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Four crucial questions for the minister
Evening Standard23 Mar 2009
1. Is it really his Harrow home? His parents have been on the electoral register at the Harrow house since at least 1998. Several neighbours claim rarely to have seen the Minister. Some say they have never known him to stay overnight.
2. Did he really need a second home? Commons rules say accommodation must be "necessary" to carry out parliamentary duties. But Mr McNulty lives in Hammersmith, just nine miles from his Harrow constituency and he also has an office in Harrow.
3. How many nights has he actually spent in Harrow? It is unclear how much he uses the property, despite the taxpayer paying £60,000 over six years.
4. Why does he need an office and a house in Harrow? Defending his expenses for the house, Mr McNulty said he had worked there two or three days a week at times. However, he holds surgeries at a constituency office in Harrow East Labour Centre, two minutes' drive away. Why did he need to work at the house? Or was he just visiting his parents.
Reader views (2)
I've met Tony McNulty in the past when I worked for a charity and I was very impressed with how conscientious he was in carrying out his duties as a local MP. I was therefore very disappointed to read that he had been claiming money on a house in Harrow. I assume that the tempation was too great and as he says it was not against the rules. These 'rules' should be changed a.s.a.p. However I still admire his work as an MP.
- Allie, Enfield, 23/03/2009 17:29
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THE FRAUD ACT 2006
4 Fraud by abuse of position (1) A person is in breach of this section if he—
(b) dishonestly abuses that position, and
(c) intends, by means of the abuse of that position—
to make a gain for himself or another.
(2) A person may be regarded as having abused his position even though his conduct consisted of an omission rather than an act.
(That includes any property whether real or personal) .
(2) A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable—
(a) on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum (or to both);
(b) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years or to a fine (or to both).
- Frank, Bristol UK, 23/03/2009 17:21
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