Fiona's Accounts
General Expenditure
MEPs are entitled to a flat-rate general expenditure allowance to cover expenses which arise in the course of their parliamentary activities and which are not covered by other allowances. According to the rules of the European Parliament, the general expenditure allowance is intended to cover, inter alia, the following expenses:
- office management and running costs, in particular rent and related charges (heating, lighting, insurance and cleaning),
- the cost of purchasing or renting office equipment,
- telephone, including mobile telephone, and postal charges,
- the cost of purchasing office supplies and stationery,
- the cost of purchasing books, periodicals and newspapers,
- the cost of using public data consultation networks,
- the expenses involved in equipping Members with communications equipment and maintaining that equipment, for example the purchase or rental of a telephone, a fax machine, a computer, a modem or communications card, a printer, other IT equipment, computer peripherals and software packages,
- the cost of a subscription to the Internet and to databases,
- representation activities,
- hotel bills and other related expenses incurred in travelling in a Member's Member State of election.
Scanned invoices and receipts documenting all expenditure paid from this allowance from the start of this parliamentary term will be uploaded to the website on a quarterly basis.
The general expenditure allowance for 2009 totalled €50,424 (£43,087). 100% of expenditure is supported by documentation and yearly accounts are prepared by an external accountant (Tait Walker of Gosforth, Newcastle). A summary of the accounts is displayed in the table below.
| Advertising | 109 |
| Bank charges | 30 |
| Computer costs | 6300 |
| Dilapidation Fund | 5821 |
| Insurance | 304 |
| Legal and professional fees | 1002 |
| Light and heat | 1601 |
| Printing, stationary and postage | 2653 |
| Rates and water | 4066 |
| Rent | 13839 |
| Repairs and maintenance | 3 |
| Sundry expenses | 1503 |
| Telephone | 4572 |
| Travel and subsistence | 1283 |
| Total | 43087 |
Travel
Since July 2009, MEP travel both within and outside the UK has been reimbursed at cost, plus a small distance and time allowance for one return journey per Parliament working week from home to an EU place of work or meeting venue. All other travel outside the UK is reimbursed simply at cost. In all cases, proof of travel and cost is required. Fiona received €43,468.17 in 2009 for travel outside the UK.
Since July 2009, travel within the UK can no longer be paid for out of the general expenditure allowance but up to 24 (return) journeys by air, rail or boat can be claimed on a cost basis. Car mileage allowance is paid at the rate of €0.49 per kilometre. Fiona received a total of €709.53 in 2009 under this system - comprised of €43.62 in train travel and €665.91 car mileage.
Subsistence
MEPs receive a daily subsistence allowance for official attendance on Parliamentary duties in the EU but outside the UK. For official attendance on Parliamentary duties outside the EU, MEPs receive half the daily subsistence allowance plus the cost of bed and breakfast. In total Fiona received €36,356.00 for subsistence in 2009.
Staff
Fiona currently employs five full-time and two part-time staff, paid between £15 000 and £30 000 pa FTE (or euro equivalent at July 2009 exchange rate). The total wage bill and staff costs for 2010 amounted to €195,259.02. This figure also covers items such as staff travel expenses, and accountant and paying agent fees.
Fiona employs Tait Walker chartered accountants as a service provider to prepare the office accounts and also as her paying agent. The role of a paying agent is to administer an MEP's staff payroll. Fiona is not a member of the additional voluntary pension scheme and does not employ any members of her family.
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