He said Ipsa's statutory mandate was "not to support MPs" but to "have regard to the principle that we should support MPs in the execution of their parliamentary duties" - which also meant having regard to the "public interest".
But we should be striving to increase the opportunities to the poor in this regard, not embracing the fact that the rich have a better chance of survival than the poor.
And there's a warning to both London and Edinburgh politicians: while the public finances are in a lot of trouble, "The temptation to regard the industry as a cash-cow to meet short-term needs will be strong, butshould be resisted".