READ THE WINTERTON'S EXPENSES STATEMENT IN FULL
Cheshire MPs the Winterton's have issued a statement about their expense claims.
A commons review has today called for a ban on the use of MPs expenses to renovate their homes.
However, it recommends ministers should still be able to claim up to £19,600 to cover the costs of a second home.
This is Sir Nicholas and Lady Ann Winterton's statement in full;
"In paragraph 35, the Commissioner stated “In this case I accept that Sir Nicholas and Lady Winterton consulted the House authorities, initially in 1998, before they established the trust arrangements for their property in February 2002. There was at that stage nothing in the Green Book’s rules or guidance which prevented them claiming from the Additional Costs Allowance for rental payments to the trust of which they were two of the three trustees and of which their children were the beneficiaries.”
"He continued in paragraph 36 “I accept the views of the Director of Operations that the rules of the House are not legal documents and cannot easily be subject to normal legal analysis.”
"Furthermore, in paragraph 39 he stated “I accept, however, that the rental costs made no additional call on public funds as a result of the trust arrangement compared to alternative accommodation the Members may have rented. Had Sir Nicholas and Lady Winterton recognised that changes to the rules applied to their pre-existing arrangement, I am in no doubt that the Department would have advised them to bring this arrangement to an end and the resultant public criticism of their arrangements would have been avoided. It is unfortunate that the correspondence initiated by the then Department of Finance and Administration in February 2007 was, through an oversight in the Department, not followed to a conclusion.”
"The Commissioner went on to say in paragraph 40 “Nevertheless, I accept that Sir Nicholas and Lady Winterton have not at any stage attempted to conceal the arrangement they had entered into. And I recognise that Sir Nicholas and Lady Winterton have recently taken significant action to rectify this situation.”
"In conclusion if, as it now appears clear from the report, the July 2006 guidance negated an existing arrangement/contract without any consultation between the parties concerned contrary (as we understand it) to common law, we were unaware of that fact. We were therefore unwittingly in breach of the guidelines but we are currently, as the Commissioner indicated, taking action to rectify the situation".
