A little piece of  intrigue was raised in committee last week when Stewart Jackson MP was attempting to ascertain exactly why the Speaker had sanctioned spending nearly £16,000 on private investigators with public money.

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hammersmith and Fulham of 2 March 2010, Official Report, column 1006W, on Members: expenses, how much the (a) budget and (b) approved purchase order is for the use of Detica to undertake investigations in 2009-10; and what it was in 2008-09.

Nick Harvey: An invoice for £15,640, inclusive of VAT, has now been received in line with the original budgetary provision. This was for a piece of work in support of the internal inquiry into the unauthorised disclosure of information about Members’ allowances. No payment for such work was made in 2008-09.

Seems Guido’s initial guess that the Speaker must be worried about his wife proved wide of the mark.