The MP, whose constituency is 29 miles from Westminster, also charged £428.01 for a radiator in his cellar and £1,632 for fencing.The £2.99 stainless steel vessel was one of several items bought on expenses by the shadow health minister for his second home in the constituency of Hemel Hempstead.
He bought the dog bowl in June 2005 with two sets of coasters, 10 coathangers, a ladle, a pair of scissors and two “cute dog fun mugs” from the home furnishings shop Dunelm Mill.
He said that he should not have charged for the dog bowl: “This was claimed for mistakenly, for which I apologise sincerely and will pay back.”
In June 2007, the former Grenadier Guard said Army cooks were struggling to feed troops on £1.51 a day, while military dogs were being fed on more than £2.63 a day.
That same year, he moved to a larger property in Hemel Hempstead where his wife Angela and their two daughters live.
Mr Penning claimed £10,049 in stamp duty in February 2007 and was paid £8,750.55, before submitting expenses for the painting of two bedrooms and to fix his roof. The MP, whose constituency is 29 miles from Westminster, also charged £428.01 for a radiator in his cellar and £1,632 for fencing.
Mr Penning said the cellar doubled as his office and the radiator was installed after a flood, while the fences were put in place for security reasons.
He said he did not claim for furniture, but charged for structural repairs because of “damaged guttering” and painted the bedrooms to make them habitable.
In June 2008, the MP said he stopped claiming for a second home as the property became his only residence.
“I sold my house in [...] June last year, at a substantial loss due to the state of the housing market.
“I now only own one home – which is in the constituency – and I commute to work in parliament.” Mr Penning said he had wanted to move his family to Hemel Hempstead when he was elected in 2005, but had to wait until his daughters finished school.
“The change in the designation of my main home was due to my legitimate desire to base my family in my constituency, allowing me to better carry out my parliamentary duties.
“This only became possible once my children had finished school in Essex.”
Mike Penning
Job: shadow health minister
Salary: £64,766
Total second home claims
2004-05: n/a
2005-06: £21,513
2006-07: £22,210
2007-08: £23,083
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