Peter Hain's claims show he used more than £6,000 worth of heating oil at his home in Neath in just over two years.Mr Hain, who served in both Tony Blair’s and Gordon Brown’s Cabinet, also charged the cost of a new tin roof for his “log store” to the taxpayer.
According to Mr Hain’s files, he asked if he could claim the mortgage interest on a £440,000 new home which be bought with his second wife Elizabeth Hayward in 2004 — as well as claiming for his former home six miles away.
The Commons fees office noted that Mr Hain had made the request under the additional costs allowance (ACA) scheme because of a change in his “personal circumstances”.
An official wrote: “You propose to deal with the cross-over period by claiming the interest on both mortgages from the ACA. I am afraid, regrettably, that this is not permissible since only one home can be nominated at any one time.”
Mr Hain claimed the maximum amount under the ACA scheme in the past two years. His claims show he used more than £6,000 worth of heating oil at his home in Neath in just over two years.
However, a bill for £357 in February 2006 was not honoured in full because, Mr Hain was told, he had run out of funds for that year.
Mr Hain told The Daily Telegraph he had tried to claim on both homes “so that I could carry out my parliamentary and ministerial duties efficiently over the period of the [house] move.
“When I was informed that this was not possible, I submitted claims for the new property exclusively, and none for the old one.”
He said he had to replace the log store roof “as the old plastic one had been destroyed in a gale. I use logs when I can to offset oil heating bills and have never claimed for such logs”.
On the heating oil bill, Mr Hain said he did not believe the cost was excessive. He added that he had never claimed for luxury items or “flipped” homes.
Peter Hain
Job: Labour MP for Neath
Salary: £64,766
Total second home claims
2004-05: £19,519
2005-06: £21,634
2006-07: £22,110
2007-08: £23,083
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