The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) was created in 2009 by the Parliamentary Standards Act. The Act was amended in 2010 by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act.
This legislation gave us three main responsibilities:
– to regulate MPs’ staffing and business costs, which we do via the Scheme of MPs’ Staffing and Business Costs
– to determine MPs’ pay and pension arrangements
– to provide financial support to MPs in carrying out their parliamentary functions
We are independent of parliament and the government. This means we make fair and impartial decisions about MPs’ pay, pensions and business costs.
We provide effective regulation of MPs’ pay and business costs on behalf of the public and publish the data to provide public access to information about MPs’ pay, pensions, and claims.
Each year we spend around £120m on MPs’ staffing and business costs. Most of this – around £100m – is spent on MPs’ staff salaries and related costs.
Much of the rest is used to pay for:
– running MPs’ constituency offices
– travel within the constituency, and between the constituency and London
– accommodation
We also pay about £50m a year for MPs’ salaries, national insurance and pension contributions.
MPs are required to remain within the capped annual budgets for different costs that we set.
We help MPs and their staff comply with our rules by providing advice and guidance. We monitor how well the rules are being followed, analyse spending patterns and follow up on possible breaches.
We are overseen by a Board comprising five members. The Board is supported by an executive, which is responsible for our day-to-day running.
The Board also appoints an independent Compliance Officer, who investigates complaints made about MPs’ claims and reviews decisions we have made.
The Chair is appointed by the Speaker of the House of Commons (via the Speaker’s Committee for IPSA (SCIPSA)).
Under the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009, our Board must consist of:
– one member who has held high judicial office
– one member who is a qualified auditor, and
– one member who is a former MP
Members of the Board are appointed for fixed terms of up to five years. They can also be reappointed for a further term of up to three years.
Why IPSA is supporting Boardroom Apprentice
IPSA signed up to be a host Board in the 2024 Boardroom Apprenticeship Programme following a recommendation which arose from a recent Board Governance Review that IPSA look to further diversify the range of views and experiences brought to bear on Board decision-making.
We also support the aims of the Boardroom Apprenticeship Programme – we want to help aspirant Board members gain experience of how a public sector Board like ours operates and interacts with the wider organisation. As we have in 2024, we would look to ensure that our Boardroom Apprentice is invited to all formal and informal Board meetings, gains experience of each of our sub-committees through attending each committee once, and that they are assigned a Board buddy who can help them with any questions they may have.
We feel we have benefited from being a part of the Boardroom Apprenticeship Programme in 2024 and hope that we have also been able to provide a positive and fulfilling experience for our Boardroom Apprentice this past year.
Location of Board and Committee Meetings
Formal Board meetings are held in person at our offices at 85 Strand, WC2R 0DW, London. The Board will also sometimes meet on a more informal level via Microsoft Teams. Board sub-committee meetings can vary as to whether they are face-to-face or virtual (please see below).
Frequency and timing of board/committee meetings
Board meetings are held seven times per year, with at least one Board strategy day likely in addition to this. Board meetings tend to run from 13:00-17:00, but can sometimes start earlier.
Audit, Risk, and Assurance meetings take place four times a year, and also tend to be 13:00-17:00. These are all in person.
The People Committee meets 3 to 4 times per year and meetings are a mixture of in person and virtual. Timings of these meetings can vary according to availability but the meeting duration is generally shorter.
The Improving IPSA Assurance Group meets 4 to 5 times per year and all meetings are held via Microsoft Teams. Meeting times vary but meetings tend to be shorter than formal Board meetings.
A Boardroom Apprentice would be invited to attend all Board meetings (including informal meetings), and would also be invited to attend each sub-committee once.
Date of Board Meetings (January – December 2025)
Tuesday 21 January – 13:00-17:00 · Tuesday 18 March – 13:00-17:00 · Tuesday 20 May – 13:00-17:00 · Tuesday 15 July – 13:00-17:00 · Tuesday 23 (13:00-17:00) & Wednesday 24 September (the latter being Board strategy day) – 09:00-15:00 · Tuesday 4 November – 13:00-17:00 · Tuesday 16 December – 13:00-17:00 There may also be an additional Board strategy day in the spring, but this is TBC
Committee of the Boards and meeting dates (January 2024 – December 2024)
Board sub-committee meeting dates for 2025 are still to be confirmed.
Security checks
Yes, we require CTC security clearance. The Boardroom Apprentice will be required to complete a form in order to apply for such clearance – this would be sent to them by our HR team prior to their start date.
Payment of travel expenses
Yes
