Amount spent on travel; hospitality and furnishings and taxable benefits.

You requested information on the total amount spent by IPSA in its first year of operation for the following categories: travel; hospitality and furnishings. 

I can confirm that from the period 1 April 2010 to 31 October 2010, IPSA spent:

• £8,573 on travel (including subsistence whilst away from office);

• £397 on hospitality; and

• £21,687 on furnishings.

Travel includes the travel and subsistence costs incurred by IPSA staff when travelling around the UK to deliver training sessions for MPs and their staff, and visits to MPs’ constituency offices. 

Hospitality includes the occasional provision of refreshments for IPSA staff and visitors at IPSA meetings.

The furnishings item includes the costs of finalising furniture and fittings for IPSA’s Portland House office. The majority of these costs were incurred at the start of the financial year.

You also requested details on the total value of any taxable benefits in kind paid to employees of IPSA in the year to April 2010, as included in P11 returns to HMRC. I can confirm that as IPSA’s formal operation commenced on 6 April 2010, prior to this period no taxable benefits were paid to IPSA employees.