Mr Burt, the assistant chief whip and a deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, over-claimed payments for his flat in south-east London by £200 per month for five months in 2006.
After being asked by Commons officials for proof of his lease, he confirmed that the rent for the flat was £1,560 per month, rather than the £1,760 per month that he had been claiming.
Mr Burt, the MP for North East Bedfordshire, apologised for what he described as an “oversight”. However, he said that because he had not claimed any expenses for food during the period, he should not need to repay the money. Commons officials apparently agreed.
When approached yesterday by The Telegraph, Mr Burt denied that he had been overpaid because he had “put it right” by continuing not to claim for food for the remainder of 2006.
The flat was one of three rented properties in south-east London that Mr Burt designated as his second home between 2005 and 2008.
In all, Mr Burt has split second home expenses totalling more than £71,000 between the houses, claiming for rent, food and household bills.
The taxpayer-funded rent at his latest flat comes to £1,890 per month, the highest of the three.
He also shares a detached house in Bedford, worth about £250,000, with his wife, Eve. He pays Mrs Burt almost £34,000 per year to work as his office manager and personal assistant.
Between 2004 and 2005, while he worked as an aide to Michael Howard, the then Tory leader, Mr Burt claimed more than £13,000 in expenses to cover the cost of staying in hotels near Westminster, including the Savoy.
As well as claiming for room charges of between £70 and £200 per night, he regularly claimed expenses for alcoholic drinks and snacks from hotel room mini bars.
In March 2004, he claimed £2 for a packet of Pringles, £3 for a bag of mixed nuts and £3.50 for another unspecified minibar item.
The following month he claimed £3.55 for a “night beverage” and £6 for another two bags of mixed nuts.
In May, he claimed £3 for a beer, £4 for two Coca Colas and £6 for another two bags of mixed nuts.
The following month, he claimed £7 for two Heineken beers, £3 for another beer and £4.50 for a pay TV film.
In July, he claimed £10.50 on room service food, £2 for a minibar item, £2 for a bottle of still water and £2 for a packet of Pringles.
In September, he claimed £6.50 for a gin and tonic and £3 for another bag of mixed nuts.
The following month he claimed £8.50 for two bags of salted cashew nuts, £2.20 for a lemonade and £2.50 for a mineral water.
In November, he claimed £5.25 on a minibar item, £4.25 for another bag of salted cashew nuts, £1.95 for another bag of mixed nuts, £1.50 for a packet of Pringles and £2.50 for a Coca Cola.
The following month, he claimed £6 for another two bags of mixed nuts and £2 for a Coca Cola. In January 2005, he claimed £3 for a beer, £3 for another bag of mixed nuts and £2.20 for a lemonade.
Mr Burt yesterday agreed to repay a total of £229.24 for hotel sundries.
“I do accept that the climate has changed, and although I thought these were perfectly fair subsistence charges I will repay them immediately,” he said.
“I am genuinely sorry for any error made, in relation to any claim which is considered excessive.”
Alistair Burt
Job: Conservative Assistant Chief Whip and MP for North East Bedfordshire
Salary: £64,766
Total second home claims
2004/05: £11,081
2005/06: £21,591
2006/07: £22,110
2007/08: £22,322
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