The cost of MPs’ expenses, pay and staff has jumped 50 per cent in the past five years, reaching £130 million a year since MPs changed the rules for hiring employees and buying computers. Sir Archy Kirkwood, spokesman for the House of Commons Commission, pointed out that this was still only the equivalent of 3p for every £100 of public money voted by Parliament.

Ministering the money

The details of parliamentarians’ expenses revealed that ministers with official government residences claimed a total of £287,240 in additional costs allowances for MPs staying overnight away from their main home. Until recently ministers were deemed to have their main home in London, meaning they could only claim housing allowance for overnight stays in their constituencies. Taxpayers pay more than £10 million a year to help MPs, including ministers, buy second homes.

Prince of clubs

Prince Harry split the lip of a photographer, Chris Uncle, who was among a group of 12 taking pictures as the prince left the Pangaea club in the West End of London at 3am. Photographers said that the prince was the aggressor, but Clarence House claim that a camera struck the prince in the face before he lashed out.

Shaky foundations

The Government’s policy of creating foundation hospital trusts was dealt a blow when it was revealed that Bradford Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, one of the first, has run up a £5 million deficit in three months. A team of American accountants has been called in to draw up an emergency finance plan. Of the 20 hospitals granted foundation status, four have already dropped from three to two star status.

Smoked out

Ministers were accused of withholding a months-old report on the effects of passive smoking by the Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health which said chances of contracting lung cancer and heart disease were increased by a quarter after exposure to second-hand smoke. A Department of Health spokeswoman denied the Government had been sitting on the report, claiming “health ministers have been engaged in clarifying aspects of the report”.

Failed GCSEs

Mike Tomlinson, the former chief inspector of schools, presented a report on reform of the educational qualifications for 14 to 19-year-olds proposing to replace GCSEs and A levels with a diploma system “guaranteeing” employers and universities that all students have achieved good literacy and numeracy as part of their “core” learning. Moves toward the new system might begin in three years, with the diploma structure in place by 2014.

Polite parade

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