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		</div><p><a href="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/row-as-details-of-expenses-revealed.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full" title="MPs were paid more than three million pounds in expenses in the first three and a half months after the general election" src="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/min-row-as-details-of-expenses-revealed.jpg" alt="MPs were paid more than three million pounds in expenses in the first three and a half months after the general election"/></a></p>
<p>Hostilities between MPs and the parliamentary expenses watchdog intensified as details of £3.1 million of claims under the new system were published for the first time.</p>
<p>The head of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) accused some MPs of trying to undermine the &#8220;professional integrity&#8221; of his staff after they were accused of helping journalists identify embarrassing claims.</p>
<p>The row erupted as a series of MPs vented their anger in the Commons at the body set up to set and administer expenses claims in the wake of last year&#8217;s scandal.</p>
<p>Ipsa earlier released details of 22,000 claims submitted by MPs between May 7 and August 31 this year &#8211; the first under a new regime designed to restore public confidence in the disbursement of taxpayers&#8217; money to parliamentarians.</p>
<p>In total, £3,154,182.29 was paid out to 576 MPs during that period. Another 1,356 claims &#8211; worth £100,000 &#8211; had been rejected, mostly because of &#8220;misunderstandings of the new rules or innocent mistakes&#8221;, Ipsa said.</p>
<p>After the claims were made available to the public on a searchable website database, MPs accused Ipsa officials of colluding with attempts by reporters to find &#8220;juicy&#8221; and &#8220;newsworthy&#8221; details.</p>
<p>Labour&#8217;s Tom Harris told the Commons that MPs would not be &#8220;bullied by that kind of unacceptable and disgraceful behaviour&#8221;. Ann Clwyd, another Labour MP, pointed the finger at Ipsa&#8217;s director of communications Anne Power.</p>
<p>While admitting she had no proof for the assertion, the MP said Ms Power could &#8220;refute it or agree it is true, but I have every reason to believe that must be the case and there must be an answer to these stories&#8221;.</p>
<p>The accusations provoked a furious response from Ipsa chairman Sir Ian Kennedy, who said the allegations were &#8220;categorically untrue&#8221; and that it was &#8220;regrettable&#8221; for MPs to resort to them.</p>
<p>&#8220;I regret deeply, as will many, such attempts to undermine the professional integrity of members of my organisation,&#8221; he said in a statement.</p>
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