Home > Blog > MP's expenses prove illuminating
Recent Posts
Categories
Archives
Tags
Amec UK, aneorbic digestion, Anglian Water, Battersea Power Station, BG Group, Billing, Bournemouth & West Hampshire Water, Brighton, Bristol Water, British Energy, British Gas, Bu, Buchanan, Business Stream, Cambridge Water, Canatxx, CCWater, Central Networks, Centrica, Chapelcross, charity, Cheung Kong Infrastructure, civil engineering, Climate Change, Commons, competition, Competition Commission, complaints, construction, consultation, Consumer Focus, contractors, copper, copper theft, Cows, Cushnie Wind Energy, customers, Defra, Deutsche Bank, Diesel, Disability Sports Awards, distributed generation, distribution, Dong, drainage, Drax, DTI, DWI, EA Technology, Ecotricity, EDF, EDF Energy, EIUG, electricity, electricity distribution, electricity generation, electricity retail, electricity transmission, emissions, Emissions, ENA, Energus, Energy, Energy Bill, energy efficiency, energy retail, Energy Saving Trust, Energywatch, environment, Environment Agency, Eon, Eon UK, Essex & Suffolk Water, European Union, ExxonMobil, finance, flooding, FoE, FOG, fuel poverty, gas, Gas Natural, Gazprom, GdF, GDF Suez, George Bush, Golden Eagles, Greenpeace, HSE, Hutton, Ireland, Kingsnorth, LDA, leakage, legislation, Logica, lorry, maintenance, Malcolm Wicks, Metal theft, metering, Middle East, National Grid, Northern Gas Networks, Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Water, Northumbrian Water, Npower, nuclear, Ofgem, Ofwat, Ombudsman Service, ownership, pan-utility, people, planning, policy, politics, protest, renewables, RWE, RWE Npower, Scotia Gas Networks, Scotland, Scottish and Southern Energy, Scottish Water, ScottishPower, security, Severn Trent, Severn Trent Water, sewerage, smart meters, South East Water, South West Water, Southern Water, streetworks, tariffs, Thames Water, United Utilities, Veolia, wastewater, water, Water UK, Welsh Water, Wessex Water, Wics, wildlife, wind, Yorkshire Water
22 May 2009
They never miss a trick (number 353 in an occasional series). Recently, readers will recall, David Willetts MP, the shadow secretary of state for innovation, universities and skills, garnered some less than flattering media comment with the revelation that he had allegedly spent £150 of taxpayers' money on replacing 25 light bulbs in his second home in west London, and another £80 to change the lights in his bathroom.
Now those public relations bods at RS Components (Europe's largest supplier of electronic components) have made the hapless MP an offer that Willetts surely cannot refuse. The company is offering the Havant MP 30 free energy-efficient lamps.
"It's so easy to save huge amounts of money by simply switching to energy-efficient lamps," said Neil Harrison, the firm's marketing manager. "We would be happy to speak with Mr Willetts to provide the right energy-efficient lamps for his home."
The electronics firm made the point that lamps using energy-efficient LEDs (light-emitting diodes) require up to 80 per cent less electricity than a standard lamp, and typically last up to 50,000 hours.
Had these been used in the first place, RS Components estimates that the taxpayer would only need to foot the bill for their replacement every 11 years.
The company has intimated that it is happy to send a free energy-efficient lamp to any other MP or peer who might be interested in receiving one.
No doubt the parliamentarians would still check out with the Fees Office whether they could make a claim...
Tags: policy
Comment on this story