How many MPs cycle?

[Mike Causer]

The answer would seem to be just 11.

24 Oct 2005
LEADER OF THE HOUSE
Cycle Allowance

Tom Brake: To ask the Leader of the House how many hon. Members claimed the
cycle allowance in the last period for which figures are available; and
how much each of the 10 highest claimers claimed. [20635]

Mr. Hoon: Eleven Members claimed a total of £888.62 in bicycle allowances in
financial year 2004-05. The amounts claimed by each of the top 10 highest
claimers were as follows:

£250.00
£242.80
£175.26
£81.60
£36.00
£34.96
£22.88
£18.40
£12.80
£12.32.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/cm051024/text/51024w22.htm

As the allowance for cycling on official business is 20p per mile, a
couple of them must have done over 1000 miles, which is creditworthy, but
what about the other 635 MPs?



Mike

 

[David Martin]

Mike Causer wrote:
> The answer would seem to be just 11.

Not true. There are many more than that. A significant number do not
claim the allowance. Boris Johnson for one.

Cyclists I know of off the top of my head:

Boris (con)
David Cameron (con)
Simon Hughes (libdem)

...d
>
> 24 Oct 2005
> LEADER OF THE HOUSE
> Cycle Allowance
>
> Tom Brake: To ask the Leader of the House how many hon. Members claimed the
> cycle allowance in the last period for which figures are available; and
> how much each of the 10 highest claimers claimed. [20635]
>
> Mr. Hoon: Eleven Members claimed a total of £888.62 in bicycle allowances in
> financial year 2004-05. The amounts claimed by each of the top 10 highest
> claimers were as follows:
>
> £250.00
> £242.80
> £175.26
> £81.60
> £36.00
> £34.96
> £22.88
> £18.40
> £12.80
> £12.32.
>
> http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/cm051024/text/51024w22.htm
>
> As the allowance for cycling on official business is 20p per mile, a
> couple of them must have done over 1000 miles, which is creditworthy, but
> what about the other 635 MPs?
>
>
>
> Mike

 

[John Hearns]

On Fri, 02 Dec 2005 00:33:16 +0000, Mike Causer wrote:

> The answer would seem to be just 11.
>
There are more.

There is a Parliamentary Bicycle group, which I believe covers both houses.
They have an annual breakfast meeting, which the has a mass ride to
Parliament. Two years ago this was hosted at the Tate Modern.

http://www.bikeweek.org.uk/press-archives.php?id=50
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Cycling_Group_APPG
http://www.cyclistspublicaffairsgroup.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=37

 

[MSeries]

Mike Causer wrote:
> The answer would seem to be just 11.
>
> 24 Oct 2005
> LEADER OF THE HOUSE
> Cycle Allowance
>
> Tom Brake: To ask the Leader of the House how many hon. Members claimed the
> cycle allowance in the last period for which figures are available; and
> how much each of the 10 highest claimers claimed. [20635]
>
> Mr. Hoon: Eleven Members claimed a total of £888.62 in bicycle allowances in
> financial year 2004-05. The amounts claimed by each of the top 10 highest
> claimers were as follows:
>
> £250.00
> £242.80
> £175.26
> £81.60
> £36.00
> £34.96
> £22.88
> £18.40
> £12.80
> £12.32.
>
> http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/cm051024/text/51024w22.htm
>
> As the allowance for cycling on official business is 20p per mile, a
> couple of them must have done over 1000 miles, which is creditworthy, but
> what about the other 635 MPs?
>
>
>
> Mike

My MP, Colin Challon told me he rides a bike. He doesn't want to force
us all to use helmets either.

 

[Matt B]

Mike Causer wrote:
> The answer would seem to be just 11.

[...]

> As the allowance for cycling on official business is 20p per mile, a
> couple of them must have done over 1000 miles, which is creditworthy, but
> what about the other 635 MPs?

If they don't use them for "official business", e.g. just use them for
commuting to and from the office, then they won't be entitled to claim
for anything.

--
Matt B

 

[Keith Willoughby]

"David Martin" <[email protected]> writes:

> Mike Causer wrote:
>> The answer would seem to be just 11.
>
> Not true. There are many more than that. A significant number do not
> claim the allowance. Boris Johnson for one.
>
> Cyclists I know of off the top of my head:
>
> Boris (con)
> David Cameron (con)
> Simon Hughes (libdem)

Kim Howells (lab). He never replied to my fax about helmets, though,
even though he was a transport minister at the time (as well as my MP)

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/
"We are not the only experiment"

 

[Not Responding]

Matt B wrote:
> Mike Causer wrote:
>
>> The answer would seem to be just 11.
>
>
> [...]
>
>> As the allowance for cycling on official business is 20p per mile, a
>> couple of them must have done over 1000 miles, which is creditworthy, but
>> what about the other 635 MPs?
>
>
> If they don't use them for "official business", e.g. just use them for
> commuting to and from the office, then they won't be entitled to claim
> for anything.

Unless they use their home for constituency business[1]. All it takes is
a few meetings with locals at home and, hey presto, you get to claim 20
tax free pence a mile. Merely reading papers or making phone calls
doesn't count.

[1] Actually, I'm assuming that the same regs apply to MPs as apply to
cllrs.

 

[Al C-F]

Matt B wrote:

>
>
> If they don't use them for "official business", e.g. just use them for
> commuting to and from the office, then they won't be entitled to claim
> for anything.

That would depend on the location of one's base office. As mine is
defined as home, my trips to the client site can be claimed.

 

[Martin Bulmer]

David Martin wrote:
> Mike Causer wrote:
>> The answer would seem to be just 11.
>
> Not true. There are many more than that. A significant number do not
> claim the allowance. Boris Johnson for one.
>
> Cyclists I know of off the top of my head:
>
> Boris (con)
> David Cameron (con)
> Simon Hughes (libdem)
David Taylor, NW Leics, sometimes accompanies us on CTC runs. Don't know
whether he cycles to work, but he couldn't do the runs he does if he didn't
do a bit of cycling in between.
--


Martin Bulmer