A NORTH-EAST MP has declined to reveal how much his wife earns for working as his secretary.

Derek Foster, MP for Bishop Auckland, was one of several politicians contacted by a national newspaper at the weekend.

The investigation was prompted by claims over how much work Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith's wife, Betsy, did, because public money was used to pay her. He denies any wrongdoing.

Mr Foster was one of 64 MPs contacted and asked about how many hours their family member works and how much they earn.

Of those, 36 did not return messages and only four of the 28 who spoke were prepared to divulge the information.

Mr Foster, whose wife, Anne, works as his full-time secretary, said: "My wife has worked for me for 20 years. She does an excellent job.

"I will not say how much she earns. She is entitled to her confidentiality."

The only MP who said that money spent on family staff should be made public was Stockton South MP Dari Taylor.

Ms Taylor's daughter, Philippa, was employed full-time as summer help and was paid £11,200 a year pro-rata.

She said: "This is public money and public money has got to be accountable.

"If you are not accountable and open and visible to the public, then everybody begins to question what you are doing."