Frequently Asked Questions

What does your work at Westminster involve?
I spend about half of my time in my constituency and the other half at Westminster. This normally involves flying down to London early in the week and flying home on a Thursday night.

The average day consists of a mix of attending debates, meetings, committees and dealing with correspondence from constituents and other groups or organisations who have contacted me. There are lobbies of parliament by groups wishing to express their views and visits from constituents on a fairly regular basis.

Scrutinising the work of the Government is one of the most important parts of being an MP. To find out more about my work on committees which examine legislation (standing committees) or monitor a particular department (select committees) please visit the parliament section of this site.

People often comment on how empty the House of Commons chamber can be outside times like Prime Minister’s Questions. There are a number of reasons for this. As well as the chamber, debates also take place in Westminster Hall and in committee rooms upstairs from the chamber. Time has also to be found to read the volume of post, emails and fax messages that arrive on a daily basis.

What does your work in the constituency involve?
When I am in the constituency I hold regular surgeries and try to visit as many groups, organisations, schools and community events as possible. If you are aware of something I should attend please contact me and I will do my best to come along. I am usually happy to help promote local events or campaigns.

In the course of each month I try to get around each part of my constituency, holding surgeries, attending meetings and supporting local events. In the summer recess, I have the chance to spend more time here, and try to hold surgeries in many of the smaller communities in addition to the venues I use on a regular basis.

Is it possible to get a tour of Westminster?
Yes, and I am always very pleased to arrange for constituents who are visiting London to have a free tour. During the summer recess, it is usually possible to get a tour without prior arrangement, whether or not you are a UK resident, although there is a small charge.

To arrange a free tour please contact my Westminster office on 020 7219 2300, giving as much notice as possible. More details of tours and visits can be found in the Westminster Visits section of the site.  Arrangements are liable to change because of the security situation – please be patient if you have to queue and allow time to clear security checks.  The most up-to-date information is on the Parliament website: http://www.parliament.uk/directories/hcio/tours.cfm.

Is it possible to watch a debate in the House of Commons?
Yes, but it is advisable to apply for tickets in advance as otherwise it can often involve a long wait (often 1 or 2 hours). Details of how to apply for tickets are given on the Houses of Parliament web site: http://www.parliament.uk/about/visiting/debates.cfm.

If you are a constituent, you can apply to my Parliamentary office with a request for tickets. Please note that MPs have only a small allocation of tickets, and by no means for every day. For that reason it can be difficult for them to meet requests for tickets for specific days. Equally, if you can let me know dates when you will be visiting London at least a fortnight in advance, I will always do my best to arrange some tickets for you if at all possible.

Even if you can't visit London, you can still watch or listen to debates in the House of Commons and in committees via the internet at http://www.parliamentlive.tv/.

Can I arrange a meeting with you?
If you live in my constituency and would like to meet me to discuss an issue, this can be done at one of my surgeries. Details of my next surgeries can be found on the Contact page. Otherwise you can contact Deirdre McCreath in my constituency office on 01463 711280 for advice or to arrange an alternative meeting when necessary. (Please note that there may be a long wait for an individual meeting, depending on my other diary commitments.)

Why do MPs get paid allowances or ‘expenses’ on top of their salaries?
Some people have asked me about the allowances or ‘expenses’ paid to MPs on top of their salaries. Because MPs run offices and employ staff, like any small business, there are the running costs of an office which must be paid.

Most of the following amounts are paid from the fees office in Parliament directly either to staff as salaries, to my landlord for office rent or to cover travel between the Highlands and Westminster.

Travel
Travelling between the Highlands and London on a weekly basis while Parliament is sitting is a costly but necessary part of representing constituents in Parliament. There are also significant costs associated with attending events and meeting constituents in every part of the constituency.

I normally fly down to London on a Monday morning and return home on Thursday night. These flights are on flexible business tickets, which are not cheap, but allow for last minute changes to flights without losing the ticket cost. Given the unpredictable nature of business at Parliament, and the occasional need to return to the constituency at short notice, last minute changes to travel arrangements are quite frequent and unavoidable.

Accommodation
This money goes towards the cost of accommodation in London during the week. (My main home is in Aviemore.)

Office
Office costs include rent of my constituency offices in Inverness, business rates, heat, light, insurance, telephones and other equipment. I am supplied with office space at Westminster.

Staff
I employ a caseworker and, a part-time researcher and a part-time diary assistant in my constituency office. I also have a researcher at Westminster. The staff salaries figure includes tax and national insurance which is sent directly to the Inland Revenue.

IT and stationery
Some IT and stationery is purchased centrally and then charged to MPs. Computers are not purchased but supplied and maintained centrally. This equipment is the property of Parliament.

The figures break up into seven amounts – I will publish my annual expenses in the table below each year when they are compiled and made available.

	2005/06	2006/07	2007/08
Cost of staying away from home	£16,425	£17,723
Office costs	£28,047	£34,965
Staff salaries	£60,412	£75,229
Travel costs	£23,392	£25,700
Centrally purchased stationery	£1,048	£505
Postage costs	£2,478	£2,101
Central IT provision	£930	£930

In order to ensure that my expenses are open and transparent I have publish a detailed breakdown of my Parliamentary expenses since the 1st April 2008. These details will be updated quarterly and can be found by clicking the following link:

Expenses breakdown

Do you have any other sources of income?
I have no regular income apart from my MP’s salary. Follow this link to see my most recent submission in the Register of Members' Interests: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmregmem.htm