PRESSURE is growing on Michael Martin, the Commons Speaker, after parliament's sleaze watchdog began an investigation last night into his wife's travel expenses.
A preliminary inquiry was launched by John Lyon, Westminster's standards commissioner, after he received a complaint about Mary Martin's £4,000 taxi bill for shopping trips.
Mr Lyon said the spending "may not have been in accordance with the Code
of Conduct for Members of Parliament".
Mr Lyon decided that further scrutiny was needed after receiving a complaint from a pressure group, the TaxPayers' Alliance, in February.
In a letter to the complainant, Mr Lyon said: "In essence, the part of your complaint I have accepted is that Mrs Martin's expenditure on taxis may not have been in accordance with the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament and its associated rules.
"I am inviting Mr Speaker to let me have his comments on your complaint. Once I receive his response, I shall consider how to proceed."
The news heaped more pressure on Mr Martin, who is at the forefront of the fight to block publication of details of allowances granted to all MPs and their addresses.
He launched a High Court attempt to stop a breakdown of MPs' expenditure on their second homes being released. The release had been ordered by the Information Commissioner and by an information tribunal.
This weekend, it emerged that more than £1.7 million had been spent on refurbishing the Speaker's Westminster residence and garden.
Questions have also been raised over why he has claimed more than £75,000 in MPs' allowance for a second home, despite having no mortgage on the Glasgow property he was claiming for.
Last night the original complainants, the TaxPayers' Alliance, said it was now "completely inappropriate" for the Speaker to remain in charge of the Commons inquiry into MPs' expense arrangements, which is due to report in the coming months.
Mark Wallace, the campaign director of the group, said: "The Speaker is meant to oversee MPs' expenses and the propriety of their behaviour – an extremely important task at a time when the public are concerned at how their money is spent in parliament," he said.
"The controversial way Mr Martin has behaved by trying to keep MPs' expenses secret and running up questionable expenses bills has only added to that concern.
"Now the Speaker is being investigated over his household expenses it would be completely inappropriate for him to remain in charge of the parliamentary expenses system.
"He should hand over control of the review into MPs' expenses to someone independent and untainted by scandal."
The TaxPayers' Alliance has called for Westminster to follow the more transparent expenses system at Holyrood.
A spokeswoman for the Commons authorities insisted Mr Martin's role with the committee carrying out the expenses inquiry was not in question.
She insisted there would be no further comment until the Standards Commissioner's investigation had finished.
It is understood that Mr Martin has already provided material to the Commissioner concerning his wife's taxi bills.
The taxi row led to the resignation of Mike Granatt, the Speaker's spokesman, in May. He admitted inadvertently misleading journalists over Mrs Martin's trips to buy food for "entertaining official visitors". He said she was accompanied by a Commons official, but she was with her housekeeper.
Controversial Speaker bedevilled by questionsNICKNAMED Gorbals Mick, Michael Martin was a controversial choice when he replaced Betty Boothroyd as Speaker in 2000 and has been no stranger to questions over expenses.
Earlier this year, it emerged he had claimed £4,000 for taxi rides taken by his wife and had claimed £75,000 towards the running costs of his Glasgow home, even though it is mortgage-free and he lives in a grace-and-favour flat when in London.
His official residence in London has had more than £700,000 spent on it since he became Speaker.
This included more than £100,000 a year on items including furniture, art and air-conditioning for the Grade-1 listed apartments. Another £992,000 has been spent on the Speaker's garden, although most of the costs have gone on improving security since 9/11.
Last month, Mr Martin's committee made the last-minute decision to appeal at the High Court against MPs' expenses being published in full.
The full article contains 724 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
