pour encourager les autres?

Is saying "sorry" enough and then paying back?

The "offenders" ought at least to pay interest on the value of the allowances they have wrongly claimed for, as well as the actual payment.

Do we need something else? If the MP has used deceit or fraud, then surely he or she should be prosecuted, with no special pleading at all, regardless of party or position.

The trouble is that the (under pressure) fees office agreed to things they shouldn't, and the rules are generally vague, even if the overriding one I mentioned yesterday, - wholly, exclusively and necessarily, is difficult.

It would be difficult to punish big offenders and not the many small offenders, as this would be unfair. Perhaps we can hope that where there has been deliberate fraud, then the legal process should ensue, and where the CPS has doubts about gaining a conviction parliament could itself impose some form of punishment, ranging from a temporary suspension from parliament to a permanent ban from standing. The problem with this last is political partisanship, an MP from a minority party is likely to be treated more harshly than one of the majority party.