Parliament website publishes MPs expenses online

In the wake of scandals and resignations prompted by the publication of MPs’ expenses in the Daily Telegraph, the Parliament website today makes public MPs expenses dating from 2004-05.

Constitutents can now access allowances and expense claims made by their local MP online.

The published data however, has been criticised as substandard, given that certain information relating to expenses has been blacked out.

The BBC reports:

‘Last year, the Commons agreed to blank out certain information considered sensitive including addresses and all communications with the Fees Office. MPs have been able to suggest further exclusions.’

The Daily Telegraph’s assistant editor, Andrew Pierce, said that the paper would publish the entire list of claims submitted by the Cabinet on Friday (19th June) and every MP’s expenses on Saturday (20th June) to allow people to draw their own conclusions about what had been “censored”.