More4News are doing a piece tonight on the MPs' Benevolent Fund which helps former MPs who hit on hard times. I have to admit I never knew such a thing existed. Does anyone know anything about it and how it has been used in the past? I guess there will be few recipients of the fund's benevolence who will appear on camera. I guess the subject might make a short feature for Total Politics. Let us know in the comments or by email if you have any insights.
And the winner of Least Popular Charity is....
ReplyDeleteAnother Fake Charity ?
ReplyDeleteLord Ahmed of Tub has been freed after just 15 days in an open prison
ReplyDeletePraise ALLAH!
The Winterton's had an emergency flower arranger from it.
ReplyDeleteThe House of Commons Members’ Fund is basically
ReplyDeletea benevolent fund. It provides for ex-Members who
find themselves in difficult straits. Currently you have
to pay £2.00 a month from your salary to the fund.
(You receive tax relief on this contribution.) We deduct
this automatically from your salary. The fund is
managed by six trustees who are sitting Members
of Parliament. The Public Trustee acts as Custodian
Trustee, with the Pensions Unit secretariat providing
administrative support.
For further information or assistance apply to:
The HCMF Trustees
c/o Pensions Unit Secretariat
Department of Finance and Administration
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/hofcpsap.pdf
ReplyDeleteThis is th edocument that tells MPs what they get paid ,can claim etc -interesting
Somehow I think MPs who fall on had times will be from an earlier era, shall we say pre-1997 ?
ReplyDeleteAlan Douglas
I think Valleys Mam is right that this refers to the House of Commons Members Fund.
ReplyDeleteAs at 30th September 2006 this fund was paying out to 101 beneficiaries, over 90 of whom were widows of former members. The average annual grant was £1751.
The biggest single group of recipients (just under two-thirds of them) are the so-called "pre-1988 widows" - widows of former MPs who were members of the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund before April 1988. The fund is used to raise their pension from half the relevant member's pension to five-eighths.
Couldnt agree more with OH! Allah akhbar! Lord Ahmed is free. Let the 10,000 brothers take to the streets and rejoice.
ReplyDeleteWhat is your take on this Iain? If it "had of" (would of!)been me banged up would I have got out after 12 days?
I see nothing wrong with this.
ReplyDeleteMost who are MP's weren't earning much to begin with, so a few years of £67,000pa then dropping back to zero in some cases, or back to the usual minimal amount has the potential to lead to hardship.
I'm pretty sure most of the motley crew we have *cough* representing us these days will have little need for such a thing.
ReplyDeleteThe fund is a good idea. Afterall former Ministers who hit on hard times have their own schemes: The EU and The House Of Lords, not to mention the special help provided by the Envoy to Middle-Eastern Hotels scheme.
ReplyDeleteIll health, poverty and other problems can hit people, no matter what their former profession.
ReplyDeleteI think this is reasonable. I am sure following the next general election there will be many MP's, hopefully Labour, who will find it nigh on impossible to find a job.
ReplyDeleteSuch a charity would be of benefit to them.
A lot of former Tory MP's, following Blair's first success, had to resort to charity.
wonder if John Lewis make any contributions?????
ReplyDeleteThere's an allowance available to MPs who are unseated or retire at a GE. It's called the resettlement grant, the figure they get is dependent on years of service and other factors, and can range from 50%-100 percent of an MPs salary depending on this.
ReplyDeleteInformation Office' and click on the first link.
This document provides information on MPs allowances, pay, pensions and such like, will probably answer most questions
http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/M05.pdf
Can we have a fund like this for the taxpayers?
ReplyDelete