Photosales
niJobfinder
niCarfinder
Home Delivery
Propertynews
Hermon sorry for error in expenses
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
Lady Sylvia Hermon today became the first Northern Ireland MP to become embroiled in the latest expenses controversy which has led to deep public anger.
The North Down MP admitted making mistakes after she paid back almost £3,000 for rent on a London flat.
The total of £2,730 was an overpayment of two month’s rental allowance paid out during 2005/6 but the error was only discovered earlier this week.
“I am profoundly embarrassed and deeply apologetic,” the senior Ulster Unionist said.
But she insisted she had not claimed for watching DVDs, furnishings or dog food like other parliamentarians.
Lady Hermon revealed she had been overpaid by two months in terms of her rental allowance between 2005 and 2006 but added the error had only been discovered after she made contact with the parliamentary Fees Office on Monday.
After being elected in 2001, the wife of the late former Chief Constable Sir Jack Hermon rented a flat about 20 minutes away from the Commons. Three years later she moved to a nearer one-bedroom property. Lady Sylvia ended the tenancy early last year after her husband, suffering from Alzheimer’s, was admitted to Downshire Hospital. Sir Jack died in November of last year. Since then, she has used hotels in London to stay for parliamentary business, it is understood.
She said: “Even though I immediately reimbursed the House of Commons with the £2,730, I remain profoundly upset and embarrassed.
“I've never bought property nor had a mortgage in London; I didn't have a television at any stage, didn't watch DVDs of any nature, didn't claim for food in London, furnishings, security or cleaning, didn't claim for dog food, chandeliers or for any other weird and exotic items.”
Lady Sylvia said during 2005, when the claim was made, she was coping with her husband’s deteriorating health in the aftermath of a hard-fought election campaign in which she ended up as the only Ulster Unionist MP.
“The pressure on me was enormous at that time, pre-devolution, when every piece of Northern Ireland legislation had to go through the House of Commons and I was the only Ulster Unionist voice,” she told the BBC.
“There can, however, be no excuses. The mistakes were mine, which I have rectified and for which I am extremely sorry.”
- Text Size
Martin, I was being facetious and I have no intention of of voting to send any of these clowns to Disneyland Brussels or casting a vote in future elections. I wised up to these self-servers years ago.
Posted by William | 14.05.09, 14:26 GMT
Was it not the same Sylvia who last year was carping on about the security cost to the taxpayer of policing the visit to the province of Mary McAleesse ? Now we find that she has been at it , same as the rest of them .
Posted by Jack | 14.05.09, 10:37 GMT
Lady Sylvia is a woman of great integrity, who has maintained a constant prescence in Westminster despite everything that life threw at her. When the detials of other local MPs are revealed I doubt they will be able to show such decency or regret.
Unlike David Cameron's politically motivated apology, I believe Lady Sylvia means it.
Posted by Andrew | 13.05.09, 23:27 GMT
I sincerely hope Lady Sylvia will stand for election. Women of her calibre do not come round often I absolutely believe there was nothing untoward about her expenses
Posted by anne | 13.05.09, 20:59 GMT
i had a friend was caught doing the double ,he said he was sorry he was fined and lost his dole all the mlas need to be accountable as i have said before greed is cross comunity
Posted by baily | 13.05.09, 20:30 GMT
She is a lovely person, don't know if I always agree with her politics, but she definitely has a heart of gold. She perhaps was a little too emotional to have had the interview with Nolan this morning (hence Conservative slip up), but she doesn't need to beat herself up about it. She is a very open person and fair play.
Posted by kate | 13.05.09, 19:59 GMT
If this is so, why then was this oversight not detected by the administrators?
Posted by W. Aiken | 13.05.09, 17:20 GMT
William, if they all stuck their hands in the fire - should Sylvia do that too?
The 10s of millions being claimed by MPs/MEPs/MLAs is sickening, the only reason they are going public now is because they have been exposed.
How people can vote for these people is unbelievable.
Posted by Martin | 13.05.09, 16:40 GMT
I do not see how the genuine mistake Lady Herman made can be equated in any way with the downright greed of some of the other MPs. She is an honest lady and has a lot more integrity than a lot of others.
Posted by David | 13.05.09, 16:01 GMT
Good on her for speaking out.
Posted by James | 13.05.09, 15:55 GMT
Her unwillingness to discuss the Tory/UUP marriage only heightens the rumour that she has been gagged by her political masters from discussing the issue to avoid embarrasment in the run up to European election.
The thing is, her constituents deserve to know her position. I hope it remains against this foolishness.
Posted by Grace A | 13.05.09, 15:50 GMT
Don't beat yourself up to much Sylvia, they're all at it.
Posted by William | 13.05.09, 14:56 GMT