STANDARDS in public life have come under intense scrutiny in the last fortnight, leaving public confidence at an all-time low.

Many MPs have second jobs, with some, like Sir Geoffrey Cox coining in vast sums on top of their already high salaries.

Freebies, cash for answering questions and donations from the private sector are also the source of deep concern.

FULL LIST: The North East MPs raking in thousands in donations and second jobs

This week, The Northern Echo lifts the lid on where MPs in our region get their income as part of our The Money Trail investigation tracing the cash behind our MPs.

We tracked the cash trail using the Register of Members' Financial Interests, and while there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing, there are some surprising results.

We're publishing the records held for every MP in the North East and North Yorkshire to help you understand how your politician compares.

What exactly is on the register

There are ten main categories on the register, which is maintained and updated by the Parliamentary for Commissioner for Standards, and require an MP to declare, where appropriate.

MPs in England must declare additional paid employment (second jobs), donations, gifts, hospitality and any homes where the value is more than £100,000 and/or provides rental income of more than £10,000 a year.

They must also declare any shares they have which amount to more than 15 percent of the issues share capital of that company or more than 15 percent of a partnership, while they must declare any shares valued more than £70,000.

When it comes to family, MPs are required to declare whether any members are employed and receive more than £700 in a calendar year as this comes from taxpayers' money (parliamentary expenses).

MPs are also required to declare the details of any family members involved in "lobbying," which is when an individual tries to persuade someone in Parliament to support a specific policy or campaign.

What's on South Shields MP Emma Lewell-Buck register

Here are the figures for Labour South Shields MP, Emma Lewell-Buck from Monday, November 1.

How much did she make in second jobs and additional income

Ms Lewell-Buck received hundreds of pounds every month in participation in surveys paid to her campaign fund, but there were no records of any secondary employment.

The following payments were received from YouGov, of Featherstone Street in London, over the past year.

- January 8, 2021, a payment of £140 for a survey taking an hour.

- January 21, 2021, a payment of £60 for a survey taking 20 minutes.

- March 9, 2021, a payment of £100 for a survey taking 45 minutes.

- March 19, 2021, a payment of £120 for a survey taking 30 minutes.

- May 11, 2021, a payment of £110 for a survey taking 30 minutes.

- June 22, 2021, a payment of £120 for a survey taking 30 minutes.

- July 14, 2021, a payment of £120 for a survey taking 30 minutes.

- September 20, 2021, a payment of £120 for a survey taking 45 minutes.

The following payments were received from Savanta Group Ltd, 3 Melville Street in Edinburgh over the past year.

- January 21, 2021, a payment of £75 for a survey taking 25 minutes.

- Febuary 10, 2021, a payment of £75 for a survey taking 30 minutes.

- March 9, 2021, a payment of £75 for a survey taking 30 minutes.

- March 19, 2021, a payment of £75 for a survey taking 25 minutes.

- May 12, 2021, a payment of £75 for a survey taking 20 minutes.

- June 14, 2021, a payment of £75 for a survey taking 30 minutes.

And a further payment of £275 was received from Ipsos Mori of Thomas More square in London for a suvey taking an hour. 

According to the register, there were no entries for any donations or gifts paid to Ms Lewell-Buck.

Extra entries on the register

Ms Lewell-Buck has the following entries recorded as miscellaneous, which include declarations of involvement in local businesses where they may not receive an income.

She is an honorary member of the Catholic Union.

From January 2016, she became a patron of the Every Child Leaving Care Matters organisation. 

From July 2016, she also became a patron of the Social Care Worker of the Year Awards. 

And from July 2017, she became Deputy Convenor of the Catholic Legislators Network.

Does she employ any family members

Meanwhile, she employs husband Simon Buck as Office Manager, paid from her parliamentary expenses.

The Northern Echo approached Emma Lewell-Buck for comment.

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