National Assembly delivers full transparency with online expenses log

A public online log of Assembly Members’ expenses claims will be launched on the National Assembly website today (June 29).

It means that everyone will be able to see, at the click of a mouse, what expenses their Assembly Members are claiming.

Initially, only claims for the financial year 2008/09 will be available, but from October the log will be updated month-by-month. From the autumn, claims will be published every month, three months in arrears.

This move follows the release last year of Assembly Member allowances claimed for the financial years 2006/07 and 2007/08.

“The National Assembly for Wales has been at the forefront of transparency when it has come to Assembly Members’ expenses,” said Presiding Officer, Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas.

“We have always tried to be up-front with the voting public in Wales and given them as much detail as possible.

“But I believe that if the National Assembly is to maintain its integrity as the primary democratic institution for Wales, it must have the full confidence of the people of Wales.

“Therefore, we aim to be even more transparent, even more open and even more candid with the people of Wales than ever before.

“That’s why we are launching this expense log today and why we set up, in August 2008, an independent panel to look into the system of financial support for Assembly Members and that panel is due to make their recommendations to us next week.”

The new monthly log can be viewed at www.assemblywales.org/allowances, and will go live at 9am today (June 29)

The site can be searched either by Assembly Member, allowance type or date of claim.