PLUSH hotel rooms, headache tablets and a greetings card are just some of the expenses claimed by Teignbridge MP Richard Younger-Ross (pictured above).

The Liberal Democrats are in the spotlight again today after the official — but heavily-edited — publication of MPs' expenses.

The Herald Express is publishing details of some claims made by the architect-turned politician's 'incidental expenses provision' (IEP).

The allowance is used by MPs to cover some of their office expenses and relate to his Queen Street offices over the last four years.

Contained within the bundles are receipts for Tetley One Cup tea bags, Nescafe Gold Blend, milk and cleaning products.

Mr Younger-Ross claimed on two occasions for nights in a hotel near his London flat.

The invoices are from the Dolphin Square Hotel, near his Dolphin Square flat.

A £250 claim for Dolphin Square Hotel is made in September 2004, under a C3 direct payment for certain expenses to members' employees and volunteers. The invoice is for five nights 'room only' with a tenant's discount.

The form also claims £125 for 'expenses', but no further details are given.

A later claim, in 2006, is for £97.30. It is a room-only charge of £75.

He said: "Members of my staff were in London for training and that was where they stayed for the night.

"Most of my staff are females. I have a one-bedroom London flat. It would not be appropriate if they stayed with me."

An undated Costcutter supermarket receipt is lodged between April and July 2004, for £2.77 for Ibuprofen and Nurofen liquid capsules.

Another for Amery's news is £1.25 for a greetings card.

He said: "The headache tablets would have been for the first aid medicine cabinet."

He was unsure about the greetings card, saying: "By and large I do not claim for greetings cards. It would have been a condolence card, if anything, as that would be what we tend to send.

"I do not claim for wreaths and I do not claim for donations to charity, unlike other politicians."

Another claim, for a total of £916.50, was received by the claim's office in January 2004.

Dated January 10, the invoice reads: 'furniture and fittings left in the office at' — the sentence below is blacked out.

He elaborated: "The furniture was left behind by the previous occupant when we moved into the offices in Queen Street in 2001. We purchased the furniture from them."

In September 2004, a claim was submitted for £878.64 for 'temporary secretarial staff'.

Another claim is made in January 2005 for £1,946.37.

Both are billed to Mr Younger-Ross's office by Newton Abbot-based SES Recruitment.

He said: "They were for temporary staff when there was a heavy case load or I had staff on long-term sick."

Early in 2006 he claimed for work after relocating to new office, also in Queen Street.

The claims include B&Q receipts for £113.77 on paint, £35.16 on doorbells and £132.55 on shelves.

He moved offices after water started coming through the roof.

He explained: "The roof leaked two or three times and I felt we could not stay there.

"I decided to relocate and although the current premises are too large for us, it is a fairly low rental.

"It needed completely redecorating throughout and some of the staff and myself volunteered on weekends to decorate.

"We also employed an odd job man to make the office habitable."

Three Tesco receipts from 2006 were included by Mr Younger-Ross's handyman, John Silverman, who claimed items needed for his general maintenance work.

The rest of the items on each receipt, mainly groceries, were not submitted as claims to the fees office.

Mr Younger-Ross said: "I would only have claimed for the legitimate ones.

"John would do a cover sheet which would list what was being claimed for. The receipts are there as supporting evidence and to be transparent."

A Sony DVD camcorder costing £344.71 was claimed between January and April 2006 and a digital camera was claimed for between April and July 2006.

He said both items were to aid his constituency and foreign affairs select committee work.

"The camera is essential and very helpful record," he said.

It was used during Post Office's controversial decision to move the Post Office from Market Square to Queen Street in 2007.

Mr Younger-Ross spoke against the proposal, but ultimately the battle was lost.

He said: "We videoed a disabled person getting to the Post Office and we sent this to the Secretary of State in support of evidence as to why they should not relocate the service.

"I brought the Casio camera for the same purpose — partly to record matters and partly for communication matters.

"The camera and camcorder can be very useful when dealing with issues that need evidence."

One example, he said, was his fight on behalf of Buckingham Orchard park site residents who are embroiled in an ongoing row with owner Jeff Small over conditions on the site.

"When speaking to residents at Buckingham Orchard I would take photos and they were interviewed on camera about their concerns," he said.

The £99.97 CD and radio player was claimed for between April and September 2007.

He said: "The radio was for my office — I have one in both my offices — and it is so my staff can listen to the news and to Prime Minister's Question Time.

"It also creates a pleasant working environment."

In 2007 to 2008 his IEP contains petty cash receipts for a £3.75 'magazine on mortgages for research', £2.64 on 'milk and hot chocolate for volunteers' £1.38 for handwash and £1.28 for 'milk and tea for interviews'.

He said: "The magazine was for research on mortgages for when I was asking a parliamentary question which was to do with mortgage companies lending to people for lets.

"It was concerning discrimination on whether they would allow to let to people on housing benefits."

"Milk, tea and coffee are legitimate. I have volunteers in my offices and I do not charge them for tea and coffee.

"It is legitimate that I should be able to claim them. I think it is fairly common practice that volunteers are provided with tea and coffee.

"Many of my constituents who come into the office to see me are given a free cup of tea."

ON Monday and Tuesday we will be taking a closer look at the expenses claims of Adrian Sanders and Anthony Steen.