Vocal Voices

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) has just awarded MPs an extra £10,000 for office costs, this is on top of the £26,000 they already get from us. It's to allow for purchases of such things as laptops, phones and printers. MPs' payment cards have been increased to £10,000 per month and the single transaction limit has been increased to £5,000.

Er, don't they already have these things, and are they not networked, and don't their staff already do quite a bit of "out of office" work? What am I saying, this is only money?

I don't have a problem with them drawing equipment from central stores to be handed back once the crisis is over, but to just go out and spend is wrong. Ordinary folk working from home for their organisations are not getting this level of largess.

Yes it's completely ridiculous. One can only hope that when we emerge from this crisis, we will have a root and branch review of many areas of our constitution and society. People will have long, lean memories, without a doubt.

One can only hope that several MPs fall foul of the Chief Constable of Northampton's declaration today (since rescinded, I have to add) that his force will be checking the contents of your shopping trolley for non essential items ….

The Police State cometh. Who decides what is 'essential', me or plod?
"I require to check your trolley, sir."
"You can FRO! Arrest me!"

My MP has a constituency office with four desks, a laser copy and printer, another printer, phones and desktop PCs and a TV. He holds outreach surgeries supported by two staff with laptops and phones all linked back to the office.

His staff, as well as the man himself, could all work from home with the equipment they already have. One of them, on a rota, could be in the office but behind closed doors = social distancing - that office has secure links to Westminster.

With a bit of tweaking the ability to work from home could already be done for pennies.

My son still works from a small office about ten miles from his house as he has not got equipment at home to make conference calls. He would normally travel all over the world incluing China but this is on hold indefinitley.

He has had to buy a new laptop out of his own money not even on the firms expenses.
What extra work are MPs actually doing during this crisis?

cruiser2 wrote:What extra work are MPs actually doing during this crisis?

I think we can guess how much!

Most of those being asked to work from home are doing so using a mix of work and home kit. They are certainly using their own utilities such as gas and electricity as well as broadband, and get this, many of them will be breaking the terms of their household insurance by doing so. Would the rules be waived should something go wrong - there are no guarantees?