Members of the Senedd claimed £5.7m in expenses in the last Senedd term - with claims from a few pence right up to flights costing thousands of pounds.
With plans being discussed to increase the number of members in the Senedd to as many as 90, we've looked at the expenses of the 60 MSs who were in post at the end of the fifth Senedd in April 2021.
Understandably, North Wales MSs, who have the furthest to travel to sessions in Cardiff Bay and are entitled to claim for second homes, make up the majority of the top ten highest claimers. Only MSs in north or mid and west Wales are entitled to claim for second homes.
The largest element of most MS's claims are to fund constituency office costs, second homes and travel.
The person with the highest level of claims is Rhun ap Iorwerth, whose Ynys Mon constituency is furthest from the Senedd building. His claims include flights to Anglesey as well as £744 for ergonomic office chairs and £78 for colouring pencils.
Conservative Russell George, whose Montgomeryshire constituency office is in Welshpool, 118 miles from the Senedd, claimed the second highest amount of all 60 MSs.
His Conservative colleague Darren Millar, whose constituency office is in Abergele, 228 miles from the Senedd building had the third highest amount.
The MS who claimed the least - and served a full five year term - was former Ukip turned Independent MS Gareth Bennett for South Wales Central. Among his claims were £745 for a camera and the cost of a Times subscription.
The figures from the Senedd website, which cover the period from May 2016 to April 2021 show:
- The price MSs pay for IT equipment varies significantly vary with Labour's David Rees buying two MacBook Pros for just over £1,200 each but his party colleague Rebecca Evans claiming £269.96 for a laptop
- Similarly, furniture costs also vary. Conservative Darren Millar claimed £975 on an oak filing cabinet and £525 on a corner desk. Welsh Tory Angela Burns MS claimed £1,000 for a chair. Plaid's Llyr Gruffydd claimed £542 for a gazebo
Plaid Cymru's Adam Price claimed more than £3,000 on travel to return from Palm Springs when the Senedd was recalled to debate Brexit, over which it had no power
In July 2020 Neil McEvoy spent £649.99 on a Canon camera, an LED light panel from Amazon and £119 microphone
Plaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth claimed a £299.99 vacuum cleaner while Conservative Janet Finch Saunders spent £69.99 on one for her office
Former Conservative MS Nick Ramsay spent hundreds of pounds for a radio advert
Conservative group leader Andrew RT Davies claimed hundreds of pounds on birthday cards.
A spokesperson for the Senedd Commission, which is responsible for running Wales' Parliament, said that the funds made available to MSs were overseen by an independent board and expenses were only possible for spending linked to their duties.
They said: “The resources available to MSs are overseen by an independent Remuneration Board. This ensures that claims can only be made for expenditure which is necessary in order for them to carry out their duties as Members acting in the interests of the people of Wales. This includes activities related to their parliamentary and constituency or regional business such as holding the government to account.
“Members must seek to ensure that any expenditure incurred provides value for money to the taxpayer and represents the most sustainable and reasonable option available. The principle of openness also requires that Members’ expenses are published on the Senedd website on a regular basis.”
The Labour group in the Senedd told us that the expenses system was "robust, transparent and governed independently", it said that its MSs followed the rules and only claimed necessary expenses to fulfil their responsibilities.
Some said that smaller costs, such as for photocopying, were often incurred by staff who claimed that money from office costs funds.
How much every MS claimed:
1. Rhun ap Iorwerth, Ynys Mon, Plaid Cymru
£175,071.08
His most expensive claim in his first year was second home council tax in 2016 - £1,831.76, the amount for that rose each year to £2,221.97 by the final year of the term.
Office rent and second home rental both also run to hundreds of pounds each month. He also made several claims for air travel between his Anglesey constituency and Cardiff at a cost of £144.98 each return trip.
In 2016, he also claimed £744 for ergonomic office chairs and £299.99 for a cordless Dyson vacuum cleaner.
In 2017, Mr ap Iorwerth bought a CD player and claimed £30 for a caravan plot at the Royal Welsh Show.
The following financial year there was a £122 claim for a feather banner flag.
In 2019, he spent £78 on 250 packs of four mini coloured pencils.
Mr ap Iorwerth said the bulk of his costs were his accommodation in Cardiff and travel to the Senedd as well as the cost of running a constituency office. He explained he also bought stationary locally rather than using the central procurement team.
2. Russell George, Montgomeryshire, Conservatives
£174,115.62
Mr George's second home council tax is the biggest cost on his expenses documents, in his first year it was £1,464.
He claimed £299 in 2016 for stamps and £165 to replace his door step and carpet. In 2016, he claimed £30 for sponsoring a bauble at Girlguiding Cymru and £37.50 for pitchside advertising at Guildsfild FC.
There was a further £250 for stamps in 2017.
In 2019-20, there were three electricity bills for £905, £981 and £1,068. He spent £558 on surveys about votes for prisoners, £27 for Royal Welsh Show tickets and £11.98 on hand soap, bleach and cleaning materials.
3. Darren Millar, Clwyd West, Conservatives
£173,974.25
The majority of the claims by Mr Millar, who was first elected in 2007, are for office rent, second home service charges, and council tax and rent.
He also spent £975 on a Galant oak filing cabinet, £525 on a corner desk, £300 on a cabinet with sliding drawers, £240 on a Galant oak drawer unit, £240 on a conference table, £175 on a corner desk, £140 with a cabinet with doors.
There was also a claim for eight conference chairs costing £720.
There was also a claim for £465 for a replacement bathtub in 2016-17 as well as a £30 tee sponsorship at Abergele Golf Club. Mr Millar also claimed £7.72 for the internet to check his emails while abroad, £3.35 on tissues for his constituency office and £4 on parcel tape.
In 2017-18, there was a £596 labelled "build office furniture" and another drawer unit, this time £130 from Ikea. The following year, he purchased a £300 bookcase and claimed £13.70 on disinfectant air freshener.
In 2018-19 the single biggest claim was for £2,880 for an advertising board.
4. Janet Finch-Saunders, Aberconwy, Conservatives
£171,138.90
The Aberconwy MS' most expensive claim in the first year was £2,125 three times for office rent. There were payments of £850 for second home rent.
Given the location of her constituency it's no surprise car mileage features repeatedly as does rail travel.
There was also a £96 boiler service and a water cooler for £22.36 in August 2016. She bought four tickets to Eglwysbach Show, £1.29 on washing up liquid and her smallest claim of the first year was for 50p for 10 passenger miles in a vehicle.
In 2017-18 she spent 182 on waste collection bags, £100.22 on a lectern, £42 on "fire fighting appliances" and the smallest was again 50p on office equipment.
The following year there was a claim for £660 for recruitment advertising, and two claims of £196 for recycling collections. There was a vacuum cleaner of £69.99.
Two laptops cost £2,142 in March 2020 and there was £335 spent on newsletters, £150 on 7,500 A5 flyers, Eisteddfod tickets costing £40, £2 on a scourer and washing up liquid.
In the final year of the term £898 was spent on winter newsletters and a further £651 on delivering those and a £106.80 charge to collect them. There was another vacuum cleaner of £107.98.
5. Dafydd Elis-Thomas
£151,775.67
Mr Elis-Thomas, who is no longer a MS, claimed £749.70 in mileage in 2016-17, his biggest claim. There were then monthly second home claims of £735. He claimed £535.50 and £382.50 on family travel. The first amount was for a month between May and June 2016 and second for the period between June 23 and July 17, 2016.
Lord Elis-Thomas also claimed £108.98 for a car sat nav.
There was also a claim for £460 installing new radiators in his office.
He claimed £619 for an iPad Pro and £50 for an iPad case, and further amounts for family travel.
Lord Elis-Thomas also claimed £35 for a dictionary and £4 for a dustpan and brush, picture hanging kit and batteries in June 2017.
The following year there was a £730 charge to remove an "old sign and replace with new" and £50.71 to change office lightbulbs.
In April 2020, he claimed £885 for a laptop for a member of Assembly support staff, his largest claim of the year.
6. Sian Gwenllian, Arfon, Plaid Cymru
£151,003.54
The Arfon MS' office rent was top of the list in the first year, costing £1,650 for three months. There was a £540 charge for report translation and £604 bill for 10 chairs.
Air travel features regularly as do hotel stays. A whiteboard cleaning kit cost £12.84.
Travel, rent and parking continue to feature most frequently - in 2018-19 her UK travel bill was £4,318.
Second home council tax cost £1,794 in 2019-20 rising to £1,880 the following year.
Ms Gwenllian said that her constituency is a 360 mile round trip from Cardiff and that she rents a flat within walking distance of the Senedd for the days she is in south Wales. Ms Gwenllian said hotel rooms for the nights required would incur "similar costs".
She has two office spaces in the constituency, one in the east and one in the west due to poor bus connections and no train.
Her bill for office items is to conform with health and safety rules, she explained.
7. Llyr Gruffydd, North Wales, Plaid Cymru
£138,726.40
Mr Gruffydd's council tax and office rent are the most expensive claims in 2016/17 and second home rental cost £735 a month. He bought a £542 gazebo for constituency business in 2017 and return flights to Geneva to visit the Cern centre with Universities Wales for £100 total. He had a number of newspaper and media subscriptions.
The following year he spent £399 on a paper folding machine and £230 for a recurring three monthly lease of a photocopier. Mileage and travel both feature repeatedly.
In 2019-20 his biggest expense was newspaper adverts. There were also new carpets for £267, tickets to a number of agricultural shows and newspaper subscriptions.
8. Ken Skates, Clwyd South, Labour
£135,726.65
The Labour cabinet member's highest expenditures in the first year of the term second home council tax, rent and second home rental.
As a North Wales MS, there are regular mileage bills of £700 (June 2016), £535 (October 2016), £429 for 955 miles between September 16 and 30, 2016.
Phone batteries of £9.99 and a phone signal booster of £69 are also on the 2016 list.
A sign for Cefn Druid cost £156 in 2017-18 and a clip on microphone cost £13.94.
He claimed £99 for a replacement Apple XS Max in 2018.
In 2020, he spent £652 on letters.
9. Joyce Watson, Mid and West Wales, Labour
£135,405.55
The bulk of Ms Watson's claims are for council tax, office rental costs and second home costs including mortgage interest and later rent.
She also paid £2,124 in the summer for two new laptops.
Office rental costs have increased by 50% from £4,073 in 2017 to £6,461 in 2020.
In total, she's claimed £56,073 for her second home costs, including monthly mortgage interest payments of between £660 and £716 up to February 2018. She then sold her second home and started renting, claiming monthly rental costs of £825.
In May 2016, she bought a mini vac cleaner, batteries and a cafetiere for the office for the grand total of £17.48.
10. Hannah Blythyn, Delyn, Labour
£131,296.60
Ms Blythyn's constituency office is 162 miles from Cardiff Bay
The most expensive claim in 2016-17 was £1,076 for 22,500 copies of a survey. Office rent cost £1,040 for October and November. There was also a bill of £735 for plastering and redecoration of that office, £660 for office maintenance and flooring installation, an additional £635 was spent on exterior paintwork.
There was £549 on one camera and £169 on another as well as a £199 transcription bill.
Second home costs also feature, with a monthly £1,000 or £1,030 charge for rent in 2018-19 and second home council tax of £1,503.
Light fitting cost £174.
In 2019-20 there was a £3,160 bill for envelopers - the top item on that year's claims. Teatowels costing £3.50 were claimed in October 2019, bin bags in March 2020 for £1.49 and Flash cleaning liquid costing 99p in December 2019.
In 2020-21 there was a £173 for flip charts and an annual fee for intruder alarm maintenance and monitoring.
11. Julie James, Swansea West, Labour
£130,949.48
The climate change minister's most expensive overall claim was a colour photocopier totalling £3,060 in the first year.
Over the five year period, second home rent came near the top of her most expensive claims, starting at £800 per month in 2016-17 then gradually increasing to £870 per month by 2020-21.
Her second home council tax reached £1,610.60 in 2017/18 and was £1,794.94 in 2019-2020.
In January 2018 Ms James spent £144.95 on a portable speaker system. She also spent over £92 on paper towels in November 2018 and £48.99 on a coffee machine in January 2019.
12. Neil Hamilton, Ukip, Mid and West Wales
£129,354.46
Mr Hamilton, who is no longer a MS, lives in Wiltshire and has spent £61,031 on travel and travel-related expenses including hotel costs, meals and mileage in the past four years. He's spent £840 on bridge tolls alone, even though the Severn Bridge charges were abolished at the end of December 2018.
His office rental costs are his largest single expenditures, with £4,000 his biggest claim in the four year term. He's submitted claims for offices in both Llanelli and Whitland too.
In June 2019 he spent £39.99 on a kettle for the Llanelli office and he's also claimed for his annual subscriptions to The Telegraph, The Week, The Spectator, The Times, and The Farmers Weekly.
In response, Mr Hamilton said: "I stood on a platform to Scrap the Senedd, which cost the taxpayer circa £300m for the five year period, of which Members’ office and related costs are only a small part."
13. Elin Jones, Ceredigion, Plaid Cymru
£125,621.85
Ms Jones spent £4,600 on her annual office rent in 2016-17 and £3,112 on sending her annual report via Royal Mail, printing of that cost £1,722. She bought a standing desk in 2017 and routinely claims car mileage.
Two wall clocks and a coat stand cost £56.35 in the first year of the term.
Office furniture cost £692 in April 2017. Simultaneous translation services were paid for at meetings - one cost £88 in June 2017.
Postage of the 2018-19 annual report via Whistl cost £2,833, her second highest cost of that year.
In the final year of the term, second home rental was £770 a month. There was also a £345 charge for an engineer to set up home working.
14. Angela Burns, Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, Conservative
£124,662.65
Ms Burns did not seek re-election in 2021.
Second home rental and office rent were the highest amounts claimed each year of the term, except in 2021 when the top claims were two laptops for £1,062, one bill dated June 3 and the other on June 16.
In 2016 she claimed £1,000 for an office chair - the joint highest claim that year along with office rent.
She also claimed an additional £440 for an office chair in the same month. Mrs Burns also claimed £144.98 for office removal costs.
In 2019, she claimed £1 for AAA batteries and £4.99 for batteries and a clock.
In 2020, charges included two ink cartridges costing £125.93 total. Zoom charges and Tesco Mobile charges both also feature. She also spent £300 on a Welsh language website.
15. Mark Isherwood, North Wales, Conservatives
£123,685.62
Mr Isherwood's highest claims were council tax and second home rent. He also spent £531 on a desktop computer and £412 on a laptop and £166 on a Dell monitor. Another laptop was bought in the same month -September 2016 - for £108.
There are a number of charges for rail travel and car mileage as well as taxis and parking across the term of the Senedd.
Mr Isherwood claimed for his senior railcard in February 2019 and regular taxi journeys in 2018-19. In 2018-19 his UK travel bill was £4,641.
In 2019-20 there were hotel, meal and a ticket - all linked to the Royal Welsh Show.
In 2020-21 there was a purchase of a reception chair (£238), workstation (£220), pedestal (£189), tub chair (£118), coffee table (£94) and noticeboard of £24.57.
Mr Isherwood said regional Members will by definition have to travel further than constituency MSs and added that Welsh Government Ministers travel expenses can appear to be lower as they receive Government drivers.
He added that furniture purchases in 2020-21 were when he was required to move offices and the first since he had been elected in 2003.
16. Lesley Griffiths, Wrexham, Labour
£122,400.16
The Wrexham MS' biggest expense in the first year of this term was almost £4,000 on office rent for the year. Office rent in 2019-20 cost £7,125 for the financial year and the same in the following year.
In the first year she also claimed £884 to supply and fit new carpets. There are a number of media subscriptions and mileage bills, given the distance between her office and Cardiff Bay.
Second home costs feature in the 2017-18 bill which includes £725 removal costs.
There is a £692 charge for a dictaphone in 2017-18.
17. Lee Waters, Llanelli, Labour
£118,303.55
Mr Waters’ highest claim was a laptop and docking station in 2017-18 totalling £1,150.80. However in other years his office rent came up top, costing around £1062.50 for a two month period.
In 2016-17, he claimed £949 for an iMac, £612 for furniture and an additional £522.30 for three red arm chairs.
He also claimed four weekly office cleans in March and February for £160 each month.
In 2017-18 he claimed around £1,000 a month for a second home, which reduced to £895 the following year. In 2017-18 he also claimed £87.96 for magnetic white board labels and £118.94 for an office fridge.
Two claims totalling £230.40 each were made for photocopiers in 2018-19 as well as a £114 claim for recycling bags. In November 2020 he claimed £632.18 for second class windowed envelopes and the same price again for envelopes without windows.
18. Paul Davies, Preseli Pembrokeshire, Conservatives
£114,404.82
Mr Davies' single biggest expenditures were his second home council tax, which has increased from £1,549 per year in 2016 to £1,794 in 2019.
In 2016-17, his second biggest claim was £1,344 on his website.
Throughout his term, he's also claimed £700 every month to cover his second home rental costs and a further £285 for office rent.
In 2017-18 he spent £241.90 on a stand at the Pembrokeshire County Agricultural Stand.
In February 2019, Mr Davies bought a mini fridge for £42.99 and a microwave the following year for £89.
19. Vikki Howells, Cynon Valley, Labour
£113,377.60
In 2016, when she was first elected, she claimed £740 for new office blinds, £726 for a new sofa set, £655 in carpets, £650 to paint the ground floor of her offices and the same for the first floor. A TV for the office window cost £504. There was another sofa set of £282.
Her mileage bill is also in the top 10 claims of the first year and there are claims for Facebook adverts "promoting Vikki Howells AM".
In 2017-18 a locksmith was paid £635 to fit a new office door and locks. There was also a £345 claim for office furniture.
Office rent remained her highest claim each year.
Ms Howells claimed £39.94 in 2016 for travel chargers and cables for an iPhone. In 2019, she claimed £189 for a video doorbell entry system for her office and £3.49 for Flash wipes.
There was a £2,520 bill for office shutter replacement in 2020 and £500 to paint the office exterior. She claimed £2 in postage after collecting a letter at the sorting office.
20. Ann Jones, Vale of Clwyd, Labour
£ 113,227.25
The former MS claimed £113,227.25 in the five years of the 2016-21 term.
In 2016-17 she had monthly bills for July and August for window cleaning costing £168 and a £546 bill for the same service between March and June. A move of constituency office incurred costs of £144 to a photocopier and £144 to change signs. Skip hire cost £213.
She had second home service charge/ground rent for £225.62 for a three monthly period.
Office rent was the highest cost in 2017-18 with a £2,597 bill for July to September.
She received £498 for a Posturite chair after a health referral. There was also £54 charges for intruder alarm activation call outs.
Mileage and rail travel both feature heavily as well as a number of taxi journeys.
21. Jeremy Miles, Neath, Labour
£112,288.96
The education minister's largest claim was £3,742.80 in March 2017 which included five chairs, four desks, two desk screens, a desk panel and six drawers. Mr Miles’ office rent was his highest claim over the next years, at around £2,000 covering three-month periods.
In 2017-18 he claimed £552 for the installation of electrical sockets and a TV aerial.
In the same period he claimed £56.52 for a mirror, wastepaper basket, four shelves and a clock as well as another £40.69 on picture frames. Around £12 was also spent on handwash, wipes, kitchen roll, washing liquid, cleaning liquid and cloths between April and June 2017.
During 2018-19 Mr Miles claimed £35.95 on newspapers and £35 on a bin. A monthly claim of £285 was for Cardiff accommodation. It increased to £570 per month the following year.
22. Adam Price, Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
£112,108.15
Mr Price finished the term as leader of Plaid Cymru.
There were two claims for office rent, one of £3,341 and another of £3,120 at the top of the 2016-17 list as well as travel expenses. There were European trips included in the travel claims.
He spent £1,068 on chairs in 2017-18 as well as workstations (£600), drawers (£594) and pedestals (£384).
Mr Price spent £115 on a hotel in Brussels and £50 on airport parking.
The following year, there were a number of further trips and a laptop for £751.
In 2019, Mr Price claimed £3,097.99 for a return Palm Springs to London flight when the Assembly was recalled on September 4 after Boris Johnson asked the Queen to suspend Parliament.
The recess had been due to end on September 17 but there was a debate on September 5. The Senedd had no power over Brexit. At the time, Mr Price said AMs had the power to "shame" the prime minister.
Mr Price also claimed for a £148 hotel for September 5 and a flight from London to Cardiff, also on September 5.
In the same year he spent £1,083 on having a telephone system installed.
In 2020-21 there was a £1,061 bill for a laptop for a member of his staff.
23. Michelle Brown, North Wales, Independent
£110,066.99
Ms Brown's rent for the three months between December and March 2016 were her highest charge of the year, totalling £1,207.
She spent £1,010 on hotels and £877 on a laptop. Her second home rental ranged between £720 and £800 in the first year. Meals and mileage were also featured.
The following year she spent £1,075 on a sofa and £160 on vertical blinds. There was £37.98 for a kettle, toaster and microwave, £2 for notebook and paper grip and £3.99 on paperclips and paper.
She paid two agency fees, one to CPS Homes for £237.50 and one to Moginie James for £183.60. She also bought a gazebo, hers cost £299 with an additional £168 on a gazebo sign.
Installing water heaters to the office cost £1,284 with rent of £1,200 for that office per three months. There was rail travel between north and south Wales and £301 for a stand at the Anglesey Agricultural Show.
In 2019-20 she spent £1,800 on advertising for a caseworker and PA.
In the final year of the term, the charges were only for office rent, second home rental, two Macbook chargers, water rates, phone bill and stationary.
24. Dai Lloyd, South Wales West, Plaid Cymru
£105,048.27
Now former MS, Dr Lloyd's biggest expense in 2016 was more than £3,000 to kit out the office including desks pedestals and glazed screens and office chairs.
He spent £132 on additional sockets and £649 on signs.
Office business rates were more than £4,000 in 2017-18. In the same year he spent £336 on an office chair.
His office rent in 2019-20 was £9,000 for the year with £4,273 in business rates.
Dr Lloyd also spent more than £2,200 photocopying his annual report.
25. Dawn Bowden, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, Labour
£103,804.80
Dawn Bowden’s highest single claim over the last five years was £4,036 for the setting up of her office which included the cost of desks, chairs, filing cabinets, shelves, a table and sofa.
In 2016-17, there was £350 to fit a low level toilet and in 2018, £10 was claimed to cover the cost of a toilet seat.
New carpets cost £749 in 2016.
In 2020, Ms Bowden claimed £43.89 for hand gel, antibacterial spray, soap, antibac wipes, kitchen towels, storage boxes and bin liners as well as £16.79 for social distancing tape for her constituency office.
Office rent for three months cost £2,401 in 2017-18, and the following year with some adjustments. There was also further furniture bought costing £392 and carpet tiles for £396.
She spent £251 on football advertising boards.
26. Bethan Sayed, South Wales West, Plaid Cymru
£ 101,677.47
The now former regional MS claimed 101,677.47.
In 2016-17 her highest cost was office rent, contents insurance cost £456.82 and new data points cost £447.15. There were a number of hotel costs in Cardiff costing £79 a night.
The highest claim in 2018-19 was office business rates, totalling £4,054, rent was then £750 a month. She claimed £266.40 for a hire car on an Assembly contract and regular mileage payments.
There was also a claim that year for an orthopaedic headrest, costing £305.82.
Mrs Sayed said she believed the Senedd Commission should buy offices but in community hubs so MSs are as close to communities as possible.
She said she had tried to return furniture to the Senedd commission but it was not wanted so was donated to charity.
A specific seat was purchased for a member of staff with a disability, she added. Her hire car was provided after her own car was stolen.
27. Mick Antoniw, Pontypridd, Labour
£101,553.80
In the first year of this term, his highest claim was £695 for his website. Office rent was £500 a month. He paid £276 for a new camera lens and £138 for a new office fridge. His monthly parking charge in 2016-17 was £125.
In 2017-18 rent was £3,500 for the period between September and March, there was also £854 in business rates.
He spent £304 on pens with his contact details for "school presentation packs".
Mr Antoniw spent £22.50 on a water cooler and the same on water for the cooler three times in the year.
He had a £704 advertising charge for a newspaper and the same for printing.
In 2020, he spent £880 on distributing leaflets about Covid-19.
28. Nick Ramsay, Independent, Monmouth
£99,890.60
Mr Ramsay stood as an independent candidate in the 2021 election but lost his seat.
In 2016-17, Mr Ramsay spent £526 for radio advert. The bill period was September 21 to March 31. He spent £354 on a storage unit and £345 on getting newsletters printed.
There was £100 charge for a stand at Raglan fun day and regular car mileage claims. In the same year he paid £38.46 for a pavement display sign board and £37.93 for frames for constituency maps.
He also spent £2.49 on sticky back plastic.
The following year, Mr Ramsay spent £524.59 on a community radio advert for Nevill Hall Hospital radio. There was another £473 for a radio advert to be played every hour of the day.
He also claimed £2.79 for paint tester pots and two claims for £1 each for Blu Tack.
The following financial year, there was a £333.98 bill for the office to be redecorated and recarpeted. There were also weekly advertising bills of £82.74 and £38.40 and monthly bills of £43.20.
Adverts in the Abergavenny Chronicle, Chepstow and Monnow Voice and Monmouthshire Beacon all add up in 2019-20 and the following year.
29. David Rees, Labour, Aberavon
£96,913.21
In 2016-17 Mr Rees claimed £1,205.17 for a MacBook Pro. The following year, he claimed £1,208.17 on a second MacBook Pro.
Over the five year period, a high proportion of his claims are for car mileage - most totalling hundreds a month. His highest monthly claim for that was £584.28 during 2018-19.
So far in 2020-21, Mr Rees has claimed £316.09 on second class windowed envelopes.
30. Andrew RT Davies, South Wales Central, Conservative
£93,369.45
Mr Davies was the leader of the Conservative group in the Senedd until 2018, and then again from 2020.
In 2016-17 his most expensive claims were for postage with £2,310 billed in March 2017, £1,445 on stamps in February 2017, and another £749 and £660 in March 2017. In February there was a £653 claim labelled "general correspondence and surveys/newsletters".
Office rent was £650 a month.
Personalised envelopes cost £427 in November 2016 and he claimed £195 for an Eisteddfod ticket, Royal Welsh Show ticket and ticket to the winter fair.
Mr Davies claimed £140 on beermats in the first year of the term.
In 2018, his largest expense was stamps, costing £6,048 with a postage charge of £1,568 coming second on his claim list. He spent £546 on "envelopes and birthday cards".
His smallest claim in 2017-18 was 7p for photocopying.
The following year, he spent £330 on boosting adverts on Facebook and Instagram. There was thousands more spent on stamps, £366 on 12,000 envelopes and £420 on birthday cards.
31. Neil McEvoy, Propel, South Wales Central
£92,120.65
In 2016 when he was first elected to the Senedd, Mr McEVoy spent £5,000 on building work to his office. His rent was £729 a month, with additional charges of £500 for valuation of office rent and £492 for an office sign.
The following year, he claimed £1,524 for new carpets and £650 to paint the office. There was also a £440 charge for furniture to be removed during works and £40 to paint a bathroom.
In 2018-19 he spent £567 on a livestream camera, and £217 on a microphone as well as £66 on a memory card and £20 on a camera bag.
There was £103 on a vacuum cleaner.
In 2019-20 the highest expense was for £2,166 on envelopes followed by £1,429 for a laptop.
In July 2020, Mr McEvoy spent £649.99 on a Canon camera, an LED light panel from Amazon and £119 microphone, also from Argos.
He was not re-elected when he stood in the 2021 election.
32. Mike Hedges, Swansea East, Labour
£87,769.55
Mr Hedges’ most expensive claim each year was his office rent costing £1,625 for two monthly periods.
Car mileage was also often claimed by Mr Hedges. In November 2016 he claimed £729.90 for 1,622 miles and in November 2017 he claimed £630 in mileage for 1,400 miles.
Each year Mr Hedges claimed money for numerous cleaning products including mops, bin bags, kitchen roll, toilet paper, antibac wipes, bottles of bleach. In October 2017 he claimed £24.99 for a vacuum cleaner. He asked us to explain these were for cleaning the Swansea office after the previous vacuum cleaner broke.
In March 2017, he claimed £1,199 on a folding machine and in July 2017 he claimed £50 for Royal Welsh Show tickets which he attended as chair of the climate change, environment and rural affairs committee.
33. Caroline Jones, Independent, South Wales West
£88,204.74
Office rent was the most expensive claim in 2016, costing £1,350 for three months. The third highest claim in that year was a £799 digital camera, there was another camera of £177 in the same year as well as a laptop and camera bag, studio lighting costing £49.99, SD card for £44.94 and a camera microphone. There was a £4.99 claim for electrical sockets for the constituency office and £4.75 for postage of Amazon orders.
Office rent increased by almost £300 per bill by the following year.
In 2018-19 there was further tech equipment, a £29 green screen, £9.95 for a clip on microphone and £59.99 on a tripod.
She is no longer an MS.
34. Suzy Davies, South Wales West, Conservatives
£88,182.85
The now former MS spent the most in 2016-17 on office rent and mileage.
The following year she spent £1,951 on postage of a letter and survey.
There are a number of overnight hotel stays in the region of £80 each. There are charges of £10 for grounds keeping and £8.75 for a gardener.
In 2019 there was a claim of £250.79 for postcard magnets.
Mrs Davies said the grounds keeping and gardener charge were itemised on her office landlord's invoice as a contribution to keeping the entrance way to the building weed-free.
35. Jack Sargeant, Alyn and Deeside, Labour
£85,664.36
The Labour MS joined the then-Assembly in 2018.
In that financial year his car mileage was the highest claim, along with overnight stays in Cardiff, setting up the office and associated costs.
In his first full year of 2019-20, the highest costs were second home council tax of £1,794, rent of £1,200 per three months and second home rental of £820 a month. There were also a number of IT app subscriptions.
In 2020-21, away from office and council tax the next highest rate was four adverts and online content totalling £980 and £900 on website design.
36. Carwyn Jones, Bridgend, Labour
£86,347.09
The former First Minister did not seek re-election in 2021. His highest claims were for office rent, costing £3,300 for three month periods. In the first year of the term, he bought three office chairs costing £274.80 each. His 2016-17 diary cost £11.99.
Mileage was a consistent charge, including with a member of staff as his driver during 2017.
By 2018, office rent was the largest charge, costing £3,750 for three months.
In 2019-20 rent remained the highest claim, followed by a £318 smart keyboard and pencil for iPad, bought in April. A second iPad pencil followed in September.
In August 2019 there was a claim for replacement iPad pencil tips.
Mr Jones said the iPad and pencils have been returned to the Senedd Commission.
37. Hefin David, Caerphilly, Labour
£86,296.70
Mr David’s highest single expense claim over the last five years was for £1,565 for office furniture in December 2018.
In 2016-17 he bought a two seater sofa for £778 for the office and a £598 chair for the same area. New carpets cost £259 and a new office window £220. New blinds were £70.
A kettle and telephone cost £63 and laptop case £70. In the first year of the term, he claimed 70p for copying a document.
In 2017-18 he bought five dictaphones costing a total of £100. There was also £122.50 for a half page advert in the Gwent WI yearbook.
The following year he claimed £72 to hire a van to collect and deliver pitchside advertising boards.
In November 2019, he claimed £35 for a Remembrance Day wreath.
In 2020, Mr David claimed £1,200 on two occasions for office cleaning as a result of the covid pandemic after a free service ended due to cleaners shielding and in 2016 he claimed £26 for Royal Welsh tickets.
Mr David explained that office furniture were bought from Lyreco - the central purchasing system - and costs for individual items like photocopying were from the wider office cost budget.
He explained they were not costs replacing spending from his own pocket.
He said it is important that his office remains in the Gilfach YMCA and his presence supports its survival.
32. Eluned Morgan, Mid and West Wales, Labour
£85,007.93
The now health minister's biggest claims in the last term were for office rent with £4,434 spent in 2019-20. She also spent £2,329 in one go for 'other advertising' on March 31, 2020.
She's claimed £6,502 for office electricity since September 2016.
She spent £80 on an eye test in 2018 and £71 for a Realspace kneeling chair frame in April last year.
In April 2018, she claimed £78 for an emergency locksmith and over four years has claimed nearly £500 for Facebook adverts.
39. Rebecca Evans, Gower, Labour
£79,464.78
The Gower MS' biggest claim in the first year of the term was £3,232 on office rent. Second home rent cost £750 per month. She claimed £450 which was half the cost of a new office sign.
In 2018-19 her office rent was also the highest claim, with several overnight stays in Cardiff.
There was £180 spent on a full page advert for "The annual Civic Messiah" and £140 on Gower Festival Programme as well as £102 on adverts in school folders.
In 2019-20 she spent £205 on a paper shredder and £269.96 on a laptop. The following year, she spent £53.54 on PPE for site visits, including hard hat, boots and a high visibility jacket.
40 . David Rowlands, Independent, South Wales East
£80,261.96
Mr Rowlands’ highest expense each year was for office rent, which was £1,875 quarterly. He paid £1,642 on office furniture in 2016-17, splitting the cost with Mark Reckless MS, £237 on fitting new Brexit Party signage in May 2019 and £109.99 on a vacuum cleaner in December 2016.
A high portion of Mr Rowlands’ expenses in some years related to mileage claims, with the highest monthly total reaching £897.30 in November 2018. He also claimed £25 on Royal Welsh tickets in 2018 and £21.97 on an iPhone case and screen protector in October 2019.
He was not re-elected in 2021. In a comment to WalesOnline, he said that he bought recycled furniture from a company in Swansea and it will now either be recycled or given to charity.
41. Mandy Jones, North Wales, Independent
£77,884.07
Another of the former Ukip MSs who was not re-elected in 2021, the former North Wales MS' second home council tax was top of the list followed by office rent and second home rental at £725 a month. There are also regular travel expenses due to travelling to Cardiff from the constituency, including £8 for the airport shuttle, flights costs £79.66 and a taxi for £45.
She said: "All expenses were incurred and reimbursed in accordance with the relevant determination as published by the Remuneration Board."
42. Jenny Rathbone, Cardiff Central, Labour
£74,160.30
Ms Rathbone's largest expense claim each year is for office rent which costs £2,750 quarterly.
In March 2017, she claimed £1,148 for an office to be redecorated as well as £299.99 for a paper folding machine.
In July 2016, Ms Rathbone claimed £26 for tickets to the Royal Welsh Show and again September 2018.
In August 2019, she claimed £129 for a vacuum cleaner.
In October 2019, she claimed £157.60 after the Senedd was recalled and she returned to Cardiff from an unknown destination.
Ms Rathbone bought a gazebo in 2020 for "community liaison events".
43. Kirsty Williams, Brecon and Radnorshire, Liberal Democrats
£76,550.07
The former education minister did not seek re-election in 2021.
Her office rent was £1,320 for three months which was her highest costs of the first year of the term. Newspaper advertising and hotel stays both appear frequently.
There was a £106 claim for hoover and hoover bags in 2019 and £19.99 for an eye test for a member of staff.
Ms Williams clarified she did not have a second home in Cardiff but when necessary used a hotel at a "considerably lower cost that renting a property in Cardiff".
She has also given some office items to new Lib Dem MS Jane Dodds.
44. Leanne Wood, Rhondda, Plaid Cymru
£75,148.50
In 2016-2017 Leanne Wood claimed £261.55 for a return journey from London to Brussels. In 2017-2018 she claimed £217.71 for a single flight from Bristol to Bilbao (Spain).
In 2019, a claim was made for £1,450.80 to supply and install CCTV at her office.
Ms Wood’s highest claim was for £1,868 for photocopying costs, the printing of her annual report and a further £1,555.20 was claimed for the distribution of it in 2020.
45. Huw Irranca-Davies, Ogmore, Labour
£74,978.21
Mr Irranca-Davies largest expenses are the rent on his office. For six months in 2016 he claimed £2,765, after this he claimed £1,829.03 quarterly.
In January 2017 Mr Irranca-Davies claimed for two flights to and from Geneva. The first cost £177.08 from Geneva to Bristol and the second was £67.49 from Cardiff to Geneva.
Over the five year period a large proportion of Mr Davies claims related to car mileage often totalling hundreds of pounds a year.
In 2018 Mr Irranca-Davies paid for a subscription to Say Something In Welsh.
In 2020, Mr Irranca-Davies bought a wrist support and webcam for a member of his staff.
46. John Griffiths, Newport East, Labour
£63,936.66
Mr Griffiths’ highest expense claims each year have been for office rent. He paid £2,081.40 quarterly in 2016-2017 falling to £1.137.60 in 2020-2021.
Mr Griffiths spent more than £1,000 on newspapers in 2016-2017, and also spent £158 on two headsets in October 2020, £149 on a shredder in June 2020, various sums on computer monitors and mouses and £58.60 to purchase the domain name johngriffiths.wales for two years in April 2019.
He has also spent various sums on subscriptions to the Bevan Foundation - £103.43 in December 2018, over £350 in 2019-2020 and over £400 in 2020-2021.
47. Julie Morgan, Cardiff North, Labour
£63,574.70
In the calendar year 2016-17 Ms Morgan’s most expensive claim was for a laptop for £789.20.
Behind this was office rent at £648.75 which was claimed quarterly each year through to 2020-21.
In April 2017, Ms Morgan also claimed £154.99 for a camera.
Until 2020, Ms Morgan claimed £144 each month for weekly office cleans.
In 2016, Ms Morgan claimed £761.75 across 15 payments for newspaper and magazines.
In 2017-18 Ms Morgan's largest claim came for advertising at a cost of £1,225.02. In 2017 she also claimed £12 back for a day at Rhiwbina Festival as well as £2.47 on hand wash in February 2018.
Ms Morgan’s largest claim since 2016 came in November 2018 to print 35,000 copies of her annual report.
In July 2018 she also claimed £1,564.22 for a regular column in Whitchurch, Llandaff and Rhiwbina living magazine.
In February 2020 Ms Morgan claimed £8 for Febreeze and in anticipation for office return in August 2020 claimed £215.93 on hygiene products.
48. Rhianon Passmore, Islwyn, Labour
£62,149.66
Ms Passmore’s highest expense claims each year were for office rent, paying £1,350 per quarter from 2016 to 2021.
She claimed £500 on design and maintenance of her website in May 2018, £420 on an office carpet in November 2016, and £398 on an iPad Air in September 2016.
Ms Passmore also spent £45 on late payment costs for electricity bills in July 2020.
43. Jane Hutt, Vale of Glamorgan, Labour
£61,853.46
Deputy Minister Ms Hutt’s largest expense claim each year was for office rent. In the years 2016 - 2020 this was a quarterly charge of £1,059.99.
However, in the year 2020 - 21 this reduced substantially to a quarterly claim of £353.33.
Large claims made by Ms Hutt in 2016-17 include £1,455.70 for telephone charges as well as £404.40 for newspaper subscriptions.
In April 2018 Ms Hutt claimed £4 against a foot rest and in March 2019 claimed £2 for a doorstop.
50. Mark Drakeford, Cardiff West, Labour
£60,740.22
In the years 2016-2017 and 2018-19 the First Minister's largest expense claims came for the printing of his annual report at £991 and £995 respectively.
Behind this was rent at £725 per month each year until 2020-21 where this increased to £825.
In the year 2017-18 his largest claim was for printed leaflet distribution advertising at £1,120.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, in November 2017 he claimed £2.86 to replace a lightbulb and £2.99 for cable tape.
In February 2018 Mr Drakeford claimed £250 to ensure his website had bilingual capabilities.
In April 2018 the First Minister claimed £212.50 for his office to get a new carpet as well as £12.96 and £16.86 on cleaning products in October and December 2018.
In the 2020-21 year, his main expense was £825 per month for rent, £457.20 for the office lease and assorted office costs totalling £9,112 for the year.
51. Alun Davies, Blaenau Gwent, Labour
£55,664.79
In 2017-2018, Mr Davies claimed £836.40 for a website build and design, that same year he claimed £470 to redecorate his office.
In the year 2020-21, Mr Davies bought a laptop for home working at a cost of £972 with additional equipment including an Apple Magic Keyboard at £99.
52. Lynne Neagle, Torfaen, Labour
£53,939.81
Office rent is the highest claim - of £3,250 for the first four years of the term, rising to £3,500 for the final year.
Other claims include office costs of cleaning, fire extinguisher maintenance and photocopier lease. A new kettle in 2016-17 cost £15.79.
In 2017 there was a claim for a £300 advert in the Christmas TV guides of two newspapers, £54 for keys to be cut
In 2018, office locks and window restraints cost £309.
By 2020 there was also a subscription to Zoom Pro.
53. Mark Reckless, Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party, South Wales East
£46,744.46
Mr Reckless’ most expensive claim each year was for office rent, which cost £1,875 each quarter between 2016 and 2021.
Mr Reckless claimed £200 to attend the Marine Energy Conference in March 2018 and £175 to attend the same event in April 2019.
He spent £588 on a panic alarm and CCTV system at his office in February 2017, £369.50 on office toilet maintenance in October 2019 and £145.39 on a USB storage device in December 2019. He also claimed £35 on parking at Cardiff Airport in November 2018 and in 2019-2020 claimed expenses for subscriptions to the Times, The Economist and The Telegraph.
He was not re-elected in 2021.
54. David Melding, South Wales Central, Conservatives
£43,011.86
Mr Melding did not seek re-election in 2021.
His biggest expense claim in 2016-17 was replacement lighting for his office, costing £690. There were also charges linked to a trip to Bosnia and a £72 vacuum cleaner.
The following year, his office rent was the largest cost, £3,600 for six months. There was a £606 claim for office legal fees and £275 for mail to be redirected. Mr Melding bought a £14,99 iPad starter kit, £14.99 kettle and a book called "Rethinking the Economics of Land and Housing".
His expenses, to date, for the final year in the Senedd were £2,271.64.
55. Jayne Bryant, Newport West, Labour
£41,979.39
Ms Bryant’s highest overall expenses claim has been for office rent, beginning at £1,405.48 annually in 2016/17 and rising to £3,000 for April to September 2020.
Ms Bryant claimed £2,844.81 on envelopes between October and December 2020, £508.95 for an office camera in March 2018, £143.77 for a Polycom desk phone in January 2020 and £75.99 for a smart camera stabiliser in January 2020.
She spent over £180 on hotel and travel costs for travel to Bosnia in August 2016 has also claimed for a number of magazine subscriptions including £24.99 for Nursing Times in December 2016 and £195 for the New Scientist in 2020-2021.
56. Vaughan Gething, Cardiff South and Penarth, Labour
£38,683.88
The education minister's most expensive single claim in the last five years was for office business rates in August 2016 costing £1,792.80 for a period between April and September.
In the years between 2017 and 2021 office rent was Mr Gething’s largest expense at £1,404.99 every quarter.
In March 2018 he claimed £1,000 on a HP laptop and £219 on a Sony camera as well as £49.99 for a table top fridge in September 2018.
In September 2019, £250 was claimed on translating a website while £77.30 was claimed for a coat stand, hand towel, clock and mat in March.
In 2019-20 there was £500 claimed on rebranding materials such as banners, posters and email signatures.
In perhaps a sign of the times, in 2021-21 Mr Gething claimed £143.88 on a Zoom subscription.
57. Delyth Jewell, South Wales East, Plaid Cymru
£28,715.20
Since succeeding the late Steffan Lewis in February 2019, Ms Jewell has claimed £6,000 on office rent per year.
She also spent £2,038 to refurbish her office kitchen in June 2019, £259 on an A3 flatbed scanner in March 2020 and various travel expenses for travel to Scotland in 2019-2020.
58. Helen Mary Jones, Mid and West Wales, Plaid Cymru
£27,722.97
Appointed in August 2018 after resignation of Plaid Cymru's Simon Thomas, her single biggest expense is £5,878 which covers office rent between May 2020 and March 2021.
She also claimed £1,250 for office furniture under 'office start up' costs in February 2020 and spent a further £698 on furniture that same month.
She's claimed a total of £1,060 on consultancy fees for design and artwork for various reports as well as shelling out nearly £900 for Adobe and InDesign licences.
She fought the 2021 election but was not re-elected.
59. Gareth Bennett, South Wales Central, Independent
£22,313.55
Mr Bennett’s highest claim in the five years was £1,222.34 in September 2016 for a laptop, docking station, keyboard and mouse.
In March 2017 he claimed £745 for a camera. In the 2016-17 period he also claimed expenses for a number of books including The Blunders of Our Governments, Poor Man’s Parliament and For Wales, See England: Language, Nationhood and Identity.
During 2019-20 Mr Bennett claimed for a Times newspaper subscription.
He was one of the seven Ukip MSs elected in 2016 who was not re-elected in 2021.
60. Laura Jones, South Wales East, Conservatives
£8,362.88
Ms Jones has only represented the South Wales East region since last year, replacing Mohammad Asghar following his death in June 2020. Since then her highest overall claim has been for office rent, for which she claimed £671.66 per month between September and November 2020.
Ms Jones has also claimed various office expenses including media photography, photocopying, website creation, stationary and keys. In December 2020 she spent £434.01 on magnets and more than £316 on 2nd class non-window envelopes in August 2020. She has also spent £300 each on the English and Welsh versions of her website, and £600 on advertising in the Monmouthshire Beacon and Abergavenny Chronicle between September and November 2020.
She was re-elected in 2021.
