Summary of Assembly Member Allowances for Financial Year April 2008 to March 2009
The allowances for each Assembly Member in the above financial year may be viewed in the Allowances Publication System or the Summary of Members Allowances claimed 2008-09 (PDF)
Below is a brief overview of the Assembly Member allowances that are listed in the system.
Office Costs Allowance
Assembly Members were entitled to claim an Office Costs Allowance of up to £15,000 for the above financial year to cover the costs to them of furnishing and maintaining an office where those costs were wholly, exclusively and necessarily incurred in connection with their duties as an Assembly Member.
Assembly Members are also able to claim an additional amount of Office Costs Allowance in respect of any expenditure of more than £2,000 in any financial year in respect of safety precautions and improved access for their offices.
Additional Costs Allowance
The Additional Costs Allowance reimburses Members for expenses necessarily incurred in staying overnight away from their main home for the purpose of performing their duties as a Member.
Members whose main home is located within one of the following constituencies were able to claim up to £4,100 payable in respect of the costs of any overnight stay away from home:
- Caerphilly, Cardiff Central, Cardiff North, Cardiff South and Penarth, Cardiff West, Newport East, Newport West, Pontypridd, Vale of Glamorgan.
Members whose main home was not located within one of these constituencies listed were able to claim up to £13,000 in respect of the costs of any overnight stay away from home. It was also payable in respect of costs to the Member of providing a second home in Cardiff covering items such as furniture, mortgage interest and rent.
Travel
Members are expected to travel on Assembly business within Wales by the most cost effective means, taking into account the actual cost of the travel and the cost of any overnight stay.
Members may also travel elsewhere in the UK at public expense on Assembly business provided that the reason for the journey has been approved in advance and meets one of the following criteria:
• It is for a stated Assembly reason
• It is related to a matter currently before the Assembly or one of its Committees on which the Member serves
• It is pertinent to a constituent or has relevance as a general constituency interest
In any year each Member is entitled to make a total of three return journeys between the United Kingdom and any of the European Community Institutions in Brussels and one return journey to any one of the European Community Institutions in Luxembourg or Strasbourg or the national parliament of another European Union member state. In either case, the principal purpose of the visit must be undertaken for purposes in connection with the responsibilities of the Member as an Assembly Member.
A Member may apply to the Chief Executive & Clerk for permission to visit a regional parliament, regional council or regional assembly within the European Union. The application must show clearly the likely benefits of the visit to the business or interests of the National Assembly for Wales and clearly indicate the people or organisations to be visited. Any visit made under this paragraph shall be in place of a visit that might otherwise be made to any one of the European Community Institutions in Luxembourg or Strasbourg or the national parliament of another European Union member state.
Travel by car, motor cycle and bicycle is paid at the HM Revenue & Customs Approved Mileage Rates as follows:
Up to 10,000 miles | Over 10,000 miles | |
Motor Mileage Allowance | 40 p per mile | 25 p per mile |
Motor Cycle Allowance | 24 p per mile | 24 p per mile |
Bicycle Allowance | 20 p per mile | 20 p per mile |
A Member may also claim for the cost of his/her partner and any child under the age of eighteen making 12 single journeys in each year by public transport or car between Cardiff and the constituency, or Cardiff and the Member's main home.
