Expenses-fiddling MPs claimed thousands in 'winding down' costs

David Chaytor and Jim Devine, the former Labour MPs who were found guilty of fiddling their expenses, were both paid thousands of pounds when they left parliament last year to close their offices, Commons authorities have confirmed. Chaytor received £9,477 and Devine £19,832 in "winding down" allowances, to make redundancy payments to their employees and pay their way out of contracts. The payments do not amount to "golden handshakes", which the two banned from receiving since they were charged. The money was part of a £6,820,423 bill paid to departing MPs last year to settle their affairs as they left parliament. With an exceptional number of MPs leaving last year, the sum was unprecedented. The details were revealed as the Commons published the last tranche of expenses claims under the old, discredited system last year. It includes all claims between January and the election last year, and allows for full comparison of the full annual claims for 2008-9 and 2009-10. Scrutiny reveals the impact of the expenses row on MPs' claims, with claims for second homes falling dramatically after the scandal over MPs "flipping" second homes and claiming when they could, in fact, commute. MPs received £6.8m from the taxpayer to run properties in 2009-10 – down from £10.7m the previous year. This bill has increased proportionally under the new expenses system after payments for interest on mortgages for second homes were banned in favour of rent payments, which are usually more expensive. Nearly every single one of the 255 MPs who stood down at the election or were defeated claimed the winding down costs, amounting to nearly £7m. The Commons authorities said: "This covers the reimbursement of the cost of any work necessary, including staff and office costs, to conclude their parliamentary business after the date on which they cease to be members of parliament." Separately, MPs are eligible for "golden handshakes" – officially called resettlement grants – of up to £65,000, though MPs who have been prosecuted over their expenses are being denied the payments. The Commons authorities are refusing to reveal how much has been paid to other MPs, though they are expected to be forced to make public the sum under the Freedom of Information Act within the next month. The total cost could amount to as much as £16m.