The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.<\/p>
Letter from Andrew McDonald, 3/10/2014 2013:<\/em><\/p> As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about IPSA's Contingency Panel.<\/p> The rules concerning the Contingency Panel are set out at Paragraph 10.12 of the MPs' Scheme of Business Costs and Expenses.<\/p> They set out that in relation to each application the Contingency Panel will consider:<\/p> a. whether there are exceptional circumstances warranting additional support;<\/p> b. whether the MP could reasonably have been expected to take any action to avoid the circumstances which gave rise to the expenditure or liability; and<\/p> c. whether the MP's performance of parliamentary functions will be significantly impaired by a refusal of the claim.<\/p> Given the significant increase in staffing budgets made in 2012/13, we have not provided contingency funding for MPs' staffing expenditure budgets on the basis of increased casework in 2013/14.<\/p><\/blockquote>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1493", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Charles Walker"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Broxbourne"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr Charles Walker"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-03-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-03-18T12:00:00.00Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "90"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : ""}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : ""}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-03-06", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what criteria the IPSA Contingency Panel used to grant uplifts to hon. Members' staffing expenditure budgets in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/35", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Bob Russell"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Colchester"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Sir Bob Russell"}
], "uin" : "190930"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/41947", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Speaker's Committee for Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/41947/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.<\/p> Letter from Andrew McDonald, 3/10/2014 2013:<\/em><\/p> As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about IPSA's Contingency Panel.<\/p> In 2012/13 the highest uplift approved by the Contingency Panel was £13,909 and the lowest was £600.<\/p> In 2013/14 to date, the highest has been £17,900 and the lowest £600.<\/p> <\/p> These figures do not include other uplifts to provide cover for staff on maternity, paternity, adoption and long term sick leave.<\/p><\/blockquote> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1493", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Charles Walker"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Broxbourne"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr Charles Walker"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-03-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-03-18T12:00:00.00Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "90"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : ""}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : ""}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-03-06", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what the (a) highest and (b) lowest uplift allocated to hon. Members' staff expenditure budgets was in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013-14 to date.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/35", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Bob Russell"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Colchester"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Sir Bob Russell"}
], "uin" : "190931"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/41344", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/41344/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " I refer the noble Lord to the reply given by my noble Friend, the Under-Secretary of State and Government Spokesperson, Department for Communities and Local Government, Baroness Stowell of Beeston, to the noble Lady, Baroness King of Bow, on 3 Mar 2014, Official Report, House of Lords, columns WA278. <\/p>