Wednesday, May. 13, 2009
Shaun Woodward, Northern Ireland Secretary
The claim
While Woodward has been making headlines for being paid the maximum allowance for a second home of around $35,260 — as well as claiming almost $153,000 to help pay the mortgage interest on a $2.06 million property, one of at least seven he owns — items at the opposite end of the pay scale have also caught the eye. An assistant claimed 58 cents for a yogurt and $1.62 for a pizza, which Woodward sought to recover under the category of staff subsistence.
The justification
"I think the whole [expenses] system has to be looked at. What I do think is we have a system which is an unmitigated disaster."
The response
Woodward hasn't said as of yet whether he will pay anything back.