Scots MP tops Westminster expenses

Story in full ERIC Joyce, the Labour MP for Falkirk, was yesterday named the highest expense-claiming MP in Britain, clocking up larger travel costs than colleagues who fly to far-flung Orkney and Western Isles constituencies.

Mr Joyce cost taxpayers nearly 175,000 - of which 45,000, or 865 a week, was for travel - on top of his salary of almost 60,000.

The travel claim is enough for two economy return tickets a week to Australia.

As a loyal ministerial aide, Mr Joyce attended 90 per cent of Commons votes in the past year but spoke in just 13 debates, well below average.

Last night he admitted that his travel costs were too high and vowed to "do something about it".

Three of the five costliest MPs are Scottish - mainly because of high travel costs - with Alistair Carmichael, the Liberal Democrat Orkney and Shetland MP, in second place and Alex Salmond, the SNP leader, in fifth.

Mr Carmichael, whose expenses were 161,815, attended 69 per cent of parliamentary votes - below average - but he asked more written questions and participated in more debates than the average MP.

Mr Salmond has attended fewer than one in three votes in parliament - Nationalists refuse to vote on matters that pertain to England and Wales only - but has participated in more debates than average.

Last night, he told The Scotsman he was "surprised and puzzled" that he was the fifth most expensive MP, at 157,844.

"I will get my staff to investigate. I can explain the travel costs, because it is expensive to fly to Aberdeen."

Mr Salmond added that he put all of the SNP's parliamentary staff costs under his expenses, bumping up his bill by more than 5,000.

Details of the expenses claimed by MPs, published today, show they claimed 86.8 million between April 2005 and March 2006. This compares with 80.8 million in 2004-5.

The increase this year is in part due to the inclusion of 5.8 million in winding-up allowances for MPs who retired or lost their seats at the last general election. Meanwhile, high staff costs for Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, were questioned. Her staff bill was 99,589. Ms Beckett employs her husband, Leo, as one of her assistants.

Sinn Fein's five MPs claimed 206,721 in expenses last year, despite never taking their seats in the House of Commons. The Irish Republicans' bill included 7,500 claims by each of the MPs for staying away from their main homes.

Unlike in Holyrood, where journalists and the public can scrutinise receipts and detailed breakdowns of expenses, Westminster authorities release the figures under broad categories, refusing to provide a "total".

Nick Harvey, the Liberal Democrat MP and spokesman for the Members Estimate Committee, which released the figures, insisted MPs represented "excellent value for money".

What your MP claimed

THE list of Scottish MPs and the expenses they have claimed is:

Eric Joyce, Falkirk, 174,811; Alistair Carmichael, Orkney and Shetland, 161,815; Alex Salmond, Banff and Buchan, 157,844; Ian Davidson, Glasgow South West, 155,521; Angus Robertson, Moray, 155,189; Nigel Griffiths, Edinburgh South, 153,570; Frank Doran, Aberdeen North, 152,852; Michael Connarty, Linlithgow & East Falkirk, 151,854; Jim Murphy, East Renfrewshire, 149,846; Mohammed Sarwar, Glasgow Central, 149,310; Russell Brown, Dumfries & Galloway, 148,136; Anne Moffat, East Lothian, 148,072; Anne Begg, Aberdeen South, 147,274; Malcolm Bruce, Gordon, 146,281; Charles Kennedy, Ross, Skye & Lochaber, 145,366; Jim Sheridan, Paisley & Renfrewshire North, 145,134; Brian Donohoe, Central Ayrshire, 145,014; Rosemary McKenna, Cumbernauld, Kilsyth & Kirkintilloch East, 144,899; Rt Hon John McFall, West Dunbartonshire, 144,336; David Mundell, Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale, 143,159; Frank Roy, Motherwell & Wishaw, 142,948; Tommy McAvoy, Rutherglen & Hamilton West, 141,898; John MacDougall, Glenrothes, 141,773; Tom Clarke, Coatbridge, Chryston & Bellshill, 141,603; Tom Harris, Glasgow South, 140,831; Michael Moore, Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk, 139,621; Alistair Darling, Edinburgh South West, 139,105; Sir Robert Smith, West Aberdeenshire & Kincardine, 138,938; Gordon Banks, Ochil & South Perthshire, 138,885; John Robertson, Glasgow North West, 138,838;

Mark Lazarowicz, Edinburgh North & Leith, 137,360; Gordon Brown, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath, 134,586; David Hamilton, Midlothian, 133,007; Pete Wishart, Perth & North Perthshire, 132,825; Danny Alexander, Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey, 132,742; Des Browne, Kilmarnock & Loudoun, 131,187; Jim McGovern, Dundee West, 130,792; Mike Weir, Angus, 130,312; Jimmy Hood, Lanark & Hamilton East, 129,461; Douglas Alexander, Paisley & Renfrewshire South, 128,313; Gavin Strang, Edinburgh East, 128,247; Sandra Osborne, Ayr, Carrick & Cumnock, 128,225; John Barrett, Edinburgh West, 126,343; John Thurso, Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross, 125,217; Anne McGuire, Stirling, 124,400; Ming Campbell, North East Fife, 123,617; Ann McKechin, Glasgow North, 122,906; David Cairns, Inverclyde, 121,457; David Marshall, Glasgow East, 120,428; Katy Clark, North Ayrshire & Arran, 119,818; Stewart Hosie, Dundee East, 117,667; Jo Swinson, East Dunbartonshire, 116,382; Angus MacNeil, Na h-Eileanan an Iar, 113,101; John Reid, Airdrie & Shotts, 108,908; Alan Reid, Argyll & Bute, 107,096; Adam Ingram, East Kilbride, Strathaven & Lesmahagow, 103,613; Jim Devine, Livingston, 92,297

Michael Martin, Glasgow North East, 66,954; Willie Rennie, Dunfermline & West Fife, 37,670 (by-election winner)

*Figures compiled by Bloomberg