OT minister is one of most ‘expensive’ UK MPs
(CNS): Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s junior minister, Mark Simmonds, who has responsibility for the overseas territories, has been revealed as one of the UK’s more costly members of parliament. According to the latest figures released by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, Simmonds put in expense claims last year to the tune of £173,436.96. The report found that Simmonds employs his wife, Lizbeth, as an office manager on £20-25k a year and claimed £13,005.38 for office costs, £5,910.00 for other staffing expenses and £137,426.92 on payroll. His bill increased by around £17,000 from the 2011/12 fiscal year, when he claimed £156,446.90, which had been a big jump from his claim in 2010/11 of £114,267.11.
The expenses claimed by Simmonds are two and a half times his basic salary (£65,738) and they outstrip the claims of his more senior colleagues by tens of thousands of pounds. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne claimed £120,898.07, while Prime Minister David Cameron put in for £121,872.97 and Simmonds' direct boss, Foreign Secretary William Hague, claimed a comparatively modest sum of £92,273.15.
Despite racking up a significant tab, Simmonds' expense claim is not the highest; that title went to an MP in Northern Ireland, the DUP’s Ian Paisley, who claimed a whopping £232,042.33.
See spread sheet of expenses and pay here.
Category: World News
Come on!
It seems you people would fight and criticize everything!
Why does anything that happens overseas has to be compared to Cayman? Every single politicians all around the world makes a whole lot of money.
BTW to the person who said Cayman politicians are one of the world best paid clearly does not know much about politics. There are politicians making 2 million a year.
There are alot of people on island making well over 150,000 a year…but i guess Caymanians should workfor free right?
There are politicians who make that here too for their 'consulting' work.
All politicians are the same.
Don't vote, stay home.
Not voting also removes your right to criticise any government that is elected. It also allows "worse" candidates to get in to power as only those who really want power (but maybe for the wrong reasons) motivate their voters to get out there…
it is true to say that, once the snout goes in, well, it's well nigh impossible to remove it. I have scientific evidence to prove this, have no doubt, dear reader. It's just stuck in there.
I think he's practicing for a ministerial position in Cayman after he retires!
All of that money yet he still couldn't manage to show up and vote for what was arguably the most important issue facing the entire world at the moment.
Must be nice …
They had a vote on Khloe and Lamar splitting up?
This is a non-story. Most of the expense is payroll. Here they just borrow staff from the CS, or worse they create CS jobs for the people they can "wok wit'". At least the UK minister has to accountable and is scrutinised.
Thats what you call "snout in d trough" LOL.
The phrase 'greedy git' comes to mind here. It's not as though he even does anything worthwhile to earn the money. They should never have got rid of Henry Bellingham.
Did'nt Mckeeva make about 4 times that?
When you add in all the vacations and trips, utilities, services, house keepers, drivers, christmas lights, books for his library etc?
Cayman's politicians are the most well paid bunch in the world, fact. They get paid bucket loads of money and travel the world with no results to show for it other than their ever increasing waist lines, fact.
If you want to stay sane in Cayman, you gotta go to Run Down and get a little "perspective".
100% correct. It's a gravy train. And they are laughing their heads off all the way to bank. But didn't the French eventually do something about that?
No wonder he didn't need a pay rise and Nepotism i see is contagious thats who the PPM must have caught from??? What if our leaders had a little integrity.
Yes and worth every single penny or pence with headline like these today!!!
David Cameron: Crown dependency tax haven banner 'not fair'
CNS: Also see the article on CNS Business
Sadly, we've learned the hard way not to believe one word Camron says. He'll happily make headlines with comments like this while quietly screwing you over in other ways. Remember the old, but very true, joke that goes – Question, "How do you know a politician is lying?" Answer, "When you see his lips moving!"
Don’t need to wait for an invitation,
You gotta live like you’re on vacation,
There’s something sweet you can’tbuy with money – lick it up, lick it up,
It’s all you need, so believe me honey,
It ain’t a crime to be good to yourself……