Harman backs calls over MP's expenses as pressure grows on Speaker Martin to publish details

Freedom of information campaigners won a four-year battle last week for all statements and receipts relating to the so-called additional costs allowance to be made public.

But Speaker Michael Martin - the chairman of the House of Commons Commission, which is responsible for the house's administration - is thought to be taking legal advice on whether to defy the order.

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Harriet Harman is pressuring Commons Speaker Michael Martin to publish details on MP's expenses

Miss Harman's intervention came as it emerged that Mr Martin, who is investigating MPs' allowances, allowed officials to shred all claim forms and receipts up to April 2005.

She said: "The Freedom of Information Act applies to the information held by Parliament, by the House of Commons authorities in the same way it applies to everyone else.

"Of course Parliament should comply with the FOI Act."

The Commons Leader added: "If it is public money, by and large the public want to know how public money is being spent and they want to know it is spent properly."

However, there are grave doubts about how much of the information has been retained.

Files containing details of expenses claims worth millions of pounds have been shredded - which means any evidence of any wrong-doing over the years will never be exposed.

Parliamentary officials said the destruction of documents was "routine".

But Heather Brooke, of the Your Right To Know campaign, said it seemed the records were destroyed "for the sake of deniability and to maintain power".