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Members' Salaries, Pensions and Allowances

We have had a very good debate, in which we have seen how immensely complex the issues and systems are in connection with determining MPs' pay and allowances. However, I am still not clear about what system was used by the people of Weymouth in 1463, when they decided to pay their Member of Parliament 500 mackerel. My right hon. and learned Friend the Leader of the House began by setting out the four key principles that underpin the Government's approach: MPs should be properly paid for the valuable work that they do; they should be properly reimbursed for the costs of fulfilling their responsibilities; like others paid from the public purse, they should share the same discipline when it comes to pay rises; and in future, MPs should not vote on their own pay. Throughout the House, there has been a consensus on those four principles.