15th June 2011 Nikki in the Yorkshire Post Click here for more...

12th June 2011 Nikki comments in the Sunday Mirror. MEPs planned trip to the Seychelles Click here for more...

9th June 2011 Nikki features in the Birmingham Post Click here for more...

4th May and 30th April 2011 Wrong Referendum? Advertisements in The Daily Mail Click here for more...

9th April 2011 Nikki speaks to the Daily Mail about the MEPs wine tasting trip to Portugal Click here for more...

28 March 2011 Nikki talks on Radio 5live about careers lessons at school. Click here for more...

22 March 2011 Nikki at The Meriden Public Enquiry. Reported by BBC Midlands Today Click here for more...

22 March 2011 Nikki talks on BBC Radio WM on protecting our cultural identity Click here for more...

March 2011 Nikki makes NEWS in Spain! Click here for more...

13th March 2011 Nikki comments in the Mail on Sunday story: EU's Mr Lightbulb does his bit to save energy. Click here for more...

9th March 2011 Featured on the BBC Website. Nikki raises Human Rights issues in Iran and slams unelected EU high representitive. Click here for more...

8th March 2011 Nikki comments in Telegraph article. European Parliament spends £600,000 on body scanners that have never been used Click here for more...

8th & 6th March 2011 Nikki calls for investigation into 'rotting' security scanners Click here for more...

 

6th March 2011

MEPs can put Viagra pills on expenses Medical cover for Euro MPs and their families lets them claim for ‘cosmetic’ treatments – and costs the taxpayer £3m a year Marie Woolf Published: 6 March 2011 MEPs can claim for Viagra, alternative therapies and anti-ageing treatments (PA) MEPs and their families can have “cosmetic” treatments — including breast reductions, slimming products and facial hair removal — paid for by the taxpayer in a medical expenses regime described by critics as “ripe for abuse”. This year’s £2.9m budget for Euro MPs’ medical expenses covers anti-ageing treatments and alternative therapies including lymphatic drainage, a delicate massage that helps the body eliminate toxins. The scheme also allows breaks at health spas. The taxpayer funds at least two thirds of the cost of all treatments, and many are 100% covered. The details are revealed in a leaked copy of the Practical Guide to the Reimbursement of Medical Expenses. It shows MEPs are reimbursed not only for conventional medical treatments for conditions such as cancer, diabetes and emergencies such as fractures, but also elective treatments. The generosity of the system for “cosmetic” treatments has led to claims that it is a perk rather than essential for protecting MEPs’ health. By contrast there is no private health insurance scheme for MPs, although some have successfully claimed for treatment on expenses. They can call on a parliamentary nurse and are referred to an NHS surgery in Westminster. Other aspects of the health package on offer to MEPs are conspicuously generous. In Britain, few hospitals give more than three rounds of IVF funded by the NHS, with many allowing only one cycle. In Brussels, however, MEPs and their families are entitled to have up to five cycles paid for. Other treatments include drug rehabilitation and the prescription of narcotics as part of treating withdrawal symptoms. The husbands and sons of female MEPs can also claim for private treatment to resolve problems with impotence. Viagra is available if the condition can be shown to stem from serious illness. The budget this year for MEPs’ sickness and accident insurance represents a 36% increase on the £2.2m that was spent on medical bills in 2009. Nikki Sinclaire, independent MEP for the West Midlands, said: “This is a huge amount of money and every penny comes from the taxpayer. “ Most families are tightening their belts, and many people are concerned for their financial futures. But the allowances in Brussels keep going up and up. It’s yet more taxpayers’ money you don’t hear about. “ The system in Europe remains ripe for abuse and that needs to go.” The leaked guide also reveals that MEPs and their families can have stays of up to 21 days at thermal health spas. “ Thermal cures equal a stay of between 10 and 21 days at a specialist establishment providing treatment under medical supervision,” the guide says. Use is limited to one cure a year, up to a maximum of eight in a lifetime. MEPs are eligible to visit spas if they suffer from rheumatism, digestive problems, skin disorders and gynaecological disorders. Unlike officials in the European commission, who have to make contributions to their medical scheme, MEPs are entitled to the benefits without having to put any money in. The scheme has been agreed by European governments, including Britain's. The European parliament said the expenses were justified because MEPs spent most of the working week outside their country so could not benefit from health services at home. The rules say treatments cannot be funded if they are purely for cosmetic purposes and must have a medical justification.

22nd February 2011
EU Chronicle
Borrowing from Bankrupts
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21st February 2011
This is Staffordshire from the Sentinel
MEP sees red over Tory blue
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16th February 2011
Solihull Observer
Euro cash cheats uncovered by borough MEP
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15th February 2011
The Express & Star
Region to get seventh MEP at cost of £2.1m
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13th February 2011
The News of the World
EU Cash Snatchers
Tory and Labour MEPs in sneaky new expenses ploy
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13th February 2011
The Sunday Times
1 million a year MEP
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7 February 2011
Nikki Sinclaire speaks to Bob Brolly on BBC's Coventry and Warwickshire Radio Show
Nikki slams EU & Euro Courts

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27th January 2011
Spain ordered to recover taxes. By Nikki Sinclaire MEP

Click here for link...

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22 November 2010
Nikki Sinclaire MEP debates should we help Ireland?
Is membership of the EU a waste of money?

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29 October 2010
Nikki Sinclaire MEP talks on Radio BBC Hereford & Worcester about EU budget increases and the cost of the UKs membership of the European Union, followed by a debate between Nikki and Malcolm Harbour MEP on BBC Coventry & Warwickshire.

 

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24 October 2010
Nikki Sinclaire MEP debates with Jean Lambert MEP on BBC Radio 5 live
about EU budget increases.

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24 October 2010
Nikki Sinclaire MEP debates with Jean Lambert MEP on BBC Radio 5 live
about EU budget increases.

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19 October 2010
Nikki Sinclaire MEP speaks to BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester about the proposed European Union changes to workers maternity leave legislation.

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16th October 2010
Nikki writes about 'The Plight of Europe's Pensioners' in Political Pundits.co.uk
Click here

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5 October 2010
Nikki spotted by the Independent Newspaper at the Tory Conference
Link

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17th September 2010
Nikki speaks to BBC Radio Coventry & Warwickshire and BBC Radio WM
about the Campaign for a Referendum on our membership of the European Union and equal rights and save our Green Belt demonstration, local people have taken to the European Parliament.

15 January 2010
BBC The Daily Politics Show
Nikki explains why she has quit the EFD group

November 2009
The Politics Show West Midlands
Nikki Sinclaire and Mike Nattrass