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Members' Allowances

I have only 10 minutes to spend on the subject and I should like to make some progress. The shadow Leader of the House mentioned the Green Book and that it is only a month old. The Green Book is a book of principles and governance and it carefully states what we are doing about governance and audit. The hon. Gentleman knows that we held a meeting yesterday about audit, which is a significant part of our allowances and how they are supervised. The Members Estimate Audit Committee, which is chaired by the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton (Alan Duncan), comprises hon. Members. Three outside independent members also advise the House accounting officer. We also have the Comptroller and Auditor General and the National Audit Office, with overall audit of the accounts and processes. There will soon be an operational assurance unit, managed separately from the section in the Department of Resources, which will administer payments. The unit's role will be to give advice to Members and to ensure compliance with the rules and the maintenance of standards.