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| Reluctant Hero |
£1,000 taxis per annum is OKSpeaker's wife complaint rejectedA complaint about taxi journeys claimed on expenses by Commons Speaker Michael Martin's wife has been dismissed. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, John Lyon, said the more than £4,000 spent by Mary Martin was "reasonable" and within the rules. The cost was "not excessive", and the journeys had been taken to assist her husband, Mr Lyon added. The Speaker is himself currently heading a wide-ranging inquiry into the future of MPs' expenses. 'Necessary' In a memorandum, Mr Lyon said £4,139.17 had been spent on taxis by Mrs Martin over four years, mainly for shopping trips, and claimed back on expenses. "The journeys taken met the necessary requirements of Mr Speaker to assist him in carrying out his official duties," he said in a memorandum to the Standards Committee. "Taking account of the requirements and the cost of alternative provision, the costs were not excessive." Mr Martin's own inquiry - as chairman of the Members' Estimate Committee - was set up following revelations about Tory MP Derek Conway's use of expenses to employ his son. It is due to report this summer. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7400355.stm |