MPs have faced media scrutiny after claiming hundreds of pounds as expenses for eyewear.
Information released by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority led to accusations of some MPs buying designer frames. In its latest figures for October and November, a £239 claim was submitted by former health secretary Andrew Lansley for prescription glasses and eye test costs for a member of staff requiring spectacles for computer work.
Other MPs who made higher claims said staff welfare was worth spending on, but the reimbursements were criticised by Jonathan Isaby, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance. He said: ‘Millions of us need to wear glasses but wouldn’t dream of billing our employer for the cost of our specs.
‘Even if you believe it’s right that employees can claim for the cost of their glasses, it’s totally unacceptable that anyone is demanding that the unwitting taxpayer pay for designer frames.
‘As is so often the case in the public sector, it seems that the rules are being interpreted in a way that is delivering dreadful value for money for those of us picking up the bills,’ said Isaby.