THE SNP leadership is at loggerheads with Westminster’s money watchdog after raising security fears that, following the murder of MP Jo Cox, mileage claims submitted by politicians could be used to find out where they live and how they travel.
Angus Robertson, the Nationalist leader in the Commons, has today called on the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority[Ipsa], which monitors MPs’ pay and expenses, to make urgent changes to its policy.
He has instructed his colleagues at Westminster to stop submitting detailed mileage expenses, which he regards as unacceptable following Ms Cox’s tragic death and the credible threats received by other politicians.
The Moray MP said: “Ipsa have been aware for some time that they are inadvertently confirming the home locations of parliamentarians, which runs contrary to basic security advice. This should be an immediate priority for urgent changes.
"While I support journey information being provided to Ipsa for auditing purposes, I have concerns about the decision to publicise it.”
Mr Robertson added: “Given the tragic case involving Jo Cox, this cannot be right. Until Ipsa changes this policy I have urgently told colleagues not to submit claims.”
But the watchdog insists the information is not detailed enough to locate a specific property and is not minded to change its rules.
However, Mr Robertson pointed to examples of MPs, who represent rural constituencies, for whom a village with as few as four homes was listed.
The Labour Party has also expressed concern with one senior source asking why the watchdog felt the need to “plough on” with its expenses policy when the police had even raised concerns.
The issue of MPs’ travel details came to light after it was reported that police figures, responsible for providing security for MPs, were worried about the Ipsa process.
A representative from the Metropolitan Police revealed he had contacted the watchdog in support of Mr Robertson's concerns, saying: “Any mechanism that might identify the home address of a member should be avoided.”
The Guardian newspaper suggested senior security sources had advised Ipsa that MPs could become subject to “hostile reconnaissance” as a result of the method in which they were publishing information.
In response, a spokesman for the watchdog stressed how it took the issue of security very seriously, that it had consulted the police, but suggested it did not believe the issue was causing a risk to politicians' safety. It insisted the information which MPs needed to provide was not specific enough to identify their home or regular travel plans.
“In the interest of transparency and providing assurance to the public, Ipsa regularly publishes information about the public money spent by MPs in performing their parliamentary functions,” the spokesman said.
He added: “But we, of course, take very seriously MPs’ security and the security of their staff and families. As such, in line with police advice, we redact all sensitive and personal information that might compromise MPs’ safety. We will continue to work in partnership with the police and the House of Commons to help meet the security needs of MPs.”
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