Guidance on upcoming rail strikes

We know there is some concern about the impact of the upcoming planned rail strikes, and the difficulty you might face travelling to or from a place of work or event location.

If you normally travel by train, we advise that you should consider carefully whether travel is necessary during this week and whether planned events can be rescheduled, and that you work and hold meetings remotely if at all possible.

Travelling to the office

As a reminder, IPSA does not normally reimburse travel costs for commutes – i.e. journeys between your home and your normal place of work (Westminster or the constituency office).

However, where commuting to an office location is unavoidable – and you incur significant costs as a result (e.g. for a long taxi journey) – you may consider applying for contingency funding.

Approval will need to be based on the necessity of the journey, the level of cost and the alternatives considered.

Staying overnight

Where a staff member is required to travel to their normal place of work but is unable to return home – or it would be unreasonable to return home and then attempt to travel in on the following day – we will consider requests for hotel costs, with an explanation of the circumstances and unavoidable nature of the cost.

Similarly, where an MP does not have central London accommodation (e.g. an outer London MP), we will consider requests for hotel accommodation to enable them to work from Westminster if this is required.

Hotel stays where an MP is working late beyond 10pm are claimable, in line with the normal rules.

Decisions on exceptional circumstances will be taken on a case-by-case basis, and as always we expect value for money to be a key consideration in decision-making by MPs and staff members.

Other parliamentary travel

Other journeys for parliamentary work (other than commutes) are claimable, in line with the normal rules of the Scheme.

If you would ordinarily travel by train, you should consider what alternatives are available including other public transport.

If driving is an option, IPSA will reimburse mileage claims as well as tolls and parking. IPSA will also reimburse costs for travel by taxi where this is the only reasonable means of travel for a particular journey.

Where MPs and staff members are travelling away from their normal place of work and it is not possible or practicable to return home (including because of rail cancellations), they can also claim for the cost of a hotel (up to £190 in London and £150 in the rest of the UK) and subsistence costs (up to £25 per night).