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<p>The Speaker’s Committee meets IPSA throughout the year to assess its performance,
running costs and effectiveness in handling MPs’ expenses. The Committee last met
IPSA on 5 March 2024 and a transcript of that session is available on the Committee’s
website: <a href="https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/14403/pdf/" target="_blank">https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/14403/pdf/</a></p><p>In
2023, 65.3 per cent of MPs and their staff rated IPSA’s service as either good or
very good, which was up on this measure in 2019 when 25.1 per cent rated the service
in that way. The time taken for IPSA to reimburse MPs’ claims has reduced from an
average of 8 days in 2020-21 to 2.6 days in 2023-24. Compliance with IPSA’s scheme
is currently at 99.9%.</p><p>Through its scrutiny of IPSA, the Committee is looking
at the steps being taken by IPSA to help improve its effectiveness in enabling MPs
and their staff to claim for expenses and business costs. IPSA’s ongoing work includes:</p><ul><li>the
development of an IPSA online portal to enhance the customer experience by improving
the functionality of the system in areas such as claim and form submission;</li><li>the
greater provision of centralised services, reducing the financial and administrative
burden on MPs and their staff through the centralised provision of goods and services
such as constituency office leases, utilities, and equipment;</li><li>the piloting
of an online marketplace, allowing MPs and their staff to purchase goods such as office
equipment centrally; and</li><li>exploration of alternative models of reimbursement,
enabling MPs and their staff to pay for business costs without the need to claim retrospectively.</li></ul><p>The
Committee plans to consider IPSA’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2023-24 later in
the summer at which point it will assess IPSA’s latest results against its performance
indicators.</p>
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