Members of Parliament are now required by law to submit a written report on how they used their MP Allocations before they are eligible for another’s years allocation.
This is a new legal requirement under legislation that was passed by Parliament last year and officially gazetted in June. Although the MP Allocation scheme was introduced in 2009, this year marks the first time that reporting has become a mandatory legal obligation.
Yesterday, Minister for Climate Change, Ralph Regenvanu, submitted his report to the Clerk and Speaker of Parliament, becoming one of the first MPs to comply with the new requirement.
Hon. Regenvanu, one of the longest-serving Members of Parliament, has a history of publicly reporting on how he uses his allocation. He welcomed the new law, saying it will strengthen accountability among MPs.
“This is the first time there is a legal requirement for Members of Parliament to have accountability. We must apply to the Clerk using the prescribed form, which we did last year. Now we submit again this year. The law clearly states that a Member of Parliament must not be paid the allocation if they fail to produce a written report with receipts. I am very glad that finally there is accountability for MP Allocation, and the Clerk and Speaker will ensure that any MP who does not submit a report will not receive the next payment,” Hon. Regenvanu said.
So far, only Speaker of Parliament Stephen Felix and Minister Ralph Regenvanu from the 14th legislature have submitted their reports.
Speaker Felix acknowledged Hon. Regenvanu for consistently reporting on his allocation over the years.
“I thank him because he is someone who has always reported on his allocation in past years while serving as a Member of Parliament. He is a senior Member and continues to lead by example. Those of us who come behind try our best to follow, and I hope other MPs will continue to follow this best practice and be transparent in how we spend public money allocated to us,” the Speaker said.
The Clerk of Parliament confirmed that all reports submitted by MPs must be truthful and supported by receipts.
“If a Member produces a false report or false receipts, they can be liable for conviction, which carries a penalty of up to two years imprisonment and a fine of up to VT 1,000,000,” the Clerk stated.
Under the law, the VT 5,000,000 annual MP Allocation must be spent on community-related projects such as sports, church activities, youth, women, and other important services.
The new law is expected to ensure that MP Allocations are used for their intended purposes and that Members of Parliament are held accountable for how public funds are spent.
