European Parliament on the defensive

09 November 2007

The European Parliament is fighting a rearguard action against the EU Ombudsman, who wants it to publish details of expenses payments to MEPs, writes Stephen Gardner. Unlike salaries, which are paid by the MEP's home country, expenses come out of the Parliament's account. MEPs themselves monitor the payments via the Parliament's budgetary control committee. Excuses given so far for non-publication are that it would take “too much time” or that the data protection rights of MEPs' assistants would be infringed. There are even mutterings in the Parliament about fighting fire with fire by creating a fuss about the cost of the increase in staffing at the Ombudsman's office. The likely reason for the Parliament's outraged response is that embarrassing details would come to light, for example how much of the £10,300 MEPs receive each month to pay their assistants is actually paid to assistants. Some MEPs are perhaps more generous than others, such as Robert Kilroy-Silk and Liberal Democrat Diane Wallis, whose assistants also happen to be their spouses. MEPs also get £195 daily just for turning up to sessions in Brussels and Strasbourg. Allegations have for years been circulating about parliamentarians who sign the attendance register, then disappear for the rest of the day. MEPs also receive £2750 monthly for maintaining constituency offices, and flat-rate travel expenses. A spokesperson told Eurocorrespondent.com the Ombudsman was “surprised” at the Parliament's “blanket refusal” to publish the details. This is despite the European Data Protection Supervisor backing the Ombudsman and dismissing the claim that assistants might have their data protection rights compromised. But don't expect sudden transparency. The Parliament has until the end of the year to submit a “detailed opinion” on the Ombudsman's recommendation – or in other words, to come up with a better excuse for not changing anything. A version of this article was originally published in Private Eye.

 

< Prev		Next >