Grumpy One

Three grumpy posts about expenses/Parliament, journalism and broadcasting. Appearing in the way of a blog, in reverse order.

I hope tv and newspaper journalists do more basic stuff this weekend. There are still plenty of gaps to fill, and questions to ask and answer, rather wait for the Telegraph drip feed.

They include - when you submit a claim for a mortgage payment that is no longer being made, what exactly do you submit ? A bank statement showing an uncancelled standing order ? Is a simple letter enough ? Or is there a form to fill in ? Do you have to sign it anywhere ? Does include words like "I confirm that the expenditure has been made by me in accordance with...etc". Is there an express link to the Green Book ? Do PAs/researchers submit and sign declarations on behalf of MPs ? Are claims made weekly/monthly, or as and when ? How many people work in the Fees Office ? What are their qualifications for the job ? Are claims ever formally rejected, or just discussed and resubmitted ? Who in the Fees Office pushes the button that authorises the payments ?