Written question asked by Lord Spellar (Labour) on Monday, 10 June 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 12 June 2019. A holding answer was provided on Tuesday, 18 June 2019. A substantive answer was provided by Charles Walker (Conservative) on Thursday, 20 June 2019 on behalf of the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority: Location

Question: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, for what reason the Authority did not consider locations for its offices outside London and the South-East.

Answer: When moving offices, IPSA considered locations only in London and the South East, as evidence from other public bodies shows that organisations that relocate by a significant distance tend to lose more staff. IPSA is a small organisation and wished to retain its staff in order to continue uninterrupted its support to MPs, including regular meetings between them and their IPSA account managers, and its assurance to the public about MPs’ spending.

Secondary information