THERE is sound logic behind giving MPs a hefty pay rise; after all, not many people of any merit are going to be attracted to public office if the remuneration is poor.
So MPs recently did just that and gave themselves a good rise, in some cases about 21/2 times as much as that going to other elements in the public sector.
But one may be forgiven for being less than enamoured about more apparently lavish spending at Westminster, this time on the Palace of Westminster itself.
In the middle of some of the most severe rounds of cuts in public spending in recent memory, encompassed by moves to get the defence budget reduced by GBP1 billion (about HK$11.43 billion), with hospital wards across the country closing because there is not enough cash and schools going without textbooks, GBP20 million is to be spent on refurbishment.
About GBP8 million will go on new suites of offices for MPs, secretaries and researchers.
Other items include commissioning a GBP90,000 study for the development of the palace kitchens and a reorganisation of the MPs' dining rooms and bars on the ground floor of the Commons.