amount in full to IPSA.
COM-1031	Member of the public	MP 11	Alleged that staff employed by the MP were engaged in non-parliamentary work during contracted hours	Closed prior to an investigation	The MP had already informed IPSA of his staff member's intention to take unpaid leave to conduct non-parliamentary work
COM-1037	Member of the public	MP 12	Alleged that staff employed by the MP were engaged in non-parliamentary work during contracted hours	Closed prior to an investigation	Staff members in question were not employed by the MP at the time in question; no evidence of a Scheme breach.
COM-1041	IPSA	MP 13	Referred on the basis that the MP's claims for travel costs required further consideration	Closed prior to an investigation	MP was able to provide valid reasons and supporting evidence for mileage claimed
COM-1042	IPSA	Jim Shannon	Referred on the basis that the MP's claims for travel costs required further consideration	Formal investigation opened. Full details of the investigation can be found via this link.	Breach of the Scheme
COM-1045	Member of the public	MP 15	Complained that the MP's staff were paid for overtime	Closed prior to an investigation	Complaint is not, in itself, a Scheme breach. No evidence of a Scheme breach.
COM-1047	Member of the public	MP 16	Complained that the MP's constituency office contained a window sign of a party-political nature	Closed prior to an investigation	Sign in question removed by the MP
COM-1048	Member of the public	MP 17	Complained that the MP's constituency office contained a window sign of a party-political nature	Closed prior to an investigation	Sign in question removed by the MP
COM-1057	Member of the public	MPs employing connected parties	Complained that MPs' connected parties were being paid salaries outside of IPSA's salary bands	Closed prior to an investigation	No connected parties were being paid salaries outside of IPSA's rules
COM-1062	IPSA	MP 18	MP did not provide sufficient information to IPSA in support of expenditure when requested	Closed prior to an investigation	Sufficient information provided by the MP to the Compliance Officer
COM-1065	Member of the public	Phil Boswell	Complained that videos posted on the MP's YouTube channel, the production costs for which were claimed from IPSA, were party-political in nature	Formal investigation opened. Full details of the investigation can be found via this link.	Breach of the Scheme
COM-1066	Member of the public	Simon Danczuk	Complained that the MP had registered dependant children with IPSA on the basis that they were 'routinely resident' (entitling him to a budget uplift for each dependant), when the MP had not seen the dependants in years	Formal investigation opened. Full details of the investigation can be found via this link.	Breach of the Scheme
COM-1073	Member of the public	MP 21	Complained than a mailing sent by the MP to constituents was biased in favour of a local issue	Closed prior to an investigation	Complaint is not, in itself, a Scheme breach. No evidence of a Scheme breach.
COM-1080	IPSA	MP 22	MP did not provide sufficient information to IPSA in support of expenditure when requested	Closed prior to an investigation	Sufficient information provided by the MP
COM-1084	Member of the public	MP 23	Complained that the MP's constituency office was being utilised for party-political purposes	Closed prior to an investigation	Party campaigner utilises a separate part of the same building under a separate lease. No costs claimed by the MP are shared. No evidence of a Scheme breach.

Complaints handled in 2016-17

Reference	Complainant	MP	Details of the complaint	Outcome	Reason
COM-1100	Member of the public	MP 1	Complained that the MP's staff were engaged in party political activity during the contracted hours	Closed prior to an investigation	Staff members in question took annual leave to undertake party political activities.
COM-1104	Member of the public	MP 2	Complained that the MP had registered a personal business at the constituency office address	Closed prior to an investigation	Complaint is not, in itself, a Scheme breach. No evidence that costs were claimed relating to the registration of the business at the constituency office, which served as a destination for correspondence. MP was advised to ensure distinction between personal and parliamentary activity to avoid any future suggestion of impropriety.
COM-1109	MP Staff	MP 3	Complained about the content of an election leaflet distributed by the MP	Closed prior to an investigation	No costs relating to the leaflet were claimed by the MP from IPSA.
COM-1110	Member of the public	MP 4	Complained that an imprint on an election leaflet included the MP's constituency office address, and that the office was therefore being utilised for party-political purposes	Closed prior to an investigation	MP shares the office with the local party association under a shared costs agreement previously agreed with IPSA. No evidence of a Scheme breach.
COM-1112	Member of the public	MP 5	Complained that the MP's staff were engaged in party political activity during the contracted hours	Closed prior to an investigation	Staff members in question took annual leave to undertake party political activities.
COM-1118	IPSA	MP 6	Complained that the MP's staff were engaged in party political activity during the contracted hours	Assessment suspended
COM-1119	Member of the public	MP 7	Complained that the MP had claimed Staffing Expenditure for non-parliamentary work	Closed prior to an investigation	Costs claimed by MP were judged to be of a parliamentary nature and were therefore permissible under the Scheme
COM-1120	Member of the public	MP 8	Complained that the MP's constituency office contained a window sign of a party-political nature	Closed prior to an investigation	Sign in question was affixed to a premises separate to the one rented by the MP and there was therefore no Scheme breach
COM-1122	IPSA	MP 9	Referred on the basis that the MP's staff may have been engaged in campaigning during their contracted hours	Closed prior to an investigation	No evidence available to support the allegation and no Scheme breach could therefore be found.
COM-1124	Member of the public	MP 10	Complained that the MP's staff were engaged in party political activity during the contracted hours	Closed prior to an investigation	Political activity took place outside of contracted hours
COM-1131	Member of the public	Simon Danczuk	Complained that the MP had claimed for an air journey to return from a personal holiday to be sworn in as an MP which is ineligible under the Scheme	Formal investigation not opened. Further details of the complaint and outcome can be found here.	Breach of the Scheme
COM-1132	Member of the public	MP 12	Complained that the MP's connected party was not fulfilling their contracted hours	Closed prior to an investigation	No evidence to support the complaint
COM-1136	Member of the public	MP 13	Complained that travel claims claimed by the MP are ineligible under the Scheme	Closed prior to an investigation	No evidence to support the complaint
COM-1142	Member of the public	MP 14	Complained that the MP's staff were engaged in party political activity during the contracted hours	Assessment ongoing
COM-1145	Journalist	MP 13	Complained that the MP had claimed mileage costs for a journey in the UK whilst abroad	Closed prior to an investigation	Dates of travel entered in error
COM-1144	Member of the public	MP 15	Complained that the MP had claimed for a rail and car journey on the same day	Closed prior to an investigation	Rail journey was cancelled and refunded
COM-1148	Member of the public	MP 16	Complained that the MP had claimed mileage costs for a journey in the UK whilst abroad	Assessment suspended
COM-1155	Journalist	MP 17	Complained that a number of claims made by the MP for Office Costs were ineligible	Closed prior to an investigation	No evidence to support the complaint. All claims were eligible under the Scheme.
COM-1158	Member of the public	MP 18	Complained that the MP claimed for a rail journey for a non-parliamentary purpose	Closed prior to an investigation	Claim was eligible under the Scheme
COM-1166	Member of the public	MP 19	Complained that the MP claimed for a rail journey and mileage for a non-parliamentary purpose	Closed prior to an investigation	Costs claimed by the MP were assessed to be of a parliamentary nature and were therefore permissable under the Scheme
COM-1172	Member of the public	MP 20	Complained that the MP's constituency office contained a window sign of a party-political nature	Closed prior to an investigation	Sign in question was affixed to premises not paid for by IPSA and therefore there was no Scheme breach
COM-1173	Member of the public	MP 21	Complained that claims made by MP for office costs were ineligible	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint
COM-1174	Member of the public	MP 22	Complained about MP Code of Conduct	Closed prior to an investigation	Outside of IPSA remit and complainant referred on
COM-1178	Member of the public	MP 23	Complained that MP flight costs were too high	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint

Complaints handled in 2017-18

Reference	Complainant	MP	Details of the complaint	Outcome	Reason
COM-1184	Member of the public	MP 1	Complained that the MP's constituency office contained a window sign of a party-political nature	Closed prior to an investigation	Sign in question was affixed to premises not paid for by IPSA and therefore there was no Scheme breach
COM-1180	Member of the public	MP 2	Complained that an MP had claimed for an air journey that was ineligible under the terms of the Scheme	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint
COM-1181	Member of the public	MP 3	Complained that MP's claimed rent while renting out owned properties	Closed prior to an investigation	Outside of IPSA remit and complainant referred on
COM-1182	Member of the public	MP 4	Complained that the MP's constituency office contained a window sign of a party-political nature	Closed prior to an investigation	Sign in question was affixed to premises not paid for by IPSA and therefore there was no Scheme breach
COM-1185	Member of the public	MP 5	Complaint about an MP's Code of Conduct	Closed prior to an investigation	Outside of IPSA remit and complainant referred on
COM-1186	Member of the public	MP 6	Complained that the MP's staff were engaged in party political activity during contracted hours	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint
COM-1187	Member of the public	MP 7	Complained that an MP staff member was paid outside the Scheme rules	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint. All claims were eligible under the Scheme
COM-1189	Member of the public	MP 8	Complained that the MP claimed for ineligible office costs	Closed prior to an investigation	Outside of IPSA remit and complainant referred on
COM-1190	Member of the public	MP 9	Complained that the MP's constituency office was being utilised by a political party	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint
COM-1191	Member of the public	MP 10	Complained that the MP's stationery was being utilised for election campaigning	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint
COM-1192	Member of the public	MP 11	Complained that the MP's website was being utilised for election campaigning	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint. All claims were eligible under the Scheme.
COM-1193	Member of the public	MP 12	Complained that the MP's stationery was being utilised for election campaigning	Closed prior to an investigation	Outside of IPSA remit and complainant referred on
COM-1196	Member of the public	MP 13	Complained that the MP's office equipment was being utilised for election campaigning	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint
COM-1197	Member of the public	MP 14	Complained that the MP over claimed mileage	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint
COM-1177	Member of the public	MP 15	Complained that the MP over claimed mileage	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint. All claims were eligible under the Scheme
COM-1194	Member of the public	MP 16	Complained that the MP's staff were engaged in party political activity during contracted hours	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint. All claims were eligible under the Scheme
COM-1188	Member of the public	MP 17	Complained that an MP had claimed for an air journey that was ineligible under the Scheme	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint
COM-1195	Member of the public	MP 18	Complained that the MP claimed an uplift on their Accommodation budget for dependant children	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint. All claims were eligible under the Scheme.
COM-1198	Member of the public	MP19	Complained that the MP claimed accommodation expenditure whilst on long term sick	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint. All claims were eligible under the Scheme.
COM-1199	Member of the public	MP20	Complained that the MP misused office costs	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint. All telephone claims were eligible under the Scheme.
COM-1201	Member of the public	MP21	Complained that the MP claimed for office costs used for non-parliamentary purposes	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint. All claims were eligible under the Scheme.
COM-1202	Member of the public	MP22	Complained that the MP claimed for advertising for a constituency he did not represent	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint. Claim for advertising board eligible under the Scheme.
COM-1204	Member of the public	MP23	Complained that MPs are claiming for ineligible research expenses	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint. All claims were eligible under the Scheme.
COM-1205	Member of the public	MP24	Complained that MPs are claiming for ineligible research expenses	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint. All claims were eligible under the Scheme.
COM-1206	Member of the public	MP25	Complained that MPs are claiming for ineligible research expenses	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint. All claims were eligible under the Scheme.
COM-1207	Member of the public	MP26	Complained that MPs are claiming for ineligible research expenses	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint. All claims were eligible under the Scheme.
COM-1209	Member of the public	MP27	Complained that MPs are claiming for ineligible research expenses	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint. All claims were eligible under the Scheme.
COM-1210	Member of the public	MP28	Complained that the MP's claims for dependent children and travel costs were ineligible	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint. All claims were eligible under the Scheme.
COM-1211	Member of the public	MP29	Complained that the MPs rail costs were too high	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint. All claims for rail travel were eligible under the Scheme.
COM-1212	Member of the Public	Johnny Mercer	Complained about MPs website and e-presence	Formal investigation opened	Investigation ongoing
COM-1216	Member of the Public	MP31	Complained that claims made by MP for travel costs were ineligible	Closed prior to an investigation	Outside of IPSA remit and complainant referred on
COM-1215	Member of the Public	MP32	Complained that MPs staff were engaged in party political activities during contracted working hours	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint. All claims were eligible under the Scheme
COM-1217	Member of the Public	Johnny Mercer	Complained about MPs website and e-presence	Formal investigation opened	Investigation ongoing
COM-1219	Member of the Public	MP34	Complained that the MPs claims for accommodation expenditure were ineligible	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint
COM-1220	Member of the Public	MP35	Complained that MPs claims for office costs were ineligible	Closed prior to an investigation	Nothing found to support the complaint. All claims were eligible under the Scheme
COM-1221	Journalist	MP36	Complained that MP staff were engaging in party political activity during contracted hours	Closed prior to an investigation	The press release sent from the MPs office was of a party political nature but the staff member in question only worked part time for the MP. The MP has provided assurance that the press release in question was not sent out during contracted hours and no parliamentary resources were used in its release. The domain address the press release was sent from was funded by the political party.
COM-1222	Member of the Public	MP37	Complained that the MP had claimed for rail journeys that were ineligible	Closed prior to an investigation	A review of the MPs expenses found the rail journeys in question to be eligible under the Scheme.
COM-1223	Police	MP38	Complained that the MP claimed accommodation expenditure while on long term sick	Closed prior to an investigation	The complainant (see COM-1198) was informed that MPs are office holders and not employees and although IPSA process salaries and expenses, MPs are responsible for managing their own time and do not have to report on matters such as sick leave to IPSA. IPSA does not have a statutory oversight over MPs terms of employment.
COM-1225	Member of the Public	MPs	Complained that MPs are claiming for ineligible research expenses	Closed prior to an investigation	As part of IPSA's assurance work programme, a review of pooled services was undertaken in Summer 2016 and again after the 2017 General Election. Whilst a small degree of party political language was identified, the vast majority of research material was factual, informative and found not be in conflict with the Scheme.
COM-1226	Member of the Public	MPs	Complained that MPs are claiming for ineligible research expenses	Closed prior to an investigation	As part of IPSA's assurance work programme, a review of pooled services was undertaken in Summer 2016 and again after the 2017 General Election. Whilst a small degree of party political language was identified, the vast majority of research material was factual, informative and found not be in conflict with the Scheme.
COM-1227	Member of the Public	MPs	Complained that MPs are claiming for ineligible research expenses	Closed prior to an investigation	As part of IPSA's assurance work programme, a review of pooled services was undertaken in Summer 2016 and again after the 2017 General Election. Whilst a small degree of party political language was identified, the vast majority of research material was factual, informative and found not be in conflict with the Scheme.
COM-1228	Member of the Public	MPs	Complained that MPs are claiming for ineligible research expenses	Closed prior to an investigation	As part of IPSA's assurance work programme, a review of pooled services was undertaken in Summer 2016 and again after the 2017 General Election. Whilst a small degree of party political language was identified, the vast majority of research material was factual, informative and found not be in conflict with the Scheme.
COM-1229	Local Councillor	MP43	Complained that the MP claimed office costs that were used for non parliamentary purposes	Closed prior to an investigation	As assessment found no misuse of office expenses.
COM-1230	Member of the Public	MP44	Complained that the MP claimed for office costs that were for non parliamentary purposes	Closed prior to an investigation	Outside of Compliance remit and complainant referred on.
COM-1231	Member of the Public	MP45	Complained that the MP claimed office expenses to post a message on Facebook, which was of a party political nature	Closed prior to an investigation	The assessment found no misuse of office expenses. During the period in question, no expenses were incurred to fund either the MPs website or Facebook page. The MP has provided assurance that no parliamentary resources were used in the creation or posting of the Facebook page.
COM-1232	Member of the Public	MPs	Complained that MPs are claiming for ineligible research expenses	Closed prior to an investigation	As part of IPSA's assurance work programme, a review of pooled services was undertaken in Summer 2016 and again after the 2017 General Election. Whilst a small degree of party political language was identified, the vast majority of research material was factual, informative and found not be in conflict with the Scheme.
COM-1234	Member of the Public	MP47	Complaint about the local MP	Closed prior to an investigation	Outside of Compliance remit and complainant referred on.
COM-1235	Member of the Public	MP48	Complained that the MP claimed for London hotel costs	Closed prior to an investigation	The assessment found the MP had claimed for hotel expenses whilst between London rental properties. The expenses were found to be eligible under the Scheme.
COM-1236	Member of the Public	MP49	Complained that the MP had claimed costs for the printing of their 2017 annual report, which was considered to be party political in nature	Closed prior to an investigation	The assessment found the MP had submitted no claims in respect of printing costs for the 2017 annual report.
COM-1237	Member of the Public	MP50	Complained that the MP and staff were engaged in party political campaigning during working hours	Closed prior to an investigation	The MP provided documentation to show staff campaigning had taken annual leave. The MP also provided written assurance that IPSA funds have only been used for parliamentary purposes.
COM-1239	Member of the Public	MP51	Complained that the MP had claimed hotel and travel costs for staff to engage in party political campaigning during working hours	Closed prior to an investigation	The assessment found the MP staff were entitled to claim for hotel and travel costs. The IPSA guidance states that during Dissolution of Parliament, those staff based in Westminster must work in the consitutency and this work must be on local constituency matters and must not be of a party political nature. The guidance states that they may also claim for journeys between their home and the constituency office and if they need to stay overnight in the constituency they may claim for hotels and other subsistence and for journeys into the MPs constituency office.
COM-1240	Member of the Public	MP52	Complained that the MP was misusing expenses in relation to the constituency office, specifically claiming for renovation work and subletting to the local policital party association	Closed prior to an investigation	The assessment involved contacting the MP, the local Council and the planning department and found no breach of the Scheme. IPSA is being reimbursed for the subletting of the MPs office and the renovation work was carried out for security purposes.

Complaints handled in 2018-19

Reference	Complainant	MP	Details of the complaint	Outcome	Reason
COM-1238	Conservative Party HQ	MP1	Conservative Party investigation of internal complaint highlights potential fraud by production of false invoices	Closed prior to an investigation	Outside remit of Compliance Officer, referred to external organisation.
COM-1241	Member of the Public	MP2	Complained that the MP has claimed for ineligible rail travel and office rent	Closed prior to an investigation	No evidence to support the complaint. All claims are eligible under the Scheme.
COM-1242	Member of the Public	MP3	Complained that the MP has claimed for office costs for non-parliamentary purposes	Closed prior to an investigation	Assessment revealed the MP did not claim for the item(s) subject of the complaint and therefore there was no breach of the Scheme.
COM-1243	Member of the Public	MP4	Complained that MPs are claiming for ineligible research expenses	Closed prior to an investigation	As part of IPSA's assurance work programme, a review of pooled services was undertaken in Summer 2016 and again after the 2017 General Election. Whilst a small degree of party political language was identified, the vast majority of research material was factual, informative and found not to be in conflict with the Scheme.
COM-1244	Member of the Public	MP5	Complained that the MP had claimed for rail journeys that were ineligible	Closed prior to an investigation	No evidence to support the complaint. All claims were eligible under the Scheme.
COM-1245	Member of the Public	MPs	Complained that 4 MPs had claimed for travel costs ineligible under the Scheme	Closed prior to an investigation	No evidence to support the complaint. All claims were eligible under the Scheme.
COM-1246	Member of the Public	MP7	Complained that the MP was not responding to concerns	Closed prior to an investigation	Outside remit of the Compliance Officer, referred to outside organisation.
COM-1247	Member of the Public	MP8	Complained that the MP had sent out emails of a party political nature	Closed prior to an investigation	No evidence to support the complaint. Email in question sent via mailchimp account and no costs claimed from IPSA - therefore no breach of the Scheme.
COM-1248	Member of the Public	MP9	Complained that the MP is using the constituency office for non parliamentary purposes	Closed prior to an investigation	No evidence to support the complaint. The MP used his constituency office address to register a company and for mailing purposes only. No IPSA funds utilised and therefore no breach of the Scheme.
COM-1251	IPSA	MP10	MP has reported concerns that a member of her staff has authorised various expense claims through IPSA without her knowledge or consent	Closed prior to an investigation	Outside remit of the Compliance Officer, referred to external organisation.

Last updated: October 2018

Next update: January 2019

020 7811 6464
compliance@theipsa.org.uk