Publication cost of MPs' expenses doubles to £2m

MORE than £2million has been spent on preparing about a million receipts of MPs' expenses to be published.

Commons Leader Harriet Harman revealed the cost of redacting and scanning the receipts had doubled compared with previous figures. The revelation is likely to reignite the row over MPs' use of public funds.

Ms Harman also signalled that the Commons authorities may in future not publish these receipts despite losing a High Court battle on the issue costing the taxpayer at least £150,000.

She is instead proposing publishing expenditure of MPs in 26 categories.