WAG Has Been Paying for First Class Travel

Politics Cymru has seen evidence that Welsh taxpayers have been paying for First Class Travel despite the First Minister's vehement denials yesterday.

The Liberal Democrats' Freedom of Information request was met with some hostility from Rhodri Morgan who said that the story had been blown completely out of proportion and denied that civil servants used First Class flights (and said that even he himself doesn't take up such luxuries).

However, a travel itinerary leaked to the Welsh Lib Dems and seen by Politics Cymru now reveals that First Class Virgin Atlantic flights from New York to Los Angeles and back again in February and March of this year were paid for by the Welsh Taxpayer.

Kirsty Williams is now set to write to the First Minister demanding an apology for his comments yesterday.

Wales' top civil servant, Dame Gillian Morgan, did confirm yesterday that she would lead an investigation into Civil Servant's expenses.

Dewi Tri

Taking Control of our AMs' Expenses

So it seems our politicians can't be trusted to run their own affairs.

Roger Jones has reported back that we should no longer pay for as many AMs' second homes, none of them will get a food allowance or be allowed to employ their family members.

Have Assembly Members just brought this upon themselves do we think? If this review's conclusions are enforced, will it make the task of being an AM that much harder? And how closely will AMs' colleagues at Westminister be watching to see if this new plan works?

The BBC reports that party groups will meet this evening to consider their responses – that will no doubt make tomorrow morning's lobby briefings all the more interesting!

In the meantime here's what we've heard.

From Plaid's Dai Lloyd:

"We look forward to having clear guidelines that will be set out by the Assembly Commission once it has come to its final decision following these recommendations. The Plaid Cymru group in the National Assembly is fully committed to abiding by that decision."

From the Conservatives' Paul Davies:

"We have always supported greater openness in how politicians spend public money in relation to their work and will study the report’s findings closely."

And from the Lib Dems' Kirsty Williams:

"We as a group welcome the report and we will accept its recommendations. This is a fair and transparent system of financial support for Assembly Members. The Independent Review Panel has produced a series of recommendations which will hopefully go some way to restoring public confidence in its elected representatives."

Dewi Tri

AMs' Expenses | Treuliau ACau

Our AMs' expenses are out today.

Yesterday Ieuan Wyn Jones and David Melding told the BBC's Politics Show they had nothing to worry about.

But which AMs are getting up this morning after spending a sleepless night in their second home?

Which AMs are turning on their extravagant flat screen TVs, bought at the taxpayer's expense, in fear of finding their name pop up on the local news?

Which AMs are on edge as they feed their dog this morning, scared that the tin of Pedigree Chum may have somehow found its way onto an expenses claim?

We'll be trawling through the info today. But in the meantime here's the link for you to go looking for your AM's expenses. Maybe you can help us out be drawing our attention to some cheeky claims!

Os hoffech edrych ar y wybodaeth yn y Gymraeg, cliciwch yma.

We look forward to hearing from you,

Dewi Dau

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Update:

Just a few findings we've been tweeting today.

Thanks to @annahwt for this: Mike German claims £745 for return flight to Paris.No cheaper/greener alternative? http://tiny.cc/dbI5U
less than 20 seconds ago from web

Eleanor Burnham claims 45p for a newspaper: http://www.allowances.assem...
28 minutes ago from web

So here's what the BBC have found in the expenses: http://bit.ly/10pDZ5 .....
30 minutes ago from web

.....and as per usual, Golwg has: http://www.golwg360.com/UI/...
30 minutes ago from web

The Three Dewis are now fully-fledged journalists having got our results today!But no rest for the wicked: dodgy expenses claims to look at!
about 1 hour ago from web

Dewis off to a meeting now. Back this afternoon with more expenses news!
less than a minute ago

Rhodri Glyn: £217.33 for cleaning materials inc. two rolls of Carmarthenshire County Council bin bags: http://tiny.cc/trNEE 24/11/2008
8 minutes ago

Looking through expenses. Looks like @peterblackwales claimed £12 to get into the Eisteddfod last summer: http://tiny.cc/Bv0Mr
12 minutes ago