The Chichester MP was happy to be guided through four years of claims – and could explain how and why every penny was spent.

And he insists any member of parliament found guilty of fraudulently fiddling their expenses should be thrown out of the House of Commons.

The bulk of Mr Tyrie's allowances go on staff – he pays for one full-time and four part-time posts at his House of Commons office.

His total allowances for 2007-08 were £136,832 on top of his salary of £64,766 – one of the lowest claims of any MP in the country.

He previously owned a house in London, but when that was sold, he opted to rent in the capital instead. The cost of that home, and its running costs, he meets himself, apart from the cost of phone bills.

Mr Tyrie lived in rented accommodation in Bosham and on the Hampshire-West Sussex border before settling in a converted two-bedroomed flat in Petworth. That is his designated second home, and he claims £23,083 a year to live there.

That covers part of the mortgage of £700 per month, service charges of £6,000 a year, as well as heating, lighting and phone bills.

The claim is in line with what most MPs are charging for their second home.

Mr Tyrie understands why the public is in uproar over the actions of several of his colleagues.

"The House of Commons reflects the country as a whole and there will always be some people who bend the rules or act fraudulently," he said.

"The majority of MPs are not spending their time working the allowances system.

"I have been appalled by the cases that appear bordering on fraud, such as claiming for long periods for a non-existent mortgage, and by people who appear to be involved in a number of scams.

"But we must not get carried away. We need clarity about what has really happened and people must get the opportunity to defend themselves. I do not agree with summary justice by journalists – even the Chichester Observer.

"But anyone who is then found guilty should go. People who are found to have defrauded the system are not fit to be MPs."

Andrew Tyrie on...

Phone billsI admit my bills are large. I'm
on the phone a lot – a lot of people call me, and I return a lot of calls.

Surgeries
I try to hold surgeries all
over my constituency. My predecessor held surgeries only in Chichester – I try to get out to Selsey and Midhurst.

Air conditioning
I claimed £644 for putting a mini air-conditioning unit in
the office.

Five people work in there – it was unbearable. I felt that was a legitimate expense.

Total bill
Take away the London MPs, my claim is one of the lowest of any MP in the country.

I have one of the largest constituencies in the south, but only 20 per cent of my claims cover my travelling and my second home.

Campaigns
They take up a lot of time and work.

There's the hospital campaign, the sea defence campaign and the A27 – first there was the road roar and now congestion, with extra housing without having the proper infrastructure in place.

Constituency work
One real regret I have is that I cannot always deal as fully as I would like with every case brought to my attention.

Often I have to act as a facilitator, putting the constituent in touch with the people who can help, and solving problems that way.

At least in some cases I can help people and show them they
are not completely powerless in the face of massive faceless bureaucracy.


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