David Kidney The Kelly Report

The Kelly Report

Christopher kelly

The Kelly report into MPs expenses has been published

David Kidney MP says "I accept that the Kelly Report needs to be implemented to help restore trust in our politicians and confidence that our political system is clean."

In my own case it is not going to be a problem as I have never employed a relative and never used public money to help buy a property.

I believe it will be positive thing for everyone to have clear guidelines and a transparent system. The report is a significant step towards this.

The full report can be found here

The Key recommendations proposed by the report include the following:

The new rules

• Rent not buy MPs to claim a maximum of £1,250 rent a month and receive no reimbursement for mortgages.

• Central agency The new Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) will commission a commercial agency to provide, maintain and handle payments for rented accommodation for new MPs entering parliament; if successful that will be rolled out to all sitting MPs.

• No fripperies An end to claims for cleaning, gardening and furnishing.

• End to capital gain Those MPs already with a state-funded mortgage can continue to receive support for the duration of the next parliament but any capital accrued once Ipsa is up and running should be "surrendered to the taxpayer".

• No more golden goodbyes No more generous resettlement grants for MPs who voluntarily step down - but not until the next parliament. MPs will then get eight weeks' pay instead of the £64,000 long-serving MPs currently get. Kelly also called for the standards and privileges committee to use its right to withhold resettlement grants to those who flouted the expenses rules.

• End to family employment Ban on employing relatives, to be phased in over the five years of the next parliament.

• Commute Ban on MPs near London claiming for a second home. Those whose constituency homes are within a "reasonable commuting distance" of London – the details to be decided by Ipsa – will no longer receive support for a second London home. On nights they have to work late in Westminster they will be able to claim the cost of an overnight hotel stay, capped at £125, and £25-a-night subsistence with receipts required.

• New MP pay regime Ipsa should set MPs' pay and pensions.

• Axe communications allowance An end to the £10,400 fund that some had used for "self-publicity".

• No accountancy help

• MPs to keep second jobs

• Transparency All receipts should be published, including those claims not approved.

• More lay people involved Kelly wants two lay people appointed to the standards and privileges committee and three to the Speaker's committee.

• An end to double jobbing MPs will not be able to sit in two legislatures at one time by 2011.

• Independence for MPs' pay This should be handed over to Ipsa and enshrined in primary legislation so politicians can not amend Ipsa's recommendations.

• Sharing MPs Those who currently share a second home as partners will be entitled to make one claim for mortgage or rent payments up to the limit of the cap, plus another third of that