Bristol MP's expenses claims revealed

Steve Webb is the Bristol region's most expensive MP, claiming £158,796 in allowances in 12 months.

The Liberal Democrat Work and Pensions spokesman ran up a Parliamentary bill £14,600 higher than the average in the 12 months to March last year, ranking him the 113th biggest spender in the UK, according to figures released yesterday.

He put the higher than normal claim down to the costs of moving in London from poor quality accommodation.

The Northavon MP said: "In 2007/08, I moved into a one-bedroom flat near Parliament. The allowance figure was inflated because of the cost of moving.

"The figure is substantially lower for the last financial year. Around two-thirds of my allowance claim goes on staffing costs. I employ the best people for the job and I think people in my constituency know that."

Mr Webb was followed by Labour's Dan Norris, who had slipped down the tables significantly.

His £172,733 claim for 2006/07, which he put down the fact he was sending out an anti-bullying pamphlet free to anyone who requested it, meant he was the fourth highest claimer in the UK. That claim has dwindled significantly to £155,410, meaning he is know ranked 181.

Shadow Defence Secretary Liam Fox, Conservative MP for Woodspring, came next on £153,316, followed by Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy on £153,035.

Bristol North West's Doug Naysmith, who is retiring at the next election, had the lowest local claim, at £141,111.

The release of the figures comes as Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is at the centre of an embarrassing row after it emerged taxpayers had footed the bill for her husband Richard Timney to watch pornographic films on satellite television at their home.

She had already come under intense pressure for putting down her sister's London house as her main residence. Yesterday's figures revealed that she claimed £22,948 in expenses for her second home.

MPs have come under increasing scrutiny since it emerged Tory MP Derek Conway paid his son – who was away studying at university – thousands of pounds of public money in wages.

It later emerged that politicians could kit out their London homes according to a "John Lewis list" itemising how much could be spent on goods such as televisions, rugs and food processors.

The annual salary of a backbench MP is £64,766 but on top of that there are a number of pots of cash available for them to draw on, sometimes without any need for a receipt.

Most contentious is the additional cost allowance of up to £21,634 to buy a second home at public expense. Although it was introduced to ensure that people were not prevented from standing for Parliament because of their financial circumstances, it was revealed last week that many MPs in Greater London also submit claims.

MPs can also claim up to three visits a year to Europe, 30 one-way trips for spouses or children a year and 24 single tickets for staff. Mileage is paid at 40p a mile for the first 10,000 miles then 25p a mile to drivers and 24p for motorcyclists.

In 2007, when the last set of expenses were published, a new communications allowance of up to £10,400 was created to covers newsletters, websites and letters.

But the cash does not stop flowing at the end of an MP's political life. When they step down or are voted out, they are also able to claim a resettlement allowance based on their age and length of service up to the amount of their annual salary and they also have a final salary pension scheme.

The total claimed by 646 MPs in 2007/08 was just over £93 million – some 6 per cent up on last year's £87.6 million.

The largest claim in 2007/08 was made by Labour's MP for Falkirk Eric Joyce, who received expenses and allowances totalling £187,371.

List of Bristol MPs expenses:

Steve Webb (Lib Dem, Northavon) £158,796

Dan Norris (Lab, Wansdyke) £155,410

Liam Fox (Con, Woodspring) £153,316

Kerry McCarthy (Lab, Bristol East) £153,035

Dawn Primarolo (Lab, Bristol South) £150,616

Roger Berry (Lab, Kingswood) £148,799

Stephen Williams (Lib Dem, Bristol West) £145,585

weston-conservatives.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target=_blank>John Penrose (Con, Weston) £143,700

Doug Naysmith (Lab, Bristol North West) £141,111