Leaders of the main political parties backed plans on Wednesday to curb MPs' perks. Skip related content
The key recommendations proposed by the independent Committee on Standards in Public Life are:
* A new independent regulatory body already being set up should determine the pay and pensions of MPs as well as their expenses
* Support for mortgage interest should be brought to an end, with appropriate transitional provisions of one more parliament or for 5 years. From now on there will be no further capital gains at public expense. It also means that "flipping" (changing designation of second home) will no longer be possible. Any capital gains made during the transitional period attributable to public support will be surrendered to the taxpayer.
* In future, MPs should be reimbursed only for rent or hotel costs.
* The expenses scheme should only cover additional accommodation costs incurred in pursuit of MPs' parliamentary duties -- council tax, utility bills, telephone line rental and calls, security, contents insurance and removals at the beginning and end of a tenancy. The costs of cleaning, gardening, furnishings and other items should not be reimbursed or otherwise covered.
* MPs with constituencies within reasonable commuting distance of Parliament should no longer be entitled to additional accommodation and the London cost allowance (of 7,500 pounds) should be reduced for all London MPs to the level proposed by the independent pay review body in 2007 (3,760 pounds).
* The practice of employing family members should be brought to an end by the end of the next parliament or five years.
* The communication allowance (10,400 pounds per year) should be abolished.
* The 25 pound overnight subsistence allowance should in future only be available to MPs staying in hotels and against receipts.
* Only MPs whose departure is involuntary should receive the resettlement grant (of between 50 and 100 percent of annual salary) from the general election after next. MPs who voluntarily step down will instead receive eight weeks' pay.
* Removal of the grant should also be considered as a sanction for those who are found to have abused the system.
* All expenses should be accompanied by receipts or documentary evidence and receipts or documentary evidence should continue to be published.
* MPs should not be prohibited from paid employment such as journalism outside the House, providing any such activity remains in reasonable limits.
* The practice of allowing a Westminster MP to sit simultaneously in a devolved legislature, known as "double jobbing" should be brought to an end, ideally by 2011.
(Source - Committee on Standards in Public Life http://www.public-standards.gov.uk/index.html )
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The pandemic of swine flu may be hitting a peak in the Northern Hemisphere, global health officials said on Friday, but they cautioned it was far from over.
