Published: Tuesday, 2nd June, 2009 11:00am

£600k explained

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EXPENSES are the only issue people want to talk about regarding politicians, so I will take the opportunity in this column to discuss my own situation.

Recently a press reference was made to me as a £600,000 MP.

How did this come about?

Quite simply, all my allowances were added up over the past four years and it would seem that this amount was paid into my personal bank account - this is simply not true.

Here are the facts:

More than 85 per cent of this money, more than £500,000, never comes near me and I do not handle any of it.

It is spent on paying my staff, running my offices in West Dunbartonshire and Westminster which deals with more than 4,000 constituents" cases a year, as well as paying for my travel costs between the constituency and Parliament.

The remaining amount, around £20,000 per year, is used for my accommodation in London for four or five nights every week when Parliament is sitting.

It has been put to me that since West Dunbartonshire is a comparatively poor area and my spending should be less.

As far as I am concerned, the contrary is the case. Everyone in West Dunbartonshire has the right to have an MP who is able to respond to their letters and phone calls, meet them in person, assist with their problems and attend events in the constituency whenever possible.

This cannot be done without providing a first class service with capable and experienced staff. It would be short changing the people of the area if it was otherwise.

On travel costs, I spent more than £17,000 last year in travelling between my constituency and London mainly on air travel.

If MPs were masters of their own time, then budget air fares and cheap train tickets would be the norm.

However, we are subject to uncertainty as a result of Parliamentary business and the legislative programme which means that almost nothing other than the most expensive flexible fares are required.

Occasional advantage can be taken of a cheaper mode of transport and, where appropriate, I use this to minimise costs.

Some of the references in the press to items which I have purchased have been incorrect, but there are always two sides to a story and for the sake of balance these are the areas in which I have not claimed:

A rent for my office in Dumbarton which could amount to thousands of pounds annually and double glazing and internal refurbishments of my office in Dumbarton which amounted to more than £13,000.

This was to ensure that I complied with the Health and Safety at Work Act with regard to working conditions for my staff.

This was paid for by myself, despite the Parliamentary authority indicating that I could have claimed this sum

Monies received from participating in political questionnaires and making speeches in my capacity as Treasury Select Committee Chairman which has amounted to more than £8,000 in the past four years.

These have all been donated directly, without going through me, to local charities and organisations

This is hardly the picture of someone filling their pockets from the public purse.

By the time you read this article all my expenses including, 2008/09, will be on my website www.johnmcfall.com.

In addition, any future claims made will be put on as and when they are submitted and approved so that they can be followed online, thereby providing the opportunity for my constituents to view up to the minute information regarding my expenses.