British laws aim to reform MP expenses

LONDON, June 24 (UPI) -- A parliamentary reform package contains criminal provisions to prevent abuses of the British House of Commons' expense reimbursement system, its authors say.

A 93-page bill to overhaul the scandal-plagued system by which members of Parliament are reimbursed for personal expenses would criminalize some of the practices uncovered in highly publicized media examinations of claims by members of parliament, The Times of London reported Wednesday.

Under the government's proposal, outlined by Labor Party Chair Harriet Harman, it would be a crime to knowingly make a false claim for an allowance. Had it been in effect, the law could have been used to prosecute former Conservative Party Member of Parliament Michael Trend, who was ordered to repay $148,000 to the government, the newspaper said.

The legislation would also criminalize failing to register outside interests, requiring MPs for the first time to declare income from outside jobs with no connection Parliament, The Times said.

"There are indeed criminal offenses in this bill so that if an MP misleads deliberately or if an MP does something like, without reasonable excuse, fails to register a relevant interest, that is a criminal offense and that would then be investigated by the police," Prime Minister Gordon Brown told the BBC.