Reveal MPs' travel expenses, says info commissioner

MPs' travel expenses must be released by the House of Commons under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act, the information commissioner has ordered.

FoI requests had been made for a breakdown of travel claims by MPs, showing the amounts claimed by mode of transport, including rail, road, air and bicycle.

But the Commons refused to release the information, saying that under exemption section 40(2) of the legislation - which relates to personal information - disclosure would contravene the principles of the Data Protection Act (DPA).

But the commissioner said he does "not accept" that the requested information would contravene the DPA if disclosed.

In a statement, the Information Commissioner's Office said: "He [the commissioner] is of the view that the information relates to individuals acting in an official, rather than a private, capacity and that its disclosure would not impinge on the personal privacy to which individual MPs are entitled in their private lives."

The House of Commons now has 30 days to release the requested information.