Wednesday, February 27, 2008

The cost of thinking about what to spend money on?

Have to love the House of Commons Commission sometime. As Private Eye has quite rightly noted this week they have a tendancy to pour money up the proverbial wall quite regularly. A few million quid here for motion sensitive escalators in Portcullis House that don't work; a hundred or so grand there for nice chairs in the restuarant.

I was thus mildly amused to learn that not only do they spend money on tangible things, but they also have a £2 million annual policy development grant budget. That sounds awfully like £2 million of spending each year on thinking about what to spend money on doesn't it?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Reminds me of a story in last week's US Air Force Times where it was revealed that the military was asking for a funding rise of $59 million - to pay for the lobbyists needed to lobby for a funding rise of several billion dollars.

Still, they do have to replace that $1.2 billion stealth bomber which crashed recently.

Anonymous said...

Why don't you try to find out a bit more about the grant, and then blog from an informed perspective?

Take it you agree with the Eye's insinuation that the Commons shouldn't be spending so much on research services for Members?

Anonymous said...

Are you sure you've got this right? I ask because 'suspiciously' the Electoral Commission has a £2m policy development grants budget for qualifying parties. As stipulated in PPERA.