MPs 'must reveal homes expenses'

Mr Thomas says the right balance has been struck

MPs have been ordered to reveal more details about how much they claim in "additonal expenses".

MPs can claim £23,083 to cover the cost of having two homes - one in their constituency and one in Westminster.

The Information Commissioner says they must now say how much of that is spent on different items such as cleaners, mortgage payments and burglar alarms.

The Commons authorities has said it is considering appealing against the ruling on privacy grounds.

They have refused several Freedom of Information requests for the details, on the grounds that they were about MPs' personal residences and there could be a security risk.

The commissioner dismissed this argument, saying MPs' home addresses were often in the public domain anyway.

Appeal considered

The Commons authorities have 35 days to lodge an appeal, which will be heard by the Information Tribunal.

A previous attempt to block disclosure of MPs' travel expenses was thrown out by the tribunal.

Most MPs have two homes - one in their constituency and one near Westminster - and are entitled to claim an additional allowance for the one which is not their main residence.

The decision strikes the right balance between transparency and accountability Information Commissioner's spokesman MPs reveal travel expenses No sponsor for MP secrecy bill

Information Commissioner Richard Thomas ordered that total amounts spent on mortgages, hotel expenses, food, service charges, utilities, telecoms bills, furnishings, service charges, cleaning, insurance and security should be revealed.

But he ruled out a fully itemised list on privacy grounds - there has been reported speculation in the Sunday Times that plasma screen televisions, iPods and a fish tank had been bought on expenses.

A spokesman for the commissioner said: "The decision strikes the right balance between transparency and accountability for public expenditure and the private lives of MPs and their families.

"The commissioner ruled that, as expenses are claimed directly by MPs in relation to their public duties, the public has a right to know the total amounts claimed under these specific headings."

In February the commissioner forced the Commons to release a detailed breakdown of MPs' travel expenses into air, train and road trips - previously expenses and allowances had been published under broader headings.

On average, MPs claim £131,000 a year in expenses, on top of their £60,000 salaries.