SHARON'S EXPENSES REPORT

When it comes to how MEPs spend the public money they claim in the course of fulfilling their duties, it's important to be as transparent as possible. That's why I've detailed just how much money I've claimed in the course of the work I do as an MEP for the South East, and how I've spent it.

Salaries

MEPs are paid the same as MPs from their own country. For the UK this is currently £61,820 for, in my case, a working week often over 70 hours.

My staff salary allowance comes to approximately £145,000 (depending on the Euro exchange rate at the start of the year). This covers salaries and related costs (employer national insurance and employee out of pocket expenses).

With this allowance I employ two full time staff in Brussels and two full time and one part time staff (average three days a week) in the UK. Brussels based staff handle legislative work and related press. UK staff handle constituency work, correspondence, press and literature.

I do not and have never employed a member of my family.

The details of current staff (and vacancies if any) and where they are located is given in the offices part of my website.

Basic salaries are in a range of £18,000 to £28,000 per annum depending upon experience. Expenses for necessary travel and accommodation are paid in addition.

Full time staff are paid via an independent paying agent Valerie Davies, a professional bookkeeper running a wages bureau, who obtains the necessary funds from the European Parliament on a monthly basis, remits tax and national insurance and completes an annual return to the European Parliament. The part time member of staff has a service provider contract and is paid directly by the Parliament on receipt of monthly invoices.

General Expenditure

The general expenditure allowance is fixed at about £36,000 this year, depending on the Euro exchange rate. This supports my UK offices, incidentals for the Brussels office (postage, stationery) and travel in the UK. A typical outline of how this is spent by budget lines is below. Any overspend is absorbed by me personally. This year we have installed a new IT system, so have gone slightly over-budget. Expenses (in £) for this year:

• Office accommodation costs (includes utilities, rates, insurance): £12,000

• Internet, telephones, mobile: £4,200

• Photocopies and printing: £1,800

• Postage: £2,400

• Computers, IT and office equipment: £6,000

• Stationary, consumables: £1,200

• Motor expenses and driver: £6,000

• Trains & taxis: £600

• Conferences and meetings: £1,800

• TOTAL: £37,200

Daily allowance

I claim the fixed daily allowance of about £180 for an average of 4 days a week for the 40 weeks when Parliament is sitting. This covers the costs of my accomodation of Brussels and Strasbourg. Attendance and voting is necessary to support this claim and no allowance is paid for constituency days.

Travel allowance

Travel to Brussels and Strasbourg is reimbursed at the fixed Parliamentary rates for flexible economy travel. I have not drawn down any of the additional foreign travel allowance and have covered extra costs actually incurred out of the fixed payments.