A Dundee MP was cleared of any wrongdoing despite claiming website expenses in contravention of parliamentary rules.
Jim McGovern, MP for Dundee West, will not have to pay back £160 of taxpayers’ money after it was discovered that he had received reimbursement for costs relating to his website, despite it containing a Labour Party logo.
Rules state MPs are not permitted to claim expenses for the development of websites that feature party emblems.
However, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority yesterday cleared Mr McGovern of any wrongdoing, stating their own procedures had failed in this instance and the MP had responded swiftly to rectify the problem.
Mr McGovern said: “The investigation by the compliance officer was due to a discreet rose in the background of my website, which was mostly concealed by the content on the page.
“This was put there by the company who designed the website back in 2006, who were unaware of the rules, and I failed to notice the infringement. It was so discreet it went unnoticed for five years.”
In total IPSA found Mr McGovern claimed £160.13 in costs to develop the website jimmcgovern.co.uk. For an indiscretion the report describes as “minor in scale”, the body ruled he would not have to reimburse the public purse.
It said: “Taking all relevant factors into account, the compliance officer finds that in this case it would be neither proportionate nor reasonable to request a repayment from McGovern.”
Mr McGovern said: “IPSA failed to notice the problem when they took over the scheme, and continued to process claims for the operation of the website for a number of months.
“This was not a deliberate attempt to break the rules and when I was made aware of the issue I rectified it immediately, as is clear in the report where I am exonerated by the compliance officer.”
The adjudication said Mr McGovern accepted IPSA’s findings and the investigation was closed. He was one of 20 MPs found in contravention of website expenses rules.