Dudley North MP Ian Austin's reply in full about his expenses revelations.
I know how angry many people are about MPs' expenses. I'm angry too - and I've been saying for years that the system needs to be completely changed.
And if people have behaved fraudulently then they should be punished just like anyone else. No ifs, no buts.
MPs have got to be able to explain how they've behaved to their constituents. I have always been open about how I do my job and the costs I've incurred.
I want to answer any questions my constituents have .
The Daily Telegraph asked me five questions.
They asked why my second home changed.
This is because I promised we would live in Dudley and we moved back from London where I had been working. I am the first MP for my area whose family home has been in the Borough and every single penny of the costs of this home have been met by me personally. I have not refurbished homes to sell at a profit or claimed against more than one home I owned. There has been no personal gain.
But because we live locally, I usually have to spend four days a week in London. The costs of travel, subsistence and accommodation there are met, just like anyone else who has to stay away from home for work.
So they asked about the costs of the small one bedroom flat I stay in near Parliament. I did exactly what I had been advised to do by the House of Commons, but unfortunately, there was a straight forward error when adding up the costs. The fees office pointed this out, I apologised for adding it up wrongly and the correct amount was claimed. No payment was made or received as a result of this simple error.
They asked me about the costs of my TV and stereo. I explained that lots of the things in the flat have been provided by me at no cost to the taxpayer. During the same financial year, as they knew from the records, I paid two months mortgage interest myself. Of course, they chose not to print this.
Finally, they asked why I bought my sofa a week or so before the flat and I explained that this was because they take a few weeks to be delivered.
I am very happy to answer any other questions, but let's be clear about what's going on.
Today the Telegraph have printed the details of 11 Labour MPs and two Conservatives, making the Labour MPs look as bad as possible.
This is because they have never supported the government and the work we are doing to get Britain through the recession, improve schools, hospitals and other public services and make our streets safer.
But who represents this area is down to readers of the Dudley News and other local people - not the Daily Telegraph.
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