Julia Goldsworthy

EXPENSES

Julia Goldsworthy has published quarterly breakdowns of her expenses claims since April 2008.

In advance of publication by the House of Commons, Julia published details of all claims she has made since her election in 2005. On 18 June 2009, the House of Commons formally published details of all MP's allowances on Parliament's website up to 2007/08 http://mpsallowances.parliament.uk/mpslordsandoffices/hocallowances/allowances-by-mp/julia-goldsworthy/

Julia has gone further than the information released by Parliament and has published full details of all claims made in 2008-09. They are available here:

Additional Costs Allowance

Office Costs - Incidental Expenditure Provision (IEP)

Communications Allowance

Scanned copies of her claim forms for the current year (2009-10) are below, and are uploaded on a quarterly basis.

Personal Additional Accommodation Expenditure (PAAE, formerly known as Additional Costs Allowance)

This allowance is in place to cover the costs for MPs who have to be away from home to attend Parliament. Julia's constituency is nearly 300 miles from London - the 5 hour train journey makes it impossible for her to commute on a daily basis.

The allowance can be used for hotel bills, rent, or interest payments on a mortgage, as well as utility bills and subsistence costs associated with working away from home.

In 2008, Julia moved from a 1 bedroom flat, into a 2 bedroom property with her partner Chris, who sold his house in Reading, in order that they could purchase the property in their joint names. Julia and Chris meet all the costs of running Julia's main home in Cornwall (which also has a mortgage).

In line with guidelines from the Speaker made available in May 2009, Julia's claims relating to her accommodation in London consist of part of the mortgage interest and half of some of the households bills. Since 2008 she has not made any claims for food or subsistence.

Full details of Julia's 2009-10 PAAE claims can be found here:

PAAE - April to June

PAAE - July to September

PAAE - October to December

PAAE - January

PAAE - February

PAAE - March

Administrative and Office Expenditure (AOE, formerly known as Incidental Expenditure Provision)

This provision covers the costs of all Julia's office work for both her staff and herself.

It covers the rent and bills for her office in Camborne, the cost of hiring rooms for advice surgeries, and bills for the telephone, photocopier, printers, stationery and other miscellaneous office costs from computer equipment to paperclips.

Anything covering the cost of running an office and responding to constituents' queries is covered by this allowance.

Full details of Julia's 2009-10 AOE claims can be found here:

AOE - April to June

AOE - July to September

AOE - October to December

AOE - January

AOE - February & March

AOE

AOE2

Communications Allowance

In 2007 a new Communications Allowance was introduced, to cover the cost of printing and delivering Constituency Annual Reports and surveys, advertising advice surgeries and for writing to constituents who wish to be regularly updated on long running issues (such as the Equitable Life scandal).

In most cases, this information has to be approved in advance by the Department of Finance and Administration before it can be sent out across the constituency.

Communications Allowance - April to June

Communications Allowance - July to September

Communications Allowance - October to December

Communications Allowance - January to March

Travel Expenditure

MPs can claim for travel to and from Westminster, and for journeys in and around the constituency relating to their parliamentary duties.

Details of Julia's travel expenditure in 2009-10, relating to her travel to Westminster and around the constituency can be found here:

Travel Allowance - April to June

Travel Allowance - July to September

Travel Allowance - October to December

Staffing Expenditure

These resources are available to allow MPs to employ staff to help them fulfil their parliamentary duties. Julia has one full time member of staff based in Westminster, to assist with her duties in parliament, and four (mostly part time) members of staff based in the constituency, who help support and organise her work there.

Please note that these salary payments are made direct to the staff members. Julia does not, and has never employed any family members.

Legg Review

Julia has always welcomed the independent scrutiny of MPs' allowances, and has co-operated fully to ensure any issues the Legg Review raised were fully addressed.

Copies of her correspondence with the Legg Review are available below:

Legg Review Letter - 12 October 2009

Legg Review Letter and Julia's Response - 15 December 2009

Register of Members' Interests

Julia believes that people's trust in politicians will never be restored while there is any hint of secrecy about how they operate.

Julia supports a national campaign calling on all MPs and Parliamentary candidates to declare their lobbying interests. The campaign is run by independent group 38 Degrees and the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency. It calls on candidates from all political parties to support a statutory register of lobbying activity.

The proposed register would ask lobbying firms to include the names of the companies or organisations they are working for, and which decisions they are trying to influence. MPs are already required to register any personal or financial interests they have that may influence their actions. The new campaign is now calling on candidates to publicly declare any lobbying interests they may have in the same way.

Julia believes that only complete openess and transparency will give people any confidence in the politicians that are asking for their votes.

Julia's entry in the Register of MP's interests can be found below:

Register of Members' Interests