What would a bicycling Parliament look like in the UK? MP Expenses
I want to pick up on my comment made on April Fools’ Day:
We need a bicycling Parliament
This is a thought based on the idea of a “Bicycling Monarchy” – an idea for a British Monarchy shorn of many of the trappings, pomp and ceremonial. Wikipedia defines it like this:
Bicycle monarchy (or bicycling monarchy) is a British term that refers to the more informal and modest personal styles of the royal families of countries in Scandinavia and the Low Countries, particularly the Netherlands.
The term is often used in a pejorative sense by newspapers in the United Kingdom, reflecting a pride in the pomp and ceremony of the British monarchy. However, it is not used exclusively as a negative term, and is sometimes used in a favourable light, particularly by those that oppose the more ceremonial side of the Royal Family but do not seek to abolish the monarchy.
In my view that captures some of the change we need to apply to the Westminster Parliament. There are models around, such as the more modest allowances paid by the Welsh Senedd (Lord Dafyd Ellis refused to make Senedd Expenses less open to take pressure off Westminster arrangements) and Norwegian Parliaments.
I say “we need to apply” because this has to be driven by the Electorate holding our representatives to account.
The Norwegian Setup – An Example?
As we need to be thinking about this, what do you think of the Norwegian setup. Simpler, more modest, less complicated, and – in my view the most important point – where expenses for politicians are handled in a way much closer to that used for the population. This reproduced from www.storting.no.
Financial support for MPs
Basic salary
As of 1 October 2008: NOK 694 500 gross per annum (subject to regular income taxation)
(2% of this figure is deducted as contribution to the public pension scheme)
The President of the Storting receives the same total annual salary as the Prime Minister: NOK 1 266 000 (1 October 2008)
Additional salary
Vice President +14% of the basic salary
Presidents of the Lagting/Odelsting + 7%
Chairs of the standing committees + 7%
Subsistence allowances
2009(all months except July)
a) NOK 78 per day if the distance between the MP’s home and the Storting does not exceed 40 km
b) NOK 182 per day if this distance exceeds 40 km.
Travel allowances
MPs travel free of charge within Norway, by rail, on public transport bus, boat, and ferry routes, and on scheduled flights.
Official trips are covered in accordance with the government scale.
If the distance between the MP’s home and the Storting exceeds 40 km, travel costs to and from the MP’s home at the beginning and close of each session, at holiday periods, and at weekends are covered.
There are no travel allowances within the capital. After late evening meetings in the Storting (after 10 pm) taxi fares to the MP’s Oslo accommodation will be covered.
Travel abroad must be approved by the Storting’s Presidium, and expenses are covered in accordance with the government scale.
Private secretaries and other financial support for the party groups
Norwegian MPs do not have personal assistants. All such assistance is provided through the party secretariat.
The Storting provides an annual contribution of NOK 1 979 551 as a basic amount to the party secretariat plus NOK 626 809 per MP.
Party groups which are not represented in government are given an opposition contribution in addition. Opposition groups with three or four MPs are granted 50% of the basic amount, while groups of five or more MPs receive 100% of the basic amount.
Free office
Each MP has an office in the parliament buildings at her/his disposal free of charge. All accommodation and telephone expenses are paid by the Storting.
Postal costs
The Storting covers all postal costs.
Telephone costs
Telephone costs are fully covered: in office, at home and mobile. Also IT broadband communication at home is covered.
The Storting equips the MPs with mobile phones and covers all expenses. There is no upper limit.
NOK 6 000 (yearly) is subject to ordinary income taxation.
Holidays
No formal regulation exists. Holidays are normally taken when the Storting is not in session.
Holiday remuneration is paid after the end of the MP’s last term and only for the last year of this term. At present the holiday remuneration amounts to 10.2 % of the basic salary for MPs below the age of 60 and 12.5 % for MPs over 60.
Health insurance
All MPs have life insurance (death benefit as of 1 May 2008: NOK 702 560) and accident insurance (death or disablement risk up to an amount of NOK 1 053 840).
Pensions
When a former MP reaches the age of 65, she/he is entitled to a pension. After 12 years of service an MP will receive full pension rights – an amount of 66% of the basic salary. At present, this amounts to NOK 458 370 per annum.
Severance pay
If an MP is not re-elected he/she will receive one month’s salary. In the event of no other source of income, salary will be provided for three months. In the event of no income after 3 months, application for a further allowance can be made through the pension system.
Income tax
MPs pay income tax with ordinary deductions on the basic salary and subsistence allowances.
Insurance
Loss and damage to property in the Storting are covered by insurance.
Loss and damage to personal property must be reported to the police. Compensation will only be available through the MP’s own personal insurance scheme.
Travel insurance
The Storting has taken out a mutual luggage insurance which covers loss of up to NOK 30 000.
Accommodation
MPs from constituencies more than 40 km from the Storting receive free accommodation assistance within Oslo.
The Storting owns 140 flats for this purpose.
Substitute members are offered free accommodation within the Storting buildings for the period of time they meet in the Storting. In all, 15 rooms have been refurbished for this purpose.
Child care
The Storting has an arrangement with a private child care facility to provide places for a maximum of 14 children, in accordance with guidelines adopted by the Presidium. Parents pay NOK 2 330 per month.
Wrapping Up
What do you think?
Categories: All WW, House Rules for Parliament, Media, News - Current Affairs, Parliaments, Politics
http://www.storting.no/ doesn’t resolve for me. I suspect you mean
http://www.stortinget.no/en/
Tony Bowden´s last blog post..Gradual deployment of schema changes
Thanks
Matt
Sounds reasonable and it would give our lot that rise in pay they so desperately need.
STB.
p.s. For info: 1 NOK = approx. 10p
[...] Wardman, asking what a “bicycling Parliament” would look like, compares the salary and benefits packages for Norwegian MPs to those in the UK. I’m perennially [...]
I didn’t find an exchange rate as I published in a rush – will check ! An element by element comparison will be worth it.
Hmmm. Will return to this, but the salary difference is less than 5% UK vs No at roughly £3k; hardly a big number in the scheme of things.
If we are doing a straight financial comparisons (which is not my only aim – it’s also to bring some more ideas into the debate) that difference multiplied over the whole term would be more than covered by the difference in “loss of office” grant alone for virtually all MPs: UK 50-100% of salary, £30k tax free; Norway: one month salary.
Also of course, the Norway cost of living is very high – but getting into comparisons London/Oslo with time spent in the constituency taken into account is really out of scope here.
[...] European Parliaments to justify a salary increase. Gone – since their (e.g., Germany, France, Norway) salaries are often relatively comparable. In Italy representatives are paid more, but does anyone [...]
[...] current conditions we can follow the Norwegian model of having flats provided for MPs who are not in London, without needing any new money beyond [...]