De Lille asked Parliament to "clamp down" after allegations arose that some MPs were "supplementing their salaries with R30 000 to R40 000 a month" by choosing to travel by road to their constituencies as this saw them paid out in cash for mileage.
Some MPs had allegedly submitted "exorbitant road travel claims" that often cost Parliament more than double the cost of air tickets, De Lille said.Parliament's travel rules have been tightened repeatedly over the past few years, but De Lille believes a few MPs have found loopholes.
Those who travel more than 800km to their constituencies or homes are allowed to claim R1 150 for an overnight hotel stay on both legs of a return journey if they are travelling by car. Road travel also secures cash pay-outs for mileage, although MPs have to forfeit two of their 86 free annual air tickets for every return journey.
"I find it incredible that political parties in Parliament have not learnt from Travelgate and clamped down on MPs who insist on looting public money," she said yesterday.
"This goes against the Speaker's challenge to newly elected MPs in his budget speech earlier this year to exercise greater responsibility in the use of parliamentary resources."
The ID has tried to substantiate the allegations by requesting a detailed breakdown of travel records for all MPs from National Assembly Speaker Max Sisulu, suggesting that Parliament's oversight responsibility should not stop at holding the executive accountable for the travel expenses, but that MPs should be under scrutiny and "lead by example".
In a letter last week, however, Sisulu declined the request, stating the right to privacy and citing "a security risk" to MPs.
He suggested De Lille take her concerns to Parliament's Joint Rules Committee or use access to information legislation to get the information, which would afford MPs the chance to argue why their details should not be disclosed. - Pretoria News
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