As is common in most employment arrangements, Members' employees are expected to provide for their own nourishment and refreshment at work, whether they purchase that or bring it in from home. The position is different for volunteers as they are not employed and provided with a salary from which to provide that sustenance. For that reason, volunteers can claim for the additional costs associated with volunteering for an MP, for example when on the parliamentary estate or in a constituency office (which includes food) which Members' staff cannot.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1493", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Charles Walker"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Broxbourne"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Sir Charles Walker"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2021-01-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2021-01-21T09:36:44.897Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "90"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2021-01-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Members' Staff: Allowances"} , "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, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2021 to Question 136593, whether Members' staff working on the parliamentary estate or in a constituency office incur a work-related expense that is additional to usual living costs by needing to purchase food at that location.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4638", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Slough"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi"} ], "uin" : "139115"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1277642", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1277642/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The payment the Hon Member refer's to is IPSA's administration of the tax-free allowance which can be paid to employees who are required to work from home, under HMRC rules. As a tax mechanism, this does not apply to people who volunteer.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1493", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Charles Walker"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Broxbourne"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Sir Charles Walker"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2021-01-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2021-01-21T09:37:49.607Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "90"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2021-01-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Members' Staff: Voluntary Work"} , "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, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2021 to Question 136594, for what reasons IPSA recognise that Members' staff incur additional costs while working at home through introducing a monthly working from home payment, but do not consider volunteers to be similarly incurring additional costs while volunteering from home for an hon Member.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4638", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Slough"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi"} ], "uin" : "139116"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1275840", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1275840/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
IPSA has informed me that the arrangements for volunteer expenses were updated in March 2014 when the new model volunteer agreement was produced. This was communicated through the IPSA bulletin at the time and is available on the IPSA website. The Hon. Member is correct that there is no geographical stipulation in the volunteer expenses rules. There is a balance to strike when drawing up policy and guidance between on the one hand brevity and clarity and on the other detailing all possible scenarios. There will always be an element of judgement and interpretation when unusual situations such as the Covid19 pandemic occur.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1493", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Charles Walker"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Broxbourne"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Sir Charles Walker"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2021-01-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2021-01-18T10:14:36.927Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "90"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2021-01-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Members' Staff: Voluntary Work"} , "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, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2021 to Question 133126, for what reasons IPSA has not included the geographical restrictions of volunteer subsistence expenses within the wording of the (i) scheme as it relates to volunteers and (ii) IPSA model volunteer contract; what steps IPSA has taken to ensure that policy complies with section 5(1) of the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009; where previously IPSA has published its policy of geographical restrictions of volunteer subsistence costs; when and with whom IPSA consulted ahead of introducing that policy; what steps IPSA took to communicate that policy; on what dates that communication occurred; and whether IPSA has undertaken an assessment of the appropriateness of that policy position during the covid-19 outbreak.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4638", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Slough"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi"} ], "uin" : "136593"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1275841", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1275841/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
There have not been any specific director meetings on volunteer expenses but the policy team and the Chief Executive of IPSA considered carefully the issue of food costs for volunteers who are working from home. A guiding principle in the stewardship of the use of public funds is that reimbursement is appropriate where there is a work-related expense that is additional to usual living costs. In this case, volunteers working on the parliamentary estate or in a constituency office would be incurring additional expense by needing to purchase food. This is not the case when the volunteer is at home as they would not incur additional food costs whilst working for an MP.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1493", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Charles Walker"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Broxbourne"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Sir Charles Walker"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2021-01-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2021-01-18T10:15:01.967Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "90"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2021-01-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Members' Staff: Voluntary Work"} , "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, on which dates in January 2021 the directors of IPSA (a) met and (b) plan to meet to discuss volunteer subsistence costs; and if IPSA will publish minutes relating to (i) those meetings and (ii) other senior IPSA management meetings in the past six months on volunteer subsistence costs.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4638", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Slough"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi"} ], "uin" : "136594"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1273262", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1273262/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) provides funding for staffing and business costs to support MPs in their parliamentary functions, in line with the rules and general conditions set out in its Scheme.<\/p>
MPs may claim for the cost of reasonable food and travel expenses to be paid to volunteers who are supporting their parliamentary work, to ensure they are not out of pocket as a result of their volunteer activities. This may include, for example, the purchase of lunch when working away from home. Volunteer expenses may only be reimbursed to cover actual costs incurred as a result of supporting the MP and are not intended to be used as a daily food allowance to fund the consumption of food and drink in a volunteer's own home.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1493", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Charles Walker"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Broxbourne"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Sir Charles Walker"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2021-01-11", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2021-01-11T14:26:07.67Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "90"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-12-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Members' Staff: Voluntary Work"} , "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, if IPSA will provide volunteers working at home during the covid-19 outbreak with the lunch expenses as provided for in the model volunteer agreement.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4638", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Slough"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi"} ], "uin" : "133126"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1260161", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1260161/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
I am grateful to the hon. Member for his question. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has listened to feedback from all of its stakeholders and acknowledges the significant amount of time that MPs and their staff currently spend administering business and staffing costs and the increase in volume and complexity of workloads as a result of the pandemic.Whilst IPSA has not estimated the amount of time or cost of this activity specifically as this varies by MP Office and constituency, with the backing of the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, IPSA is embarking on a transformation programme that will simplify the Scheme, improve service, deliver better value for money for the taxpayer and enable MPs and their staff to focus on their constituents and Parliamentary duties. In the short term, IPSA has also increased spending allowances to ensure office staffing and home working are resourced effectively.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1493", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Charles Walker"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Broxbourne"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Sir Charles Walker"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-12-15", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-12-15T10:12:18.537Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "90"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-12-10", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Members: Staff"} , "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 estimate the Authority has made of the (a) amount and (b) cost to the public purse of Member's staff time spent on IPSA-related work; and what steps the Authority is taking to reduce that cost to the public purse.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4638", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Slough"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi"} ], "uin" : "128234"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 6, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }