MPs’ spending on security assistance QUADRUPLES after Jo Cox’s tragic killing in June
New figures show MPs spend £600k on security and overall spending for the past year was up £7.7m
MPS spent over £600,000 on additional security measures since Jo Cox was killed in her constituency in June, new data has shown.
A total of £637,791.63 was , almost quadruple that of the whole of the - £160,023.53.
Covering the period from June until October, a whopping 124 applications for lone worker devices were paid for after the Labour MP was tragically killed in her constituency the week before the EU referendum.
One in ten MPs applied for additional security since June 16, as police believed they were at a higher risk. The data published by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) does not show the totals for individual MPs as not to put them in more danger.
Even before Mrs Cox's death, spending on security had been rocketing year on year. In The 2010/11 year, just £37,000 was spent, but that had doubled by 2014/15 to £77,000.
SECURITY SPENDING
This may be claimed for additional security measures that enable an MP to carry out their parliamentary work.
A standard package of measures is available to all MPs that has been recommended by security advisers and the Police.
MPs may also claim for enhanced measures that go above and beyond these, upon recommendation by the Police.
Here is the spending over the past six years:
2010/11 - £37,823.08
2011/12 - £80,792.80
2012/13 - £37,567.04
2013/14 - £33,726.95
2014/15 - £77,234.67
2015/16 - £160,023.53
IPSA's chief executive, Marcial Boo, said that MPs did a "demanding job" and it was important to take their security seriously in light of recent events.
Thomas Mair, who is accused of Mrs Cox's murder, is on trial this week. He denies the charge.
Yesterday it was revealed that the last words of the Labour MP were to protect her members of staff.
"Get away, let him hurt me, not you," she said after she had been stabbed and shot.
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during the 2015/16 year was £113m, an increase of around £7.7m from the previous year.
Staffing and travel costs fell, but office, accommodation and other expenses rose.
Part of this is down to the outgoing MPs, who were booted out or resigned in 2015, wrapping up their offices and costs as the new team take over.
TOTAL EXPENSES
2015/2016
Overall: £113,664,857
Office costs: £11,292,632
Staffing costs: £80,214,549
Accommodation: £7,245,055
Travel and subsistence: £4,883,222
Other: £10,029,397
2014/15
Overall: £105,884,000
Office costs: £10,678,000
Staffing costs: £82,712,000
Accommodation: £6,667,000
Travel and subsistence: £4,907,000
Other: £870,000
Mr Boo added: "Today we show that MPs’ business costs in 2015-16 were broadly the same as in the previous year, with the addition of the one-off costs of the May 2015 General Election, such as the winding up of MPs’ offices and paying start-up costs for new MPs.
“More than 70% of the money we spend on MPs pays the salaries of their staff. These are dedicated people who help MPs to provide a service to their constituents up and down the country. This proportion has remained largely constant from previous years."
The MP who spent the most in this set of results was Jim Shannon, a DUP MP in Northern Ireland who claimed £245,931.74.
Meanwhile, Welsh MP Nick Thomas-Symonds claimed just £34.80, which was for accommodation.
TOP SPENDING MPS
Jim Shannon - £245,931.74
Ian Paisley - £218,259.77
Paul Monaghan - £213,876.90
Ben Wallace - £212,603.51
Alistair Carmichael - £210,224.54
Ben Gummer - £209,316.54
Michael Meacher - £208,595.73
Angus MacNeil - £207,827.21
Dan Jarvis - £206,427.48
Steven Paterson - £202,641.33