UK MEP cleared over expenses

A parliamentary probe has found that British Labour MEP David Martin made a minor administrative error in his handling of a staff contract.

However, the Scottish Socialist, a former vice-president of the assembly, was cleared of any wrongdoing over his expenses.

Martin had been accused of improperly claiming hundreds of thousands of euros. The allegations were made in the run-up to the 2004 European election.

But a senior source in parliament’s finance directorate said an investigation into his accounts had found no evidence of impropriety.

“He has not been asked to pay any monies back and the only thing that was discovered was that there had been an administrative error which was later corrected,” he said.

“As far as parliament is concerned the matter is now closed.”

Meanwhile, the parliamentary activities of British MEPs has come under the spotlight.

Figures show that the performance of the 79-strong UK delegation varies when it comes to making speeches in parliament, attending plenary sessions and asking parliamentary questions to the commission and council.

One of the best is UK Liberal deputy Chris Davies who asked 280 parliamentary questions and made 43 speeches.

But the record for others, such as Robert Kilroy-Silk, is less impressive.

According to the figures, which cover the period between June 2004 and June this year, he made seven speeches and had an attendance record at plenary meetings of just 57.63 per cent over a three-year period.

Although he tabled no less than 743 questions, some MEPs say that many of these were “trivial”.

Kilroy-Silk famously said he wanted to “wreck” parliament when he was elected as an MEP in 2004 and is rarely seen in Brussels.

He declined to comment but Tory MEP Chris Heaton-Harris, who represents the same East Midlands region, said, “He is paid to represent the people  of the East Midlands and he is just not doing his job.”

Parliament’s figures show that Heaton-Harris asked 151 questions, made 22 speeches and boasts an 84.7 per cent attendance record.

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