MPs' abused staff over expenses

[rdmaughan]

Basically MPs do not like the new expenses system which was brought in after the level of abuse of the old system got too blatant to ignore.  Several MPs reacted so badly to the new system that they became abusive to staff, in one case reducing a civil servant to tears.  This story broke earlier this week, if you missed it the details are at Read more... )

Comments

[lil_shepherd]

I seriously doubt it is any more onerous than some of the expense paperwork/computer systems I have had to fill in over the years and, indeed, suspect it is pretty much the same as the one that a lot of the Civil Service were using when I left a couple of years ago.

If AAs can do it, so can an MP. (On the other hand, maybe not. I know members of the SCS who always got their secretaries to work out their expenses. Though I am heartened by the memory of a Grade 7 fast streamer working on a report for the EU, many years ago, who announced proudly that, since he had lost the use of a secretary he was now able to use FAX, Telex and the Tontos (QLiphone) that we used to use in those days.)

[filklore_on_lj]

The thing that baffled me was reading that at least some of the people working for IPSA, subjected to this abuse, were reported to be unpaid volunteers. For them it must be doubly galling to take flack from the ones with their snouts in the trough.

Perhaps I misunderstand, or perhaps the papers reporting this misunderstand; but isn't helping MPs sort out their expense a fairly important job, that should receive some kind of wage?

[rdmaughan]

I had assumed the reference to volunteers meant the staff normally did something else and had volunteered to train MPs due to the large number they were trying to train in a short period of time.

[keristor]

IPSA officials had put young female volunteers from government departments "into the front line" does imply the same to me. Although it's not completely clear whether they were regular employees who happened to be young, or 'interns' with those other departments doing un- or low-paid work as "on the job experience".

It's quite possible that ISPA were at fault for using them (instead of older "Sir Humphrey" types, to whom the MPs might be more willing to listen) to brief the MPs, but that doesn't excuse the MPs' behaviour whoever the staff were.

[filklore_on_lj]

Putting what you have quoted together with what I read (which I can't find at the moment) suggests they were indeed unpaid interns from elsewhere.

The passage I remember was an MP (female, I believe) who on asking the person assisting her if they (the IPSA staff) were all getting bonuses. was told that she was an unpaid volunteer. The MP allegedly loudly and repeatedly refused to believe this, and ended up grabbing the volunteer's name badge, presumably to check up on her and prove her wrong.

Makes you proud to be represented by them, doesn't it.

[keristor]

Thanks for the reference, I'd missed that one (the BBC news site seems to change hourly, I often think "I'll come back to that" and then can't find the article any more by lunchtime).

I would like to say "I'm shocked, shocked I say!" but I'm not very surprised. I've seen how managers in the private sector often react when made to jump through the same hoops as their staff ("But I'm a MANAGER! I shouldn't have to put up with this bureaucracy!").

IMO any MP who behaves like that should be fired, but like managers they are above the law which applies to the plebs (if I lost the company millions of pounds I wouldn't be "let go" with a "golden handshake" of more millions!).

[inamac]

I expected this to happen. MPs and civil servants used to have more or less the same expenses system in my Department, until it was discovered that 'too much' was being claimed (quite legitimately) and it was replaced by an electronic system with so many hoops to jump through that many employees never bothered to claim expenses at all (which achieved the savings objective).

So I can understand MPs getting annoyed by it.

Though no sympathy. None at all...

[occams_pyramid]

Well, having to do their expenses does keep them away from doing their real job.

Which is passing laws for ever more and more incomprehensible and intrusive bureaucracy to harass the people who pay their wages, on the grounds that some people are cheating the system therefore everybody must jump through ever increasing hoops.

Another Daily Mail headline? Something Must Be Done! Pass more laws!