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I thought I'd post the overall claims of our MPs in the latest set of figures released today.

It shows six of the North East and Cumbria's MPs claiming the maximum possible Additional Claims Allowance in 2008/9.

MPs were restricted to claiming £24,006 in the year to fund their second homes.

Some health warning on this. The bulk of these claims are mortgage interest or rent so people who claim for a second home in London usually end up claiming more.

It can also depend a little on when you bought that second home in terms of the mortgage you have to fund, and Stephen Byers, who claimed the least, doesn't claim rent or mortgage as he lives in his partner's house.

But here's the list rounded to the nearest pound:

£24,006 (the maximum allowed) Peter Atkinson (Hexham), Hugh Bayley (City of York), Frank Cook (Stockton North), Doug Henderson (Newcastle North), Sharon Hodgson (Gateshead E and Washington W), Phil Willis (Harrogate).

£24,005 Ronnie Campbell (Blyth Valley)

£24,000 Helen Goodman (Bishop Auckland)

£23,999 Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough S and E Cleveland)

£23,484 Tim Farron (Westmorland and Lonsdale)

£23,407 Alan Milburn (Darlington)

£23,368 Sir Stuart Bell (Middlesbrough)

£23,196 Roberta Blackman Woods (City of Durham)

£23,080 Fraser Kemp (Houghton and Washington)

£22,895 Dave Anderson (Blaydon)

£22,434 Kevan Jones (Newcastle North)

£22,174 Bill Etherington (Sunderland North)

£21,670 Robert Goodwill (Scarborough and Whitby)

£21,344 Jamie Reed (Copeland)

£20,150 John Cummings (Easington)

£19,813 Stephen Hepburn (Jarrow)

£19,070 Eric Martlew (Carlisle)

£18,781 Dari Taylor (Stockton South)

£18,763 David Maclean (Penrith and the Border)

£17,629 David Clelland (Tyne Bridge)

£16,887 Alan Campbell (Tynemouth)

£16,755 Iain Wright (Hartlepool)

£16,682 Tony Cunningham (Workington)

£16,390 Denis Murphy (Wansbeck)

£16,365 Anne McIntosh (Vale of York)

£15,455 Nick Brown (Newcastle E and Wallsend)

£15,425 Vera Baird (Redcar)

£14,742 Chris Mullin (Sunderland South)

£13,660 Alan Beith (Berwick)

£13,641 William Hague (Richmond)

£9,291 Jim Cousins (Newcastle Central)

£9,083 David Miliband (South Shields)

£8,970 Hilary Armstrong (Durham North West)

£8,935 Stephen Byers (Tyneside North)

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