About the Compliance Officer for IPSA

The Compliance Officer for IPSA is an independent statutory office-holder.

We are responsible for investigating complaints regarding MPs' staffing & business costs paid to MPs by IPSA.

About the Compliance Officer

The post of the Compliance Officer was established by the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009 (as amended by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010) and our duties and powers are defined in the Act.

The role is appointed for a single term of five years. The position is part-time, working two days per week and is supported by an Investigations Officer who is also part-time and performs the role for three days per week. We report to but are not directed by IPSA's Board.

IPSA's Board provides us with funding to carry out our duties.

We are wholly independent of IPSA on a day-to-day basis, but we maintain a necessarily close working relationship.

We also maintain a regular dialogue with the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, the Metropolitan Police and the Serjeant at Arms.

Our remit is defined in statute and is to:

  • conduct an investigation if we have reason to believe an MP may have been paid an amount under the Scheme of MPs' Staffing and Business Costs that should not have been allowed, and

  • at the request of an MP review a decision by IPSA to refuse reimbursement for an expense claim in whole or in part

The Acts governing IPSA and the Compliance Officer for IPSA can be found below:

We conduct investigations and reviews under the Procedures for Investigations by the Compliance Officer for IPSA.

These procedures are provided by IPSA to the Compliance Officer.

Details of consultations held by IPSA relating to these procedures can be found on IPSA's website.

We are not responsible for investigating complaints relating to the registration of financial interests held by MPs, nor the investigation of allegations that MPs have breached the rules set out in the House of Commons Code of Conduct.

For more information on complaints of this nature, please contact the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

The current Compliance Officer for IPSA is Brigadier Jonathon Blair-Tidewell.

Jonathon served for 26 years in the British Army, retiring in January 2021.

His final role was Assistant Chief of Staff (Personnel and Logistics) in the Permanent Joint Headquarters where he was responsible for the deployment, sustainment and recovery of all UK military forces on operations worldwide. Prior to this, he commanded 102 Logistic Brigade, a 6,500-strong formation with elements based across the country.

Commissioned in 1995 after reading for a degree in Politics and Classics, Jonathon spent his early service as an infantry officer prior to specialising in logistics and personnel support. His operational experience includes tours in Northern Ireland, the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan and Cyprus.

His staff experience includes appointments within the Ministry of Defence, Army Headquarters and British Forces Cyprus. He is a graduate of the Pakistan Army Command and Staff College and the UK’s Higher Command and Staff Course.

NameDate
Tracy Hawkings2018-23
Andy McDonald2017-18
Peter Davis2011-16
Martyn Taylor2011
Luke March2011