Written evidence from Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) (LAN0012)

We welcome the Committee on Standards’ decision to launch an inquiry into the landscape of bodies and processes that have some role in regulating the conduct of Members of Parliament.

The existence of more than a dozen Committees and organisations that have some involvement in regulating the conduct of MPs and Ministers could clearly lead to some confusion, both for MPs, Ministers, the media and the public. In practice those involved understand their distinct roles and generally work well together.

At IPSA we have a clear role, set out in law, which does not usually overlap with the other bodies. IPSA was created in 2009 by the Parliamentary Standards Act. The Act was amended in 2010 by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act. Together they gave IPSA three main responsibilities:

• to regulate MPs’ business costs
• to determine MPs’ pay and pension arrangements
• to provide financial support to MPs in carrying out their parliamentary functions

IPSA is independent of Parliament and the Government. This allows us to make decisions about the rules on business costs and on MPs’ pay ourselves, without interference.

The post of Compliance Officer for IPSA was established by the same legislation that established IPSA. The Compliance Officer’s remit is defined in statute and is to conduct investigations into business costs paid to MPs and, at the request of an MP, to review a determination by IPSA.

Many of the questions being considered by this inquiry would be for the Committee on Standards to reach a view on. However, at IPSA we will be able to share some experiences which we would be happy to discuss with the Committee. There may be some areas where simplification or consolidation is possible, including in areas which might improve the experiences of MPs’ staff.

We think the role and remit of different bodies can be better explained or promoted, and have made assuring the public one of our strategic objectives. We are contacted by members of the public who want to make complaints or raise concerns about conduct, when there is sometimes no organisation that they can turn to.

IPSA has some experience of the Recall of MPs Act 2015, and other legislation relating to the disqualification of Members, and we have learnt from parallel processes in other parliaments and assemblies within the UK and elsewhere. In March 2019, IPSA hosted the world’s first conference for international parliamentary regulators. We brought together colleagues from 13 countries on five continents: Australia, Chile, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of Korea, Scotland, Wales, Zambia, and the UK.

We talked about transparency and trust – what it means in the parliamentary regulatory sphere and the role that regulators, the media, and elected politicians all play in creating trust in democracy. We would be happy to discuss these themes further with the Committee as part of this inquiry.

September 2023