HERE we go again as yet another Cabinet Minister thinks it is acceptable to defraud the taxpayer by overclaiming on expenses?

I would call it theft of public funds. David Cameron is quoted as saying that if someone clears themselves of a serious offence, they should be allowed to carry on with their job.

Doesn’t this just show that it is still deemed acceptable for MPs to defraud the taxpayer?

Maria Miller was allegedly asked to pay back £45,000 over payment on her second home mortgage claim. After some deliberation over the interpretation of the rules, which means she appealed against the amount, she was then asked to repay £5,800.

IPSA, supposedly an independant body, was set up after some MPs were found with their noses in the financial trough. Some expenses showed them claiming for hotel accomodation whilst claiming train fares home at the same time.

IPSA’s answer is that they buy tickets in advance and may not have been for the same day.

The same goes for airline tickets.

The system is still being abused and, if a Minister responsible for millions of pounds of the public’s purse can not fill in her expenses properly, the question should be asked if she is fit to do the job?

I believe she and anyone else overclaiming should be refered to the police.

Bryan Griffith Springfield Road Bolton