Contents

Maria Miller 3
Written evidence
1. Article from the Daily Telegraph, 10 December 2012
MPs' expenses: Culture Secretary Maria Miller's 90,000 claims for parents' home
A Cabinet minister claimed more than 90,000 in taxpayers' funds for a second home where her parents lived,
The Daily Telegraph can disclose.
By Holly Watt and Claire Newell.
Maria Miller, the Culture Secretary, claimed the cost of the mortgage and other expenses associated with the
large detached property in south London.
She said that the property has been her parents' home for "nearly two decades".
The Cabinet minister's arrangements would appear to be at odds with parliamentary rules. In 2009, Tony
McNulty, the Labour Home Office minister, was severely reprimanded for letting his parents live in his
taxpayer-funded second home.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards ruled that second homes must be "exclusively" for the use of
MPs in fulfilling their parliamentary duties and that housing a politician's parents was "specifically prohibited"
by the rules During the period, Mrs Miller said her main home was a rented property in her Basingstoke
constituency, which meant the taxpayer was liable for the second home in London.
The Daily Telegraph began an investigation into Mrs Miller's expense claims after receiving information from
a well-placed source.
Mrs Miller, a former advertising executive, and her husband, a partner in a City law firm, bought a double-
fronted terrace house in an upmarket south London suburb in January 1996 for 234,000.
In December 1996, Mrs Miller's parents- John and June Lewis sold their home in Wales and official records
show that they moved to the London property.
John Lewis, the minister's father, 73, said they had moved to the home to help Mrs Miller look after the
children when she launched her unsuccessful attempt to become the Conservative MP for W olverhampton
"We moved in to help her, with everything You can't become an MP and fight an unwinnable seat in
Wolverhampton with two or three kids back here," he said. "We were sitting out in South Wales, twiddling
our thumbs and it was a very good idea".
In 2005, Mrs Miller was fmally elected to Parliament as the Conservative MP for Basingstoke, about 50 miles
from her south London home.
At this point, she declared her London house as her second home for the purposes of parliamentary expenses
Mrs Miller had a home loan called an offset mortgage, in which the value of repayments can vary significantly.
Between 2005 and 2006, Mrs Miller was claiming 1,439 a month in mortgage interest payments - covering
the entire loan. Typical claims for utilities were about 125 a month, council tax was 150, In March 2006, she
claimed 477 for "crockery".
By July 2007, her mortgage claims had increased to 1,519 a month In January 2008, her mortgage increased
by around 100,000 to 575,000, with interest payments of about 2,700 a month.
Parliamentary rules at the time limited claims to about 24,000 annually. Mrs Miller did not make claims
covering the entire cost of her mortgage and received about 2,000 a month from the cost.
During the four years, Mrs Miller claimed 90,718 in expenses for the property - just ll5 less than the
maximum permitted amount for the period. She made her last claim for the property on April27, 2009-less






















































2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09

ACA
Claims () Costs()
ACA
Claims () Costs()
ACA
Claims () Costs()
ACA
Claims () Costs()
Mortgage interest 17268 24024 17268 25701 17268 30736 19263 21530
Council Tax 1800 2100 1800 2100 1800 2100 2335 2335
Utilities 1500 2670 1740 2913 1980 2572 2126.44 3726.23
Cleaning 644 2900 - 2900 - 2900 - 2900
Maintenance/
repairs/furnishing/
insurance 780 3000 1020 3000 740 3000 757.79 3157.79
Parking permit 80 80 - 80 - 80 - 80
Telecoms 252 480 252 480 252 480 - 480
Food - 480 - 480 - 480 - 480
TOTAL 21634 35734 22110 37654 23083 42348 24482.23 34689.02










12 May 12 2005-30 April 2006 (50 weeks, 350 day period)
May 2006-April 2007 (364 day period)
May 2007-April 2008 (364 day period)
May 2008-April 2009









Maria Mil ler 16
Department of Finance & Administration
Rec01d of phone conversation I meeting with:
Name of Member I Official _______ .. QJ:1? ___ _____________ _
On date: _ _ _ _, l.J.JD:t/DCI
ki\W <.\Jler I\Ov iV\Itl\c\ ro CtyUINr P('(f\.( 0..3C\iY\ '\'his
W\\1 lO\%'fM \Y\u IV\ v.)r\
Signed:
Date _ _,2.'-'- 1-'-' 1 0'--' 8'-'- / 0-=-c--'-' r.-
Maria Miller 17

COVENTRY
TLC not PLC
OAKFIELD HOUSE BINLEY BUSINESS PARK BI N LEY COVENTRY CV3 2TO
Miller
Your ref
./
Our ref:
Tel No: 0845 7665522
1
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+111
1
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68000
Fax No:
Date: 19th October 2009
DETAILED STATEMENT
INTEREST DETAILS
Effective Gross Effective Gross Effective Gross
Date Interest Date Interest Date Interest
01-Jan-09 02.8500 01-Apr-09 00.3500
01-Jan-09 01.8500 01-0ct-09 03.7400
0 1-Feb-09 01.3500
01-Mar-09 00.8500
TRANSACTION DETAILS
s===

Date Description Debi t Credit Balance

Balance 1 January 2009 576779.04
-


Jan-09 Interest 906.00 577685.04

=

26-Jan-09 Receipt 837.26 576847.78


31-Jan-09
=
Offset Benefit 14.02 576833.76
Feb-09 Interest 597.29 577431.05
25-Feb-09 Receipt 634.88 576796.17
28-Feb-09 Offset Benefit 7.32 576788.85
Mar-09 lntsrest 416.33 577205.18
25-Mar-09 Receipt 401.23 576803.95
31-Mar-09 Offset Benefit 3.55 576800.40
Apr-09 Interest 165.93 576966.33
27-Apr-09 Receipt 164.68 576801.65
continued overleaf .. .
The Soc:itly Is regulated by tht Flntncit l Strvltu AuthorltriF$A rtftrtn<:t number 1508921. Mtmbtt of The Building Soclttlts AssociatiDl). Shres a"d .
O.,poslts rt Trvtttlnvutments. fo malntt ln 1 Qutllry urviet, u tb tmde to tnd hom the Society tnty be mon1t01ed and rteOtded. OXUI85S Cov2 www.thecoYtnlry.co.uk
Coentry 8uit.dln9 Soritty. R.gittrH Offiu: PO Box?. High Strett, Covetltrr CV1 50t(.
Crf\'ESTOR IM POOMJ!
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PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL
House of Commons
Westminster
London
SWl AOAA
Dear
NAO Audit of 2009-10 House of Commons: Members Resource Accounts
Maria Mil ler 18
You may recall that the Clerk of the House, Malcolm Jack, wrote to all Members on 2
February with an update on a variety of issues about expenses. In his letter he
described some of the implications of moving from a limited scope to a full scope N AO
audit for the financial year 2009/10, as agreed by the House last year.
This is, in effect, a move to a more rigorous audit of spending by the Department of
Resources on Members' pay and allowances. Work carried out by the Department has
identified areas where additional evidence is needed to meet the requirements of
Resolutions of the House and the Green Book.
The Clerk's letter goes on to say that the Department of Resources will be writing to
Members requesting the specific documents needed. It is understood that Members
may have concerns about the burden this requirement may impose at a busy time,
following on as it does from other initiatives such as the Legg review. However, it is
not expected that providing the documentation which is needed will be unduly onerous
in most cases. Documents provided to Sir Thomas Legg as part of his review of the
previous financial year have been analysed and taken into account as part of this
exercise.
Additional information required
The NAO have identified four areas where they have greatest concern. These are:
mortgage interest;
home rentals;
office rentals; and
staff expenditure.
The Department of Resources will be writing to or telephoning Members separately in
relation to staff expenditure where this is necessary. The work undertaken on the other
Maria Mill er 19
three areas has established that certain documentation is required to support claims you
have made during 2009/10. This is detailed in the Annex attached.
Receipt of documents
All requested documents should be returned to the Department of Resources marked
for the attention of the Policy and Quality Assurance Team. The Department is working
within tight timescales, which could be further impacted by the date of dissolution of
Parliament. It is therefore requested that Members return all requested documentation
no later than Wednesday 31 March 2010. If you have any queries, please contact the
Enquiries and Advice Team on ext 1340.
If you have already forwarded the information detailed on the accompanying annex to
the Department in last few days, please ignore this letter.
Recovery of monies
Under the authority of the MEC, the Department of Resources will have the option of
recovering from Members any claim paid in 2009/10 which is considered to be
unsupported by the correct documents. It is anticipated that this will be done by
voluntary repayment, but, if necessary it could be either through deduction from salary
or, where appropriate, from resettlement grant. This will be an action of last resort, but
may be necessary to meet the required standard in the management of public funds.
Your cooperation in this matter at what is a busy time is appreciated.
Yours sincerelv
Director General of Resources
Maria Miller 20
ANNEX I (OUTSTANDING INFORMATION)
We require the following documentation to support PAAE claims submitted since April 2009.
MORTGAGE INTEREST
I. The mortgage offer or agreement, setting out the terms ofthemortgage; including
. (but not limited to) mortgage type, loan amount and interest rate payable.
2. A property valuation to support the mortgage agreement(s) held, as per the letter to
Members sent on 9th July 2009. Please note that if this is not included in your
mortgage offer, we will need to see evidence of an independent valuation.
OFFICE RENTALS
3. In accordance with the amendments made to the Green Book in July 2009, a copy of
a recent independent valuation must be provided when leasing from a political party
[para 2.2.5]. Please forward an independent valuat ion from no earlier than
05/05/2005, which confirms that you are paying no more than the market value.
Maria Miller MP
~
~
Member of Parliament for Basingstoke
Director General of Resources
Department of Resources
House of Commons
London SWIA OAA
fluJ
Maria Miller 21
House of Commons
l ondon SWIA OAA
Tel: 020 - 7219 5749
Please find attached further copies of the documentation that support the mortgage
claim I made for the month of April 2009, as requested.
As you are aware this was my only claim in respect of the ACA for the year 2009/ 10.
I did not make any further claims after that date.
I understand from your letter 18 March 2010 that after that claim was paid, further
retrospective rules have been introduced that any claims for mortgage interest need to
be accompanied by an independent valuation of the property. I was clearly not aware
of this when -the claim was made.
As the mortgage with the Coventry Building Society is by way of a re-mortgage
I was not required to obtain a valuation at that time. For are-mortgage it is the usual
practice for the lender to obtain a valuation but not to share it with the customer as
this may enable the customer to sue the valuer if it is incorrecl There is no need for
the customer to obtain a separate valuation.
I understand that a property valuation will cost significantly more than the
amount paid and on the facts of my case I would suggest that this is a
disproportionate requirement which was introduced with larger mortgage payments in
mind. I would therefore be grateful if you could let me know whether such a
disproportionate expense is necessary in these circumstances.
With regard to an independent valuation to substantiate the cost of 15 per week
rental for my Basingstoke constituency office, I am awaiting the paperwork and will
forward it as soon as it becomes available.
With e ~ wishes,
Email: millerm@parliament.uk
auurr
1
9 APR IDIO
ASSURANCE
Maria Mil ler 22
Rei'T;'bursement ........ - -..
Personal Additional Accomrpoqati\)1) 1:,x. 1 perlancime-
Member's Name (CAPITAL LETTERs) Const it uency (cAPITAL LETTERS)
66550 7

!
Claim details
Month/period to be claimed
From ' 0 1\ 1.0 14- ; 2 ! 0 0 ], : To ,J 10 _ '_Oi"- . 2 0 i 0, !
- -- - .. -------------- - --- - - _____ .. _
Subsistence
(No receipts required)
Cost of accommodation
Number of nights spent
away from main heme
Fi xtures, fitti ngs and furnishings
Other household costs
(e.g. service charges, utilities,
telecommunications, maintenance
and repairs)
[_ ... - - - ...... .
L
L.
r -
L.
i @ 25.00 per night
Mortgage int erest
Hotel
Rent (inc deposits)
Council TaX/rates



'


Total

'
1 --
,
... ---- - .. !




Total
.i
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!
.. . i
-,
Exp type/
Cats
5 14 - - -
514 - - -
514 - - -
5 14 - - -
514---
Please securely attach required documentation e.g. invoices, receipts etc. in
support of Individual items equal to or In excess of 25.00 unless standing
documents e.g. mortgage statements, rental agreements etc. have pr eviously
been lodged. Grand Total
Authorisation and declaration
/ 1 confirm tMt the amounts claimed were inc.urred In resJ)eCl of my home as reported to the
Department ot Reso4Kces.
/ 1 con1'irm thet the amounts di!l lmed co'Tlpfy with the pf1nclples and rules contall'led In the Green Book.
Member's
Signature
! Data Protection
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About filling In this form. Send your completed form to:
If you have l!ny questions about this form,
please call 020 7219 1340
Operations Directorate, Department of Resources
House or Commons, London SWlA OM
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Maria Miller 23

COVENTRY
TLC not PLC
OAKFIELD HOUSE BltiLEY BUSINESS PARK BINLEY COVENTRY CV3 2TO
I NTEREST DETAILS
lfluc. hV(l
Dale
14-Nov-07
Gross
Interest
05.6000
TRANSACTION. DETAILS
Oet tc Description
DETAILED STATEMENT
Effective
Date
Gross
Interest
Debit
Balance 1 January 2007
Nov-07 Interest 1499 7 1
14-Nov-07 Advance 575000.00
1-1 t iw 07 Arrangement Fee 1800.00
14-Nov-Ol TTFee 35.00
30-Nov-07 Offset Bonef11
Dec-07 Interest 2731.08
27 fj .. r 07 Receipt
31-Dec-0 / Offset Benef11
TotaiOifsetBenefll
Your rei. 1173429111
Our rei: MRI601
Tel N 7665522
Fax No.
Date:
Effective
Date
Credit
t t6.04
4067.0?
239.82
31st May 2008
Gross
Interest
Balance
.00
1499.71
576499.71
578299.71
578334.71
57821867
580949.75
576882.73
576642.91
576642.91
355.86
'I .u or ... ,;r. 11( ,, ..J h., 11'1 .. 1ft ,., '"' ' c r 1 'rl rt ><1 Yl''l' .,. ,. .. , yl<) ;,,. ,,._r, rt, ll.t r,,.l
1 ., .t r I t., ll ,-, , , , r 1 f.\.t I t II P. (lo' .,, 1'
'' '
Maria Miller 24

COVENTRY
TLC not PLC
OAKFIELD HOUSE BINLEY BUSINESS PARK BINLEY COVENTRY CV3 2TO
Miller
INTEREST DETAILS
Effective
Date.
01-Jan-08
01-Jan-08
01-Mar-08
01-May-08
Gross
Interest
05.6000
05.3500
05.1000
04 8500
TRANSACTION DETAILS
Date Descript ion
DETAILED STATEMENT
f:llective
Date
Gross
Interest
Debit
Balance 1 January 2008
Jan-08 Interest 2610.59
25-Jan-08 Receipt
31-Jan-08 Offset Benefit
Feb-08 Interest 2442.87
25-Feb-08 Receipt
29-Feb-08 Offset Benefit
Mar-08 Interest 2488.37
25-Mar-08 Receipt
31-Mar-08 Offset Benefit
Apr-08 Interest 2408.49
25-Apr-()8 RP.ceipt
Your rei : 11734291/1
Ourref: MAI601
Tel No: 0845 7665522
Fax No:
Date:
Effective
Date
Credit
2338.30
228.48
2349.64
213.74
2236.61
217.81
2232.54
31st May 2008
Gross
Interest
Balance

579253.50
576915.20
576686.72
579129.59
576779.95
576566.21

576817.97
576600.16
579008.65
576/'i'6. 11
continued overleaf .. .
Jr.; Mid rcqulllC'd bt ::(f'/o(( (('!( (111((: ... umbN l:ii3'J11 r h{l c,r -1 1" ''' .. , . h Utu.:m .,,,,.,(thl\9 Ct(jufl,
V<. ,IUihOti"'ed rc-qui31Ud by lhe flt'Ufl.-1..)1 AuHtOfoly ol The B11<lding A$!-O(i.)tion. 5n:.t<"t '"'l Oql) ,,l, 3ro
. ... . .,
,' I
1 February 2007
MRS Maria MILLER '
Dear MRS MILLER,
Your Offset Flexible Mortgage number 10070429
Your direct debit reference number 10070429-02
Maria Mil l er 25

The Royal Bank of Scotland
RBS o rrset Service Team
PO Box 19545
Greenock
PA15 1WZ
Telephone: 08453 004 013
Facsimile: 0845 300 7011
www.rbs.co.uk
Following the increase to the Bank of England base rate, we have increased our interest
rates from midnight on 31 January 2007. The interest rate for your Offset Flexible Mortgage
is 6.20%.
Your minimum monthly payment will be 2,455.00. We've amended your direct debit to
collect this new amount each month. The first of these new payments is due on, or
immediately after, 26 February 2007.
If you have any questions please call us on 08453 004 013. We're here 8.30am to 7.30pm
Monday to Friday and 9am to 12.30pm on Saturdays.
Yours ,.,
For and on behalf of The Royal Bank of Scotland pic
80487 13956M97 21 11
nRBS
The Royal DankO! Scotltl'ld pic
ReglSt&red lnScouanc:s No00312
Regislefea Off.ce 36 Sl Al'rOlew Squwe
Ealf'lbUrghEH2 2YB
AuthonteCIIM reg\.168100 by the Financial
SetviCIH AulhOtrty.
PRI VATE AND CONFIDENTIAL
Mrs Maria Miller MP
House of Commons
London
SWlAOAA
15 March 2007
Dear Mrs Miller
Additional Costs Allowance (ACA) 2006/2007
Maria Mil l er 26
Tel:
Fax:
Email :
Thank you for sending a copy of a letter from Royal Bank of Scotland notifying you of a
change in the interest rate.
As you will be aware Members are required to lodge with us, on an annual basis, mortgage
int erest statements or other documentation, from a mortgage lender, that clearly shows t he
amount of interest that has been paid. (The Green Book section 3.8.1 refers.)
Unfortunately, to date we do not appear to have received your statement.
I should be grateful if you would provide us with your most recent mortgage interest
statement as soon as possible. This will help to avoid delays in the processing of future
claims.
Please do not hesitate to contact me on the number shown above if you have any questions
concerning this matter.
Yours sincerely
JIOUSI: 0 1' COMMONS
DEPARTMENT OF f iNANCE AND ADMINISTRATION HOUSE OF CoMMONS LONIXJN ::.WIA OAA
I.'IYKSTOR IN PHOPIJ!:
PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL
Mrs Maria Miller MP
House of Commons
London
SWlA OAA
2 July 2007
Dear Mrs Miller
Additional Costs Allowance (ACA) 2007/ 2008
Maria Mil ler 27
Tel:
Fax :
Email :
Thank you for sending a copy of a letter from Royal Bank of Scotland notifying you of a
change in the interest rate.
As you will be aware Members are required to lodge with us, on an annual basis, mortgage
interest statements or other documentation, from a mortgage lender, that clearly shows the
amount of interest that has been paid. (The Green Book section 3.8.1 refers.)
Unfortunately, to date we do not appear to have received a statement.
I should be grateful if you would provide us with your most recent mortgage interest
statement as soon as possible as we will be unable to process future claims for mortgage
until we have we have received the necessary documentation.
Please do not hesitate to contact me on the number shown above if you have any questions
concerning this matter.
Yours sincerely
liOUSf. OF COMMONS
(_)
DEPARTMENT Of fiNANCE AND ADHINISTRAnON House OF CoMMONS LONDON SWlA OM
IJrriVHSTON IN J'ttOt'U!
PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL
Mrs Maria Miller MP
House of Commons
London
SWlA OAA
5 July 2007
Dear Mrs Miller
Additional Costs Allowance (ACA) 2007/2008
Maria Mil ler 28
Tel:
Fax:
Email:
Thank you for sending a copy of a letter from Royal Bank of Scotland confirming the interest
that was paid in the financial year 2005-2006.
I should be grateful if you would now provide us with mortgage interest statement for the
financial year 2006-2007.
Please do not hesitate to contact me on the number shown above if you have any questions
concerning this matter.
Yours sincerely
H OUSE OF COMMONS
UEPARTMfNJ Ut- ANU IWMINISTAAnON House OF COMMONS lONDON SWlA OM
INVI!STOM IN I'HOI)!J!
PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL
Mrs Maria Miller MP
House of Commons
London
SWlA OAA
12 October 2007
Dear Mrs Miller
Additional Costs Allowance (ACA) 2007/2008
Maria Mil ler 29
Tel:
Fax:
Email:
I refer to my letter dated 1st August 2007, requesting sight of a mortgage interest statement
for the financial year 2006/2007.
To date we do not appear to have received a reply.
I should be grateful If you will provide us with a copy of your most recent mortgage interest
statement as soon as possible. This will help to avoid delays in the processing of future
claims.
Please do not hesitate to contact me on the number shown above if you have any questions
concerning this matter.
Yours sincerely
Validation Officer
llOJISf. OF COMMONS
INVUSTOM IN l " t ~ P U
Statement date 16/11/2007
Your account number
.I
MRS Maria MILLt:H
London .
Maria Miller 30
S''"
.
The Royal Bank of Scotland
RBS Offset Service Team
PO Box 19545
Greenock
PA15 tWZ
Tolephone: 08453 004 013
Facsimile: 0845 300 7011
www.rbs.co.uk
Your sort code
SW19 7AR 000022
Your Royal Bank of Scotland Offset Flexible Mortgage
An overview of your account for the past three months
Your opening Offset Flexibl e Mortgage account balance on 01/09/2007
Money in*
Money out
Total movement on your Offset Flexible Mortgage
530,503.51
9,542.23
account during this period 520,961.28
Your Offset Flexible Mortgage account balance as at 16/11/2007
*Further information is detailed under the section headed ' Movements in your Offset Flexible
Mortgage'.
An update on your available facility
Your Offset Flexible Mortgage account facility
Your Offset Flexible Mortgage account balance as at 16/ 11/2007
Your available facility
An update on your mortgage position
What you own
Your home (based on the la:>l valuation)
What you owe
Your Offset Flexible Mortgage account balance as at 16/11/2007
-520,961.28
0.00
525,000.00
0.00
525,000.00
750,000.00
0.00
The difference between what you own and what you owe 750,000.00
Payment s that were due t o your Offset Flexible Mortgage during the period
01/09/2007 to 16/ 11/2007
t ."... 'i - ! ., : .;: :\
it lf<:;. . .o pie
J: .;.)11"'.1 .. : . : :-: 7 i
r.- ., ... , .. ..
' ." 'j
Maria Miller 31
From:
Sent: 10 .lulv 2007 12:40
To:
Subject: ACA query
Apologies for the late notice given both our absences on Friday and yesterday; I took a call from Maria Miller MP on
Thursday evening. She was calling in response to your request for an updated mortgage interest statement.
The Member stated that the Bank of Scotland had provided a "MIRASS" which Ms. Miller has forwarded to us. If this
is not sufficient for our needs can we provide her with more detail as what we require? I must warn you that the
Member was not confident of being able to get any further Information from the bank. I said if this was the case then
there was probably little we could do.
I'm happy to discuss if vou feel we need to pursue this. Her mobile number If you are unable to contact her in the
House is 07
Thanks,
10 November 2009
Mr l ain Miller
Mrs Maria Miller
Dear Mr Miller and Mrs Miller,
Sort code
Account number
Letter confirming interest
paid by you
The Offset Fl exible Mortgage - tax year 2UUtl - :.!UUI
Maria Miller 32
~ ~ R S
The Royal Bank of Scotland
RBS Offset Service Team
PO Box 19545
Greenock
PA151WZ
Telephone: 08453 004 013
Facsimile: 0845 300 7011
www.rbs.co.uk
I can confi rm that the interest paid by you on your borrowing during the tax year endi ng 5th April
2{)07, totalled 24,880.82.
If you need to know anything else, just call us. Our lines are open 8.30am to 7.30pm Monday to Friday
and 9am to 12.30pm on Saturdays.
Yours sincerely
For and on behalf of The Royal Bank of Scotland pic
. 181922216 3
n RBS
ThO Royal Banli ol Scotland p'c
Registered in Scotland No 90312
Ragisteted Off100: 36 St Anarow Square
Edinburgh EH2 2Y6
AUthOrisedaOCI fegu1ated by the Fklanclal
So Moos Aulhority.
PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL
Mrs Maria Miller MP
House of Commons
London
SWlA OAA
Tel:
Fax:
Email:
1 August 2007
Dear Mrs Miller
Additional Costs Allowance (ACA) 2007/2008
I refer to your telephone conversation with my colleague
concerning mortgage interest.
Maria Mil ler 33
Jn 6'h of July,
I can confirm that the MIRAS5 statement t hat you sent us on 27 April 2007 was acceptable
for our purpose of confirming the amount of interest that was paid in the financial year 200-
2006, copy enclosed.
Members are required to lodge with us, on an annual basis, mortgage interest statements or
other documentation, from a mortgage lender, that clearly shows the amount of interest that
has been paid. Therefore, we now require a statement for the period 2006-2007
Please do not hesitate to contact me on the number shown above if you have any questions
concerning this matter.
Yours sincerely
Validation Officer
..,c,..AKtMt NT OF t"JNANCE AND f'li..JVX vr '-VMMOUS lONOON SWl A OAA
INVt-:sTOR IN pt!()I.,..P.
27 April 2007
MRS Maria MILLER
Sort code
Account number
MRS Mll.l I
Letter confirJ ing interest
paid by you
The Offset Flexible Mortgage- tax year 2005 - 2006
Maria Miller 34

The Royal Bank of Scotland
RBS Offset Service Team
PO Box 19545
Groenock
PA15 1WZ
TelephOne: 08453 004 013
Facsimile: 0845 300 701 1
www.rbs.co.uk
I can conitrrn mat the lntElldSlj)aid oy you Ull yOUI uOir owit'I:J tiur ii t\i iiotllCV< jt:<lr .,...;;,,!,! ij iio M(Joii
2006, totalled 17,638.09.
If you need to know anything else, just call us. Our lines are open 8.3oam to 7.30pm MOnday to Friday
and 9am to 12.30pm on Saturdays.
Yours sincerely ,...
For and on behalf of The Royal Bank of Scotland pic
143$l64143 14

TM a.nt. ot Seouano pk;
tnSeOUand No90312
Rtgllt.redOftlte
E<flnourgh EH2 2YB
AljjhOllsea end fe\ltllated by the Ft114U\CtOI
Strvit H AuU-.ority
30 June 2005
London
Dear Mrs Miller,
Maria Miller 35
Royal Bank
,. of Scotland
London Blackfrlars Branch
36-37 New Bridge Street
London EC4V 6BJ
Telephone: 020 7 489 8078
Facsimile: 020 7489 9356
Website: www.rbs.co.uk
Sort code: 16-00-19
Please accept this lener as confirmation of the payment amount of your Offset Mortgage.
The details are as foll ows
Rate
Monthly payment
5.65% (interest rate is variable)
2,002.00
Please do not hesitate to contact me at this office if the above requires fmther clarification.
Yours sincerely
Premium Relationship Manager
Bank online with Digital Banking - www.rbs.eo.uk/internetbanklng
(_)
INVS'fOR I N rt"..OI"l.E
04S11(o){812()Cm
n,. Royal Bank of Scot.!lnd pie C'the Bait$, .. by 1MFln6neltl SeMc.. AuChorlty..Sis a member o1 The Roy .. Bankof Scodand The otty
pro!IUcts life unH ttuata lnd lnY6Ament tchtmel and stalceholdef W'ld 04Mr pensions) th6 Bank ac:hilles on and.._,. tholt 04 the W.tfbllng Gn:M.Jp, 'M10M
oi'W are Royal Soottl$h pic and f\ovlll Sank Of Scotland Unit TnAI Milllilgement t..nited, both regolllted by 1M f"fllnCial S6MoH
Agency a;,reements ex!st bMwMn rMmbef1 of Tht Aoval Sink eM Scoclano: Group.
When to use
thi s form
Your details
Name
Constituency
Address of
main home
Address of
second home
for Additional Cosfs
Allowance (If claimed)
Declaration
If you i ntend
t o cl aim Additional
Cost s Allowance f or a
second home
Signature
Date
Dat a prot ection
Send your complet ed
f orm to
Travel/Additional Costs Allowance
Notification of Member's
home addresses
for travel entitlements and Additional Costs Allowance
the address of your main home
Maria Mil ler 36
Page 1 of 1
the address of your second home, if you intend to claim Additional Costs Allowance for it.
A:>&tc:ode
Postcodo
I confirm that my address details I have given above are correct.
I understand that I must tell the Members' Allowances Section about any changes to the
above arrangements.
I understand that I must tell the Members' Allowances Section In advance about any
substantive change to the financial arrangements for these homes, such as changes
to the value of mortgages and bank loans.
I confirm that I have read the rules on Additional Costs Allowance as set out
in the Green Book, Section 3.
I intend t o claim Additional for the second home I have given above .
L MP
2.7 /f.o to)
The House of Commons Administration will process I he information you provide on this form for 1he purpose
of administeri ng and accounting for lhe Members' Estimate, making payments and keeping records In
accordance with the rules agreed by the House of Commons and the Inland Revenue. The Information will
also be disclosed to the National Audit Office fa< eudit purposes. The lnfa<malion may also be used wahin
the House of Commons Administration 0< by lis agents fa< the purpose of business analysis or research.
For the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 the House of Commons Administration is a Public
and therefa<e the information it holds win fall within the scope of that Act.
Under the Data Protection Act 1998, you have the to see and receive a copy of any personal data that
the House of Commons Administration holds about you. If you have questions about the contents of this
notice or how your information is handled or about your rights under the Data Protection Act 1998, please
call our Data Protection Officer on 020 7219 2032, who acts on behalf of tha Data Controller (the Clerk of
the House).
Validation Team, Operations Directorole,
Department of Finance & Administration, House of Commons, London SW1A OAA
formACAI 03105
Maria Mil ler 37
TRANSACTION HTSTORY SEARCHING 10MAY05 16 : 39 PAGE 1 OF
MILLER
SEARCHING DATES "END" TO " START"
PARTICULARS
INT TO 31MAR A/C 10113269
INT TO 28FEB A/C 10113269
INT TO 31JAN A/C 10113269
I NT TO 03JAN A/C 10113269
INT TO 30NOV A/C 10113269
292 TRANSACTIONS SEARCHED - 5 MATCHED
I NDEX 14 ACCOUNT
-> INVALID PAGE BACK
Date : 10/05/2005 Time : 16 : 56 : 43
PREMIUM- RB CAM
DESCRIPTIO
(DEBI TS
(STATEMENTS ONLY}
DEBITED CREDITED
2060 . 03
1835 . 41
1789 . 15
2103 . 59
1800 . 02
DATE
18APR05
16MAR
16FEB
17JAN
16DEC04
SEARCH COMPLETE
QUALIFIER BRANCH
Breakdown of Maria Miller's ACA/PAAE
Claims


Period
of claim Mortgage Utilities
Council
Tax
Tele-
comms Insurance
Cleaning
/service/
main-
tenance
etc* Other Total

May-05 1,439.00 125.00 150.00 21.00 65.00

1,800.00
Jun-05 1,439.00 125.00 150.00 21.00 65.00 1,800.00
Jul-05 1,439.00 125.00 150.00 21.00 65.00 1,800.00
Aug-05 1,439.00 125.00 150.00 21.00 65.00 1,800.00
Sep-05 1,439.00 125.00 150.00 21.00 65.00 1,800.00
Oct-05 1,439.00 125.00 150.00 21.00 65.00 1,800.00
Nov-05 1,439.00 125.00 150.00 21.00 65.00 1,800.00
Dec-05 1,439.00 125.00 150.00 21.00 65.00 54.00 1,854.00
Jan-06 1,439.00 125.00 150.00 21.00 65.00 200.00 2,000.00
Feb-06 1,439.00 125.00 150.00 21.00 65.00 200.00 2,000.00
Mar-06 210.00 235.00 280.00 725.00
Mar-06 1,439.00 125.00 150.00 21.00 230.00 200.00 287.50 2,452.50
15,829.00 1,585.00 1,650.00 231.00 1,115.00 934.00 21,631.50

Apr-06 1,439.00 145.00 150.00 21.00 85.00 1,840.00
May-06 1,439.00 145.00 150.00 21.00 85.00 1,840.00
Jun-06 1,439.00 145.00 150.00 21.00 85.00 1,840.00
Jul-06 1,439.00 145.00 150.00 21.00 85.00 1,840.00
Aug-06 1,439.00 145.00 150.00 21.00 85.00 1,840.00
Sep-06 1,439.00 145.00 150.00 21.00 85.00 1,840.00
Oct-06 1,439.00 145.00 150.00 21.00 85.00 1,840.00
Nov-06 1,439.00 145.00 150.00 21.00 85.00 1,840.00
Dec-06 1,439.00 145.00 150.00 21.00 85.00 1,840.00
Jan-07 1,439.00 145.00 150.00 21.00 85.00 1,840.00
Feb-07 1,439.00 145.00 150.00 21.00 85.00 1,840.00
Mar-07 1,439.00 145.00 150.00 21.00 85.00 1,840.00
17,268.00 1,740.00 1,800.00 252.00 1,020.00 0.00 0.00 22,080.00
Period
of claim Mortgage Utilities
Council
Tax
Tele-
comms Insurance
Cleaning
/service/
main-
tenance
etc* Other Total

Apr-07 1,439.00 165.00 150.00 21.00 125.00 20.00 1,920.00
May-07 1,439.00 165.00 150.00 21.00 105.00 1,880.00
Jun-07 1,479.00 165.00 150.00 21.00 105.00 1,920.00
Jul-07 1,519.00 145.00 150.00 21.00 85.00 1,920.00
Aug-07 1,519.00 145.00 150.00 21.00 85.00 1,920.00
Sep-07 1,519.00 145.00 150.00 21.00 85.00 1,920.00
Oct-07 1,519.00 145.00 150.00 21.00 85.00 1,920.00
Nov-07 1,439.00 165.00 150.00 21.00 125.00 20.00 1,920.00
Dec-07 1,519.00 145.00 150.00 21.00 85.00 1,920.00
Jan-08 1,439.00 165.00 150.00 21.00 125.00 20.00 1,920.00
Feb-08 1,439.00 165.00 150.00 21.00 125.00 20.00 1,920.00
Mar-08 1,519.00 145.00 150.00 21.00 85.00 1,920.00
17,788.00 1,860.00 1,800.00 252.00 1,220.00 80.00 0.00 23,000.00

Apr-08 2,000.00 2,000.00
May-08 2,000.00 2,059.99
Jun-08 2,000.00 2,000.00
Jul-08 2,000.00 2,000.00
Aug-08 2,000.00 2,000.00
Sep-08 2,000.00 2,000.00
Oct-08 2,000.00 2,000.00
Nov-08 2,000.00 2,000.00
Dec-08 1,369.92 1,369.92
Jan-09 654.79 654.79
Jan-09 502.77 2,101.52 2,604.29
Jan-09 837.26 837.26
Feb-09 648.90 286.82 727.31 1,663.03
Mar-09 408.55 418.50 816.72
19,264.63 1,862.88 2,101.52 0.00 727.31 0.00 0.00 24,006.00

Apr-09 164.68 164.68

Figures in italics denote that invoices were attached to the claim form for these costs.

* The figures for 2005-06 in this column are mainly for cleaning but also include 90 for gardening in March 2006.
The figures in this column for 2007-08 are for service/maintenance.

































I





































2006, and
diary which
well served.
































many



























1
The origins of the matter therefore go back more than seven years, being the time period after which an inquiry requires
Committee authorisation which would be given only in exceptional circumstances (paragraph 6 of the Procedure for
inquiries). Mrs Miller has never suggested that the inquiry was wholly precluded by reason of the time passed. but it is
material that there is an element of staleness in the complaint and it is reasonable and inevitable that less evidence may be
available in some respects as a result.
2
The proportion of Mrs Miller's claims for the years in question was an average of 61% of the actual costs under the relevant
heads of the second home.
















Maria Miller 66
My further concern is that consulting another person inevitably entails more time and the ongoing nature of
this inqui1y is the source of continuing but unjustified adverse comment against me. If though, you do
consider that the Director-General of Human Resources and Change should be consulted and that this is
necessary to assist you in order for this inquiry to be concluded, I cannot object to that course beyond what I
have said above; but I would request that he be provided with a full copy of the document I provided to you
on 1 July 2013. In this way, he will be able to understand the factual issues fully. This being so, the summary of
facts you mention for consulting with him ceases to be needed or relevant.
I would note, however, that I would not be content to agree the summary of facts in your letter in any event
and would ask that it not be used. The key facts are summarized clearly in my document of 1 July 2013. I do
not think it is a good idea for any of those material facts as summarized there to be omitted or paraphrased in
any consideration of this matter. Paring the summary down even further risks overlooking important facts or
misapprehending significant factors. Indeed, the summary in your letter appears to elide certain things or
relegate others from the picture and is not fully accurate in all respects. That is not intended as a criticism but
highlights the danger in trying to reduce what is already a summary.
I would commend to you and ask you to adopt the summary in the document of 1 July 2013. If there are any
factual aspects of that summary with which you disagree or about which you are not sure, please let me know
so I can have the fair opportw1ity to address any concerns you may have. Otherwise, it is important that the
essential fuller facts inform your (and the Director-General's) consideration rather than a partial or reduced
version of them.
The use of the factual swnmary in the 1 July 2013 docwnent (and not the further summary) would I hope
largely avert the risks in the summary which I have alluded to above; but I also have a further concern relating
to point 6 of the summary in your letter which introduces mention of abatement. This is not something the 1
July document addressed and goes beyond an issue of fact.
In this regard, I am not entirely clear as to the meaning you ascribe to abatement nor how it would be relevant
in this case. I therefore do not understand why you have mentioned it in your short summaty and it would
assist me if you could explain this further.
In the meantime, it may help if I say that I do not believe abatement (insofar as I understand it) is relevant. I
was at the relevant time a mother with small children seeking to maintain a family life. Even if my parents did
not live with me, the claims made upon the ACA would have been identical because of my family
circumstances. This is not a case where I have used the ACA in any way so as to benefit any member of my
family. I had to have a second house solely and exclusively to fulfil my Parliamentary and constituency
obligations. There has been no part of my having a second home in order to house any member of my family
who did not have a home in respect of which no expenses were claimed; and no member of my family has
gained or is better off in any way at all as a result of my having to maintain a second home. As such,
abatement is not an applicable consideration. Furthermore, as you will recall, the costs of my having a second
home were well in excess of the ACA. Importantly, abatement in these circumstances would be a flawed
notion to import as it leads to outcomes that amount to discrimination and which are contrary to the public
interest in encouraging parliamentary diversity.
I have addressed why abatement is inapposite only briefly here in anticipation that you will confrrm that it is
not part of your inquiry and not an appropriate consideration. If you are nevertheless considering abatement,
as to which I should be grateful if you would let me know, it may be that I will need to deal with this more
fully.
I look forward to hearing from you further.
5 August 2013
30. Letter to Rt Hon Maria Miller MP from the
Commissioner, 8 August 2013
Thank you for your letter of 5 August, in which you responded to my letter of 18 July. It is clear from your
letter that you have some concerns about the process I am following for my inquiry, and I very much hope
Maria Miller 67
that this letter will help to clarify the situation. As always, if you would find it helpful to discuss any of these
matters with me, please do contact me at the House.
I would like first to answer your questions about why it is necessary for me to write to the Director-General,
Human Resources and Change. I consider that, at this stage, I have acquired as much written evidence as I am
able to in relation to this matter. The next stage of my inquiry is to seek advice about the relevant rules of the
House. That advice will come from the Director-General, since, as you probably know, his department's
predecessor (the Department of Resources) was responsible for the administration of Members' claims for
allowances during the period covered by the complaint. It is my usual practice, set out in the procedural note
sent to you by my predecessor, to consult the relevant authorities for advice on the rules of the House, which
will help me to conclude my inquiry. I do recognise that this will add some time to my inquiry. I will ask the
Director-General, as I always do, to respond to me as promptly as he can.
You have also asked about the information which will be given to the Director-General when I write to ask for
his advice. I hope it will reassure you to know that he will have all of the relevant evidence and
correspondence, which will include the document you sent to me on 1 July. Once I have received his response,
I will of course share it with you so that you have an opportunity to comment on it.
However, I do consider that it is necessary for me to produce a short, factual summary. While the swnmary
you provided with your letter of 1 July is very helpful, the section entitled "relevant facts" is four pages long
and contains, in addition to the facts, some of the arguments you wish to make. There is of course nothing
wrong with this. However, I do consider that the Director-General v.rill be best able to advise me if he can
draw on a brief summary of the facts in addition to (and in no way instead of) the evidence I have received. I
also consider that it is helpful at this stage to be sure that you and I can agree on the basic facts. I would
therefore be grateful if you would let me have any comments you wish to make on the accuracy of the
swnmary.
Your letter also asks about paragraph 6 of my summary, and in particular the words "you did not abate your
claims to talce account of your parents' living costs". I intend this to mean that you did not reduce the claims
you made against your parliamentary allowances. As you know, the complaint which I am investigating is that
you claimed against your allowances for the costs of your overnight stays away from your main home in a
property in which your parents lived, which provided them with an immediate benefit and which did not take
full account of their living costs. I therefore consider that the question of whether or not your claims took
account of these costs is relevant. I would like to make absolutely clear at this point that I have reached no
view on whether or not you should have reduced your claims in this way.
In each of the financial years relevant to this complaint, you claimed the maximum or almost the maximum
amount permitted by the rules. In my letter to you of 25 April, I asked you whether you had ever considered
whether you should abate your claims to take account of the use your parents made of your London home.
You told me, in your letter of 9 May, that you had never claimed the full cost of your accommodation in
London and that the presence of your parents in the house meant that you did not claim the full running
costs. This evidence, together with the rest of our correspondence, will be available to the Director-General
when I seek his advice and I will of course take it into account, together with your other evidence, when I
come to reach a conclusion on this inquiry.
However, it is very important that we should be able to agree on any summary of the facts. I therefore suggest
that we amend paragraph 6 to remove the reference to abatement. Paragraph 6 of the summary would then
read as follows:
"between May 2005 and April 2009 you claimed against your parliamentary allowances for the cost of
your London home. Jn each financial year the costs of your second home were greater than the amount
you were able to claim;"
I would be grateful if you could let me know, in addition to any other comments you may wish to make on the
summary, whether you are happy with this amendment.
In light of your letter, I think it would be helpful if I set out the remaining stages of my inquiry. As I have said,
once we have agreed a brieffactual summary of your evidence I will write to the Director-General to seek his
advice, which I will share with you.







to return in















































I
I
I
out
I
which I
I that
I
it
that
it
I
if one,
I grateful
I
I


Maria Miller 83
I do not propose to respond separately to each of the points in your letter. However, I am sure you will recall
that the original complaint from Mr Mann on 11 December 2012 refers directly to the mortgage on your
London home and the claims you made against ACA from 2005 to 2009 in respect of that mortgage. This
issue has always been part of my inquiry. As I have said to you before - for example, in my letter of 5
September - I do not draw any conclusions until I have all the evidence available, and it was as I began to
draw together my report that I identified some areas on which I required further information. At this stage I
returned to issues regarding your mortgage which I had addressed in the earlier months of my inquiry but to
which I had not received precise responses.
You will recall that I first asked you on 19 March why your mortgage increased in 2007. It was also alleged in
the original complaint that the interest you claimed related to a sum greater than the purchase price of the
property, which was said to be 234,000. If this allegation is correct, I would need to consider whether the
excess interest claimed was a cost
"wholly, exclusively and necessarily incurred when staying overnight away from [your] main
residence ... for the purpose ofperforming Parliamentary duties"
as required in paragraph 3.1.1 of the April2005 edition of the Green Book. I can assure you that I am not
repeating the audit conducted by Sir Thomas Legg.
You quote my letter of 10 October 2013, in which I said:
"I believe that I now have all the information which I need to complete my inquiry and am sorry that this
first stage has taken so long."
I did indeed believe at that stage that I had all the information I needed, and it was as I reviewed in detail and
began to analyse the information I had that a particular gap in the evidence became apparent. That is why I
am now seeking further information.
To be speciflc, it appears to me from the evidence available to me so far that you may have claimed mortgage
interest over and above that which was necessarily incurred to provide you and your family with a second
home in London as part of your parliamentary duties. I have information from the House authorities which
gives a broad outline of your claims for mortgage interest and some basic information on the mortgage - I
sent you copies of these papers earlier this year.
I asked for the mortgage details because to conclude my inquiry I need to establish the original size of the
mortgage on the London property, when and why it was increased, and whetl1er any capital was repaid.
On the way forward, I will not arrive at any conclusions until I have received and considered all the evidence.
You have been aware of tl1e outstanding issues which concern me since my letter of 23 October 2013. It is
unfortunate that we have not been able to meet in person since I first suggested that we do so in my letter of
12 September. I therefore hope to hear from you quickly and would like to interview you concerning these
matters either on the morning of Tuesday 17 December or, failing that, on the afternoon of Thursday 19
December. Please conflnn which time you would prefer, or ask your offlce to contact mine to arrange an
alternative if neither of these is possible.
I hope to conclude my inquiry as quickly as possible thereafter. If you are not willing to meet me, I will fmish
my memorandum to the extent that I am able, and will send it to the Standards Committee after following the
usual processes.
I look forward to hearing from you and hope that we can resolve the outstanding issues quickly.
5 December 2013
44. Letter to the Commissioner from Rt Hon Maria Miller
MP, 12 December 2013
Thank you for your letter dated 5 December 2013.




1
This requirement reflects the general legal position that the subject of investigation is entitled to know the allegation he/she has to
answer. Any other approach would be contrary to natural justice and could head to all unfocussed and lengthy factual expedition
without proper bounds.















































































Maria Miller 97
I am sure that you will recall that, in the early stages of my enquiry, much of the emphasis of my questions
concerned the designation of your main home and the availability of supporting evidence for the information
which you gave me about your movement between your two houses. However, even at that early stage, Mr
Lyon made detailed inquiries about your mortgage in his letter of 12 December and I followed this up with
questions about your mortgage and remortgage on 19 March, 10 April and 25 April. You gave me some
general responses and it was when I came to the view that I had most if not all of the information I required
and began to analyse the evidence towards the end of October that I realised that I needed further detail
concerning your mortgage in order to address that specific aspect of the complaint.
I address your comments on the draft report following your numbering for ease of reference. As you will see, I
have accepted almost all of them
1. I have amended the report throughout.
2. This sentence now reads, "Her parents and two brothers came to live with them at that time as part
of a single family unit."
3. Deleted as requested
4. I have added, "(Mrs Miller considers that this matter is not within the scope of the complaint.)" and
a footnote reference to your letters.
5. I have added, "(Mrs Miller does not agree that Mr Mann raised two issues.)" and added a footnote
reference to your letters.
6. I have not set out paragraph 3 of Mr Lyon's letter at this point as I do not believe it can be
separated from his quotations of the Code of Conduct which follow, or that it fits here.
7&8. I do not agree that the whole of paragraphs 7 and 8 were not included in Mr Lyon's original letter
and I have explained this above. I agree that he does not include the level of detail which I have
inserted relating to the reimbursement of interest, and I have added a footnote with reference to this
letter.
9. Noted
10. I have added a note at the end of Mr Osborne's case which says "Mrs Miller has offered an
analysis of the relevance of this report to her situation at WE 48."
ll.Similarly I have added a note at the end of the summary which says "Mrs Miller also offers a
comment on this case in WE 48"
12. I have removed the additional words.
13. Noted
14. I have added a quotation from Mr Andreae as follows and included his letter in the evidence:
"The second chairman, who was in post from March 2002 until March 2006 and again from September 2009
to March 2013, responded to me on 14 June
8
. He was chairman during two periods covered by this complaint
and told me;
8
WE23



Maria Miller 98
"Maria was, and is, an extremely conscientious MP and was (and is) in the Constituency on almost
every Friday and weekend on Constituency business. She attended numerous events ... mostly in the
evenings.
On Friday afternoons she held Advice Bureaus [sic] which were attended by constituents, by
appointment,
The Association does not, and never has, kept Marie's [sic] diary .... "."
15. Noted
16. All the recent letters including this one are now included in the evidence and footnoted where relevant
17. Your letter is dated by hand as 18 February but was received in this office on 26 February. I attach a
photocopy. I have added a sentence at the end of the paragraph to say "She was happy for me to see all the
documentation." to soften any perceived abruptness.
18. I consider that there is no need to repeat this paragraph again at this point in the evidence. The letter
itself consists of detailed questions about the designation of your home, your parents' position and their
use of the London house and raises the question of your mortgage and of possible witnesses. I have
summarised all of this but the letter itself is available in the evidence.
19. I removed a specific sentence from my summary of the facts for the Director General in an effort to
move things on and seek your agreement to consulting him. I did not and have not agreed that
"abatement should form no part of the factual matter" My letter of 8 August says dearly, "1 therefore
consider that the question of whether or not your claims took account of these costs is relevant." You
acknowledge yourself in your letter of 12 September that the summary included in my letter to the
Director- General was "for present purposes only". I have not amended this paragraph.
20. I have removed the reference to the letter of 10 October but in the light of your comments have revised
the whole of this paragraph which now says,
"Having been unsuccessful in arranging a meeting 1 said in my letter of 23 October, "in view of the
difficulties and to avoid further delay I suggest ... T now put together my draft report and send it to you with
the evidence 1 hold ... lf 1 find there are gaps in the evidence ... we could meet at that stage." I go on to say that
J do have one question which T had first asked on 19 March regarding the reason why the mortgage was
increased in March 2007. \Vhile saying that this might not be relevant to my inquiry 1 asked for a response
on this issue."
21. I think it is paragraph 87 which needs additional information. In order to make the report clear for
the Committee I have written it thematically which of course has both advantages and disadvantages. At
this particular point, most of your letter as I have said raised questions about the process, which I have
addressed in the subsequent section of the report. This starts immediately below my brief reference to
your letter of 12 December. To address your concerns I have
Removed the word "again"
Corrected the evidence to include in full the letter of 11 November
Amended the paragraph to read;
"After a further exchange ofletters, Ms Miller wrote to me on 12 December raising issues about
the scope of my inquiry which she considered should be resolved before further investigations
could be pursued into these matters. Those arguments are considered in the section on the
inquiry process below. In relation to my questions about her mortgage, she said,
"With regard to the property, we purchased it in January 1996 for, as far as I can recall, 237,500. The
mortgage was 1 believe about 90% of the then value. The property had not been occupied by the
previous owners for some time and they had let out individual rooms within the property so that it was
Maria Miller 99
a house of bedsits ... the property itself had not been modernised for a number of years. Over the
subsequent years we necessarily set about carrying out work at the property. This was done on a
piecemeal basis. This work was substantial and related to every part of the house. As property prices
rose from the mid 1990s onwards, we were able to fund this from further advances on the mortgage.""
22. The footnote has been deleted.
23.This section seeks to set out briefly the concerns which you have raised with me about the process. It
starts with your document of 1 July. I agree it is a brief summary but all of your letters are referenced and
included in the evidence. It also refers to some of the more detailed questions about your mortgage. It was
drafted between Christmas and the New Year when I had anticipated that you might decide to approach
the Standards Committee on this issue.
I have now attached the very recent exchanges of letters between us to the evidence and have added the
following paragraphs to direct the reader clearly to the importance of considering your arguments in full
rather than a short summary within the report:
"In the event Mrs Miller decided not to write to the Committee but wrote again to me on 4 Januarl. She argued
that my predecessor's questions about the mortgage were to "establish a factual background with regard to a
specific allegation" and continued to maintain that I have been attempting to start a new inquiry. She suggested
that she had understood from my previous letter, in which 1 said 1 did not need to pursue further factual
enquiries that I was no longer maintaining my position and she therefore did not need to "trouble the Standards
Committee" unless she was incorrect. Mrs Miller discussed the precedents which T had advised her might be
relevant and asked me to be more specij!c.
1 responded to Mrs Miller on 9 januari
0
expressing concern about her approach and advising her that 1 had
now completed the draft of the factual part of my Memorandum. I sent this and the evidence compiled at the
beginning of january. 1 asked Mrs Miller to respond to me with any comments on factual accuracy by 20
January which she did. I have considered and accepted many of her amendments and all the recent letters have
now been added to the evidence
11
With regard to Mrs Miller's concerns about the scope of my inquiry she has
asked me to highlight to the Committee the letters in which she sets out her position in detail. I accept that she
may feel that my necessarily brief summaries in the context of this report do not do full justice to her arguments
and am happy to do this. The relevant letters are the report of 1 July,
12
and the letters of 26 November, 12
December, 6 January and 17 January. "
13
24&25. I have amended this paragraph to say "I wrote to Mrs Miller on 10 October to make arrangements
to see her. She was not able to meet me on either of the two dates 1 suggested in the week of 4 November and
proposed the morning of the 15 November which was not possible for me. I wrote to her on 23 October and
said "to avoid further delay 1 suggest that instead of meeting at this stage 1 will now put together my draft
report and send it to you .... If I find there are then gaps in the evidence or outstanding issues, or if you wish to
discuss the report we could meet at that stage. "I then raised the question of the mortgage referred to
elsewhere.
26. I have amended this to read "1 said, 'You have been aware of the outstanding issues which concern me
since my letter of 23 October 20 13 ... . .! hope to hear from you quickly and would like to interview you
concerning these matters on either [two December dates]. Please ... ask your office to contact me to arrange
an alternative ij. neither of these is possible."
27. Corrected and your additional letter is now included.
9
WE46
10
WE47
11
WE48, WE49
12
WE25 and 26
13
WE42, 44,46 and 48
Maria Miller 100
28. I have added a sentence at the end, "Mrs Miller considers the statement of facts set out under the
heading "The Relevant Facts" in her report of 1 July 2013 to be more complete and important to consider."
29. I have amended this to say "Since 2010 she has claimed costs in relation to her Basingstoke home."
30. I do consider this paragraph to be important in explaining how the focus of family life shifted over the
years. The Committee may be happy to agree to its redaction before publication if you would like to
request this?
I conflrm that I have now included your letter and my response as part of the evidence.
I enclose with this letter a separate, formal letter advising you that I have now submitted my
memorandum to the Clerk of the Committee, who will be in touch with you.
23 January 2014