ID: Statement by Patricia De Lille, Independent Democrats spokesperson, on road travel claims (17/11/2009)

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Published: 17 Nov 2009

ID: Statement by Patricia De Lille, Independent Democrats spokesperson, on road travel claims (17/11/2009)

‘We have heard stories of some MPs supplementing their salaries with R30 000 to R40 000 a month,' says De Lille

ID President Patricia de Lille has called for a clampdown on MPs who are submitting ‘exorbitant road travel claims that often cost Parliament more than double as much as plane tickets.'

Ms De Lille says she is ‘extremely concerned' that some MPs ‘are often driving across the country even when there is an airport at their destination, just so that they can claim more money than if they were to fly.'

MPs are allowed to claim 86 single plane tickets per year and road travel is set off against these plane tickets.

‘If you drive to Johannesburg and back you lose two single plane tickets, but the cost to Parliament for your trip is triple as much as if you fly,' says De Lille.

For the 2786 km return trip from Cape Town to Johannesburg an MP would get, at R3.69 per km, a total of R10 305 in travel claims.

In addition to this, because the drive to Johannesburg is over 800 km, the MP is entitled to claim R1150 for an overnight stay on the way to Johannesburg and again on the way back.

‘Add this R2 300 for accommodation to the R10 305 and you get R12 605, compared to Parliament's going rate of R4 354 for a return ticket to Johannesburg,' De Lille says.

She says that ‘despite the fact that sometimes we do need to take our cars on lengthy constituency periods, we have heard stories of some MPs who are supplementing their salaries with R30 000 to R40 000 a month.

‘It appears that some MPs will stop at nothing when it comes to making a quick buck off the sweat of the taxpayer,' De Lille says.

‘I find it incredible that political parties in Parliament have not learnt from Travelgate and clamped down on MPs who insist on looting public money.

‘This goes against the Speaker's challenge to newly elected MPs in his budget speech earlier this year to exercise greater responsibility in the use of Parliamentary resources,' says De Lille.

De Lille sent a letter to the Speaker on 20 October this year, writing that -

"In this context [of the challenge in his budget speech] I request a detailed breakdown of all travel claims processed in favour of MPs in the National Assembly since being elected to office.

"I am firmly of the view that whilst Parliament has the oversight responsibility of the Executive, so too should MPs lead by example."

In the letter De Lille also proposed the publication of a quarterly report for public scrutiny, "which will contribute significantly towards the prevention of any abuse of public resources."

In his response the Speaker said the travel claims could not be made public because this would be seen as a violation of MPs' privacy and it would pose a security risk.

The Speaker wrote that De Lille could request the detailed breakdown of all travel claims in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information act of 2000 and also advised her to follow a Parliamentary process so that the matter of a quarterly report could be discussed by all parties.

‘The ID will now put this matter firmly on the agenda of Parliament so that we can put a stop to this practice,' De Lille says.

She says the ID has itself implemented a system whereby any claims submitted by ID MPs and MPLs to Parliament or the legislatures must also be approved by the caucus.