WAVERTREE MP Jane Kennedy has charged the taxpayer almost £500 to get rid of pests. She paid the cash in 2007 to Rentokil because of infestations at her consituency office. Mrs Kennedy, who earlier this month sensationally quit as farming minister as part of a rebellion against Gordon Brown's leadership, also put in a claim for a £307 digital camera and £31.90 for a coffee maker for her staff. In a typical month - November 2007 - she claimed £2,783.45 for costs on her second home in the capital. That included £1,223 for mortgage interest relief, £400 on food, £300 on utilities, £145 on council tax, £55 on telecoms, £100 on cleaning, £200 on service and maintenance charges and £200 on repairs. Click here for a full breakdown of her expenses
BOOTLE MP Joe Benton claims £400 a month on average for his food bills, and £108 for repairs to his home including roofwork, new fan and door closer in March 2008. His window cleaning bill for 2007-08 came to £60. In a typical month - February 2008 - he claimed £400 for food, £50 for utilities, £129 for council tax/rates, £50 for telephones, and £21 for repairs/insurance, totalling £650.90. Click here for a full breakdown of his expenses.
WEST DERBY MP Bob Wareing has charged up to £1,000 a year for taxi fares in London. But the bulk was on £50-£65 trips to and from Heathrow airport for the air shuttle to Manchester airport. Asked why he did not take public transport, the 78-year-old replied: "Carrying bags and other gear on the Tube is exhausting. I normally travel by rail or drive myself, but often it is more efficient to fly." In a typical month - February 2008 - he claimed £1,081.32 for costs on her second home near Westminster. That included £400 on food, £68 on utilities, £122 on council tax, £124 on telecoms, £166 on cleaning, £98 on maintenance and £100 on repairs. He said that a £7.99 bill for air freshener was a mistake in the system. Click here for a full breakdown of his expenses
WEST LANCS MP Rosie Cooper claimed £915 solicitors' fees and survey costs on a home she then did not buy, plus £11,324 in stamp duty and legal fees on a London property, before spending £16,000 on renovation - she said any profit from a sale would go to the tax payer. For a full breakdown of her expenses click here.
CROSBY MP Claire Curtis-Thomas's claims included a 'bathroom hair drier in white' costing £75, and £2,154 to fit out a kitchen with appliences including a £318 glass cooker hood, £249 integrated dishwasher and £486.23 integrated larder fridge. Her typical office bill of £636.44, claimed between April-May 2007, excluded a £201 Passport Office claim, which was refused. Among her claims was £15 for organic fruit teas. Click here for a full breakdown of her expenses.
GARSTON MP Maria Eagle inadvertantly put in a claim for a 30p pack of Wrigley's chewing gum. But it was included in a Tesco garage receipt for £20.04 worth of petrol legitimately claimed for constituency travelling costs and the Wrigley's bill was not passed on to the taxpayer. Otherwise most of her incidental claims were for office costs, including monthly bills of up to £330 for staff mobile phones and £500 for door-to-door mailshots in her constituency. In an average month - January 2008 - she claimed £1,335.19 for her second home allowance. Those payments included £739 on mortgage interest, £250 on food, £61 on utilities, £103 on council tax, £100 on cleaning and £82 on maintenance. The full breakdown is here .
WALLASEY MP Angela Eagle "flipped" her second home allowance in reverse to cut costs to the taxpayer. In 2007-08 she claimed an average of £426.38 a month - one of the lowest of any MP - because she designated her two-bedroom constituency flat as her second home rather than the London home she shares with her partner. That was the opposite to many ministerial colleagues who have been caught making a financial killing by doing the opposite. The pensions minister said: "I did not seek to maximise my allowance. I bought the Wallesey flat 16 years ago after I became an MP and property prices were low." Her average allowance included £155 on mortgage interest, £160 on food, £44 on utilities and £67 on council tax. Her incidental claims included £705 to Freebird, a North West website design agency and £1,053 on freelance offset services. The full breakdown is here.
RIVERSIDE MP Louise Ellman's claims included £30 for a toaster and £9.98 for a glass muesli jar. A monthly food bill for when she is in London was £320. Purchases have included a £499 26-inch flat-screen TV and a 64p ballpoint pen. In a typical month last year she claimed £773 for mortgage interest on her London flat, £72 on utilities, £171 on council tax, £70 on telephone and telecoms, and £120 on cleanings. Her newsletter to every constituency household last year cost £2,140. For a full breakdown of her claims click here .
KNOWSLEY NORTH & SEFTON EAST MP George Howarth's claim form for December 1 2007 to January 30 2008 included £572.51 mortage/rent playments, £150 food, £60 council tax/rates and £120 cleaning. His utilities bills were typically in the region of £250. For full details of his claims click here.
WALTON MP Peter Kifloyle spent £23,083 on the cost of staying away from his main home, £14,096 on office running costs and £97,565 on staffing costs. He also claimed back the cost of a £50 summons from Liverpool City Council for apparent non-payment of business rates - he said the Fees Office failed to pay his business rates - and £910 in fees from acountants he paid to fill in his tax returns three times beween August 2004 and July 2006. Find details of his claims here.
