MPs’ expenses boss got pay rise reports say

The man who oversaw the discredited MPs’ expenses system got an 8% pay rise last year, Commons accounts show, according to the BBC.

Andrew Walker, the Director of Resources’ salary rose from a band of £115,000 - £120,000 to £125,000 - £130,000.

Mr Walker was criticised after playing an active role in trying to prevent the publication of MPs’ expenses, according to the politics.co.uk.

Last year, he was the official who defended the Commons’ position at an information tribunal, when it was resisting publishing full details of MPs’ expenses claims.

When details were eventually published, after being leaked to the Daily Telegraph, many MPs justified their claims by saying they had within the rules and agreed by Commons Fee Office, says the BBC.

However, the MPs’ “excuse” that strongly replies on their previous fee agreement with the Commons Fee Office had further undermined his position, says the politics.co.uk.

The increase of payment of Mr Walker comes at a time when others in public sector are seeing their annual salary restricted to only about 2%.

The salary increases have to be approved by a senior pay panel.

The BBC political correspondent Carole Walker said it was unclear whether the rises were agreed under the previous Commons speaker Michael Martin, who stepped down following the expenses row, or had been voted upon more recently, since officials vowed to clean up the system.

Amid public furore over some of the claims made under MPs’ second homes allowances, new interim rules were brought in to limit their use and an independent inquiry is currently considering what changes need to be made, says the BBC.

Malcolm Jack, the most Commons official, has now got an 11% rise which means he currently earns more than the Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

His pay rose from a £170,000-£175,000 band to £190,000 to £20,000 to £25,000, according to the BBC.

The biggest rise went to Joan Miller, who runs Parliament’s IT systems. Her pay rose from between £90,000 and £95,000 to a pay band of between £105,000 and £110,000, says the BBC.

The MPs’ expenses scandal was sparked after weeks of Daily Telegraph’s revelations on what MPs had claimed for their second homes expenses when they attend Westminster sessions instead of staying at their constituency home.

According to the Daily Telegraph, some of the MPs even claimed for DVDs renting fees, garden reparation fees, house utility bills, which utterly angered the general public, who condemned those MPs were wasting their – taxpayers’ money.