The Parliamentary Standards Act 2009 (PSA 2009) received Royal Assent on 21 July 2009. It is a short piece of legislation consisting of a mere 15 sections and three schedules.
The Parliamentary Standards Act 2009 (PSA 2009) received Royal Assent on 21 July 2009. It is a short piece of legislation consisting of a mere 15 sections and three schedules.
However, it is a constitutionally significant measure which seeks to restore some measure of public confidence in the way in which MPs claim and are paid allowances to enable them to carry out their parliamentary work. Although some of the Act’s provisions came into force on the date of Royal Assent, most will not take effect unless or until they have been brought into force via a commencement order or orders.
The catalyst
In May and June 2009, the Daily Telegraph published a series of damaging revelations relating to MPs’ allowances and expenses claims.
The information on which these stories were based had been obtained by the newspaper pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act 2000. It revealed that a number
