Former Hove MP Ivor Caplin is being asked to repay £17,865 he claimed in MPs allowances for mortgage interest after failing to respond to letters asking him to back up his claims.
Mr Caplin, who was the Labour MP for Hove from 1997 until 2005 when he was succeeded by fellow Labourite Celia Barlow.
He was contacted by Sir Thomas Legg as part of his inquiry into MPs' spending from 2004-05 to 2008-09.
Sir Thomas wrote: No reply has been received from Mr Caplin to a number of letters sent to the address held by the House authorities. In default of evidence to support payments for mortgage interest of £17,865.33 for 2004-05 and April 2005, I must regard these payments as having been invalid. Accordingly my recommendation is that Mr Caplin should repay the whole of this sum.”
Speaking about the expenses culture in general, he wrote: “The ACA system was deeply flawed. In particular, the rules were vague, and MPs were themselves self-certifying as to the propriety of their use of the allowance.
“Taken with the prevailing lack of transparency and the ‘culture of deference’, this meant that the Fees Office’s decisions lacked legitimacy; and many of them were in fact mistaken.”
Before he became an MP, Mr Caplin, who was born in Brighton, was council leader of Hove Borough Council from 1995 to 1997, when it merged with Brighton, when he became deputy leader until resigning in March 1998, ten months after his election to Parliament.
He now runs Ivor Caplin Consultancy Ltd, with one of his clients being the political lobbying group Foresight Consulting
The MPs' expenses row, sparked by a long series of revelations in The Telegraph last year, dramatically lowered voters' confidence in their Parliamentary representatives.
One of the most controversial claims by a Sussex MP was by Labour Hove MP Celia Barlow, who claimed allowances to make extensive renovations to her Hove home and moving costs, including stamp duty. The total paid out was more than £28,000.
Tory Wealden MP Charles Hendry spent £7,000 on domestic staff, while Lib Dem Lewes MP Norman Baker, claimed £20,000 to rent a constituency office in the building he had bought as his own home.
In contrast, Labour MP Laura Moffat was so determined to keep her expenses down she slept on a camp bed in her House of Commons office - although she has since been told she couldn't continue doing this because of fire safety regulations.
What your MP has been asked to repay
Norman Baker - Lewes
Mr Baker has no issues.
Gregory Barker - Bexhill & Battle Mr Barker has no issues.
Celia Barlow - Hove Ms Barlow was paid £635 for a mortgage valuation on her main home in August 2005.
This was not allowable under the Green Book rules.
Total repayment recommended: £635.00
Total repayments received since 1 April 2009: £635.00
Balance recommended to be repaid: £0.00
Peter Bottomley - Worthing West Mr Bottomley has no issues.
Michael Jabez Foster - Hastings & Rye Mr was overpaid by £515.76 for mortgage interest during the period April and May 2005 when Parliament was dissolved.
Total repayment recommended: £515.76
Total repayments received since 1 April 2009: £515.76
Balance recommended to be repaid: £0.00
Nicholas Gibb - Bognor Regis & Littlehampton
Mr Gibb was overpaid by a total of £780.83 for mortgage interest(2004-05 by £332.95; 2005-06 by £55.73; and 2006-07 by £392.15). T
otal repayment recommended: £780.83
Total repayments received since 1 April 2009: £780.83
Balance recommended to be repaid: £0.00
Charles Hendry - Wealden
Mr Hendry was paid combined cleaning and gardening costs of £3,223.26 in 2005-06, thus exceeding the combined allowable maximum of £3,000 a year by a total of £223.26.
Total repayment recommended: £223.26
Total repayments received since 1 April 2009: £473.18
Balance recommended to be repaid: £0.00
Nick Herbert - Arundel & South Downs
Mr Herbert was over-paid by a total of £988.95 for mortgage interest in 2008-09.
Total repayment recommended: £988.95
Total repayments received since 1 April 2009: £988.95
Balance recommended to be repaid: £0.00
Mr David Lepper - Brighton Pavilion
Mr Lepper has no issues.
Tim Loughton - East Worthing & Shoreham
Mr Loughton was overpaid £1,070.94 for mortgage interest in 2006-07.He was also overpaid £107.94 for the servicing of his boiler in 2008-09.
Total repayment recommended: £1,178.88
Total repayments received since 1 April 2009: £1,178.88
Balance recommended to be repaid: £0.00
Francis Maude - Horsham
Mr Maude has no issues.
Laura Moffatt - Crawley
Ms Moffatt has no issues.
Nicholas Soames - Mid Sussex
Mr Soames was overpaid by £1,345.55 for mortgage interest in 2008-09.
Total repayment recommended: £1,345.55
Total repayments received since 1 April 2009: £1,345.55
Balance recommended to be repaid: £0.00
Des Turner - Brighton Kemptown
Dr Turner was overpaid by a total of £1,930.94 for mortgage interest (£199.48 in 2004-05; £179.85 in 2005-06; £218.59 in 2006-07; £572.01 in 2007-08; and £761.01 in 2008-09). He was also paid a total of £2,476.72 for mortgage payment protection as part of his monthly insurance payments (£593.39 in 2004-05; £651.60 in 2005-06; £706.68 in 2006-07; and £525.05 in 2007-08), which is not allowable under the ACA.
Total repayment recommended: £4,407.66
Total repayments received since 1 April 2009: £0.00
Balance recommended to be repaid: £4,407.66
Andrew Tyrie Chichester
Mr Tyrie was overpaid by a total of £1,638.99 for mortgage interest in 2008-09.
Total repayment recommended: £1,638.99
Total repayments received since 1 April 2009: £1,638.99
Balance recommended to be repaid: £0.00
Peter Viggers Gosport
Sir Peter had an arrangement with the Fees Office for periodic payments, on the basis that the total cost of running his second home exceeded the annual allowance.
After allocating costs such as mortgage interest, utilities and specific repairs to each annual allowance, a balance of £15,293.12 was effectively paid for gardening out of the ACA.
This exceeded the allowable maximum by a total of £10,511.62(£1,682.67 in 2004-05; £2,019.60 in 2005-06; £6,395.55 in 2006-07; and £413.80 in 2007-08).
He was also overpaid by £1,637.54 for roof repairs in respect of July 2007.
He was further overpaid by £759.54 for mortgage interest for 2008-09. He was also overpaid by £555.60 for council tax (£387.34 in 2004-05 and £168.26 and 2005-06).
Total repayment recommended: £13,464.30
Reduced on appeal by:£218.50
Total repayments received since 1 April 2009: £0.00
Balance recommended to be repaid: £13,245.80
Mr Nigel Waterson - Eastbourne
Mr Waterson has no issues.
Ex-MPs
Ivor Caplin - Hove
No reply has been received from Mr Caplin to a number of letters sent to the address held by the House authorities. In default of evidence to support payments for mortgage interest of £17,865.33 for 2004-05 and April 2005, I must regard these payments as having been invalid.
Accordingly my recommendation is that Mr Caplin should repay the whole of this sum.
Total repayment recommended: £17,865.33
Total repayments received since 1 April 2009: £0.00
Balance recommended to be repaid: £17,865.33
Howard Flight - Arundel and South Downs
Mr Flight has no issues.
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