John Penrose, MP for Weston-super-Mare and Minister for Tourism & Heritage

John Penrose has always published details of the money he has used as Weston-super-Mare's Member of Parliament on his website so that constituents can clearly see how he's spending taxpayer's money. His expenses have been audited and given a clean bill of health by The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and the official investigator, Sir Thomas Legg, who recently confirmed he had no money to repay. John is the second cheapest MP in the area according to the Western Daily Press, and is ranked 268th out of 645 MPs nationwide. He also ranks cheaper than his predecessor Brian (now Lord) Cotter for each of his first four years in the job.

John has NEVER

• Voted on his pay or allowances/expenses saying "no-one else gets to decide how much they get paid, so why should MPs be any different?"
• Bought anything off the 'John Lewis list' or paid for home improvements from taxpayer's money
• 'Flipped' his home or used taxpayer's money to pay for food

The table below provides a breakdown of the allowances and expenses John has used since he was elected in 2005. There is also a comparison to his predecessor, Brian Cotter MP, in the years before the General Election.

You can view the receipts for John's claims here and you can see what he has so far claimed this financial year here.

Claim Type Definitions

Additional Costs Allowance (ACA) is designed to help MPs from outside London with the expense of living in the city while Parliament is sitting.

Incidental Expenses Provision (IEP) covers the costs of running John's constituency office at 24 Alexandra Parade. It includes office rent, equipment and supplies. It doesn't include the costs of running John's office at home in Winscombe.

The Communications Allowance was introduced in 2007/08 and covers the costs of John’s newsletters and other literature to update residents on what he’s been doing for Weston and the villages.

Staffing Allowance includes the salary, national insurance and pension costs of John's staff. None of this money comes to John and he has never employed a member of his family.

Travel is the cost of travel on Parliamentary business only. Personal travel costs are not covered. John travels by train between Weston and London whenever possible, rather than by car, to reduce the environmental impact of his travel.