 |
 |
MEP expenses: the real question is about the future
February 21, 2008 2:07 PM
Revelations about the European Parliament's internal audit report on the financial control of MEP's spending of their secretarial allowances should not be allowed to detract from the real task of putting a new abuse-free system in place ahead of the 2009 elections. So says a UK Lib Dem MEP.
Diana Wallis MEP, the Vice President responsible for transparency, said:
"Of course those extreme individual cases highlighted by the auditor should be reported to OLAF if that has not already happened; he seemed to indicate that he had reported some cases at the time, this needs to be clarified.
"The audit refers to 2004-5 and better control systems have already been put in place since then to good effect and to the interim satisfaction of the auditor.
"However what is clear is that the whole system needs to change radically, particularly to abolish the option of so-called service provider contracts that allow monies to be paid to all sorts of inappropriate entities including national political parties. The best would be as the auditor and Parliament's administration are advising would be that all contracts should be handled and paid directly by the Parliament's administration with no involvement of MEPs save identifying the person they wish to employ and the terms.
"This is what we have to aim for - for June 2009. This will allow the majority of hard-working MEPs to get on with their work rather than being burdened with unnecessary administration and deemed guilty by association with constant and lurid press stories which will merely have the effect of discouraging anyone from taking up public office."
What would you like to do next?
-
Subscribe for updates
Follow the party's activity on...
- Twitter:
- Liberal Democrats
- Facebook:
- Liberal Democrats
- YouTube:
- Liberal Democrats