The figure stands in stark contrast to the often-portrayed image of wasteful or abusive parliamentary spending: according to the ethics commissioner of the French National Assembly, more than 99 percent of the reviewed mandate expenses of deputies were deemed compliant. The share of incorrect or problematic expenditures therefore remains statistically marginal – despite individual scandals that have drawn high media attention in recent years.
Since the law on “restoring confidence in political life”, passed after the Fillon affair and the debates about earlier parliamentary expense allowances, France has significantly tightened control over the spending of officeholders. The former flat-rate expense allowance was gradually replaced by a much more strictly regulated system. Today there are proof requirements, separate bank accounts and regular checks by the ethics authority of the National Assembly.
Each deputy has a budget to finance mandate-related expenses. These include operating a constituency office, travel between constituency and Paris, overnight stays in the capital, technical equipment, professional literature, communication costs or meetings with local officials. A prerequisite is always that the expenses are directly related to parliamentary activity and are reasonable in amount.
The control system operates on several levels. All parliamentarians must disclose the account movements of the specially established mandate account. In addition, spot in-depth checks are carried out. If there is suspicion of abuse of public funds, the ethics commissioner can also order special audits.
The latest figures show that recoveries remain comparatively rare. Only a very small portion of the reviewed amounts had to be corrected or repaid. In some cases expenses were challenged because they were classified as private or the required proof was missing.
The statistical reality thus differs markedly from public perception, which is strongly shaped by individual cases. The scandals surrounding individual deputies like Andy Kerbrat or Christine Engrand recently again raised doubts about the handling of parliamentary funds and created the impression of a structurally vulnerable system. The National Assembly’s numbers, however, point to the opposite: the overwhelming majority of deputies appear to have now firmly integrated the tightened transparency and ethics rules into their parliamentary routine.
The debate is not entirely closed, however. Critics continue to call for more transparency, for example through more detailed publication of individual expense items or more frequent checks. Remaining gray areas are also being discussed – for example smaller expenses that are still possible without full receipt requirements.
Politically, the figure of “more than 99 percent compliant” is nevertheless significant. At a time of growing skepticism toward political institutions, the French National Assembly is visibly trying to regain trust. The message is: practices have fundamentally changed since the major political scandals of the 2010s. The mandate expenses once seen as opaque are now under permanent scrutiny – and the room for abuse has become significantly smaller.