Strengthen parliamentary ethical standards says anti-corruption watchdog

Wednesday, 04 November 2009

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Broadly welcoming the proposals on MPs' expenses made by the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) today,

Chandrashekhar Krishnan, Executive Director of TI-UK said:

"TI-UK agrees that these proposals should meet the tests of being both transparent and accountable. If public trust in politicians is to be restored, the new rules must be enforced effectively in full. The unethical conduct of some MPs has blighted Westminster for too many months.  Those MPs who claimed they were acting within rules that were flawed forgot their duty to uphold the Nolan Principles. These must now be reinforced through proactive guidance on ethics from the Office of the Commissioner for Parliamentary Standards. To fail to do so will increase the risk of a repetition of the unethical conduct that has so enraged the British public.  A review of the House of Lords expenses system, which is long overdue, would also help to enhance Parliament's credibility".

TI-UK also believes two additional actions are vital:

  • The 2009 Parliamentary Standards Act enshrined a shocking double standard -
    • more lenient penalties for MPs over false expenses claims than existing laws covering fraud and false accounting.  This should be removed so that all UK citizens are equal before the law.
  • The new Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), whose members
    • are to be approved by a House of Commons Speaker's Committee, almost all of whose members are MPs, needs to be able to act in a truly independent manner. The Speaker's Committee should include members from outside parliament as recommended by the CSPL. It is also very important that the IPSA should have the power to initiate an investigation into an MP's expense claims.