Expense fraud MP Eric Illsley had second highest claims

A former Labour MP, jailed in February for expenses fraud, had the second highest amount of claims in the last year, according to new figures. Eric Illsley, now released and serving his sentence on home detention curfew, claimed £151,245 in 2010/11 - £38,690 of which was for "winding up" costs. Labour MP David Lammy received the highest amount - £173,922 - the bulk of which was spent on staff costs. In total MPs claimed £70.6m - down from £98m under the old scheme in 2009-10. But the National Audit Office has said that some of that saving would be due to delays in new MPs appointing staff after last year's general election. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has published the year's total claims on its website. Much of the information has already been published in its bi-monthly release of details, but Thursday's publication also includes staffing, deposit loans and advances. Illsley pleaded guilty to expenses fraud on 11 January but did not step down as MP for Barnsley Central until 8 February - two days before he was jailed. In the interim he claimed more than £2,000 for photocopier hire, food and travel. His total claims were boosted by his winding up allowance - paid to MPs who step down to cover staff and office costs. 'Thousands of calls' Tottenham MP Mr Lammy is not entitled to claim for accommodation costs and has relatively low claims for travel - but his total is pushed up by claims for £154,681 on staffing, which is above the limit of £109,000. MPs can claim extra from a contingency fund if the request is judged to be reasonable. Mr Lammy said: "These are the costs of running my office, the most deprived constituency in London, with the highest unemployment and a significant case load regarding immigration, housing, benefits claims and other serious issues, needs a qualified staff and two busy offices. "It would be impossible to answer the thousands of calls, emails and letters I receive every week without suitable offices and dedicated staff." The MP who claimed the least was Labour's Dan Jarvis - on just £520. The Barnsley Central MP was elected in March in a by-election to replace Illsley, so has not served a full year as an MP. The second lowest claiming MP was the Conservative MP for Kettering Philip Hollobone, on £7,433. Prime Minister David Cameron claimed £106,056 in total. He did not claim for accommodation or his constituency office costs, but claimed £101,977 for staff. Deputy PM Nick Clegg claimed £110,878 in total while Labour MP Ed Miliband claimed £74,357. In both cases the bulk of claims were also for staff costs. The information also shows 137 MPs employed spouses, partners and family members at public expense.