The Parliamentary Service has been giving MPs the wrong advice about using taxpayer funding to pay for their young children's travel since 2007, a new report shows.There are 16 current MPs who may have been led astray by the wrong advice.The Auditor-Gener
The Parliamentary Service has been giving MPs the wrong advice about using taxpayer funding to pay for their young children's travel since 2007, a new report shows.
There are 16 current MPs who may have been led astray by the wrong advice.
The Auditor-General, Lyn Provost, today published her report on the audit of expenditure incurred by Phil Heatley's ministerial office from when he became a government minister in November 2008 until he resigned from his portfolios on February 25.
Mr Heatley quit Cabinet after admitting he misused his credit card and Ms Provost was asked to probe into what happened.
One area where he misspent taxpayer funded entitlements was by using them to take one of his children, aged under five, on travel that was not directly between their home in Whangarei and Wellington.
Today's report says that the service had been providing incorrect advice since 2007 to MPs that their children aged under five have unlimited travel between any locations in New Zealand.
"Mr Heatley is not the only member affected by this incorrect advice from the Parliamentary Service," the report said.
"The Parliamentary Service has advised us that there are 16 members in this current Parliament who have children under the age of five who could be affected.'
The report said Speaker Lockwood Smith had started a process to change rules in February including changes to travel entitlements for MPs' children. The rule changes would remove current restrictions and were expected to come into effect from July but that was likely to be bought forward now the problem had been highlighted.
In the meantime the service was making sure no inappropriate spending on children's travel occurred.
