Our MPs head to Britain to see how they do it

Six new New Zealand MPs are going to London for a week to study the British Parliament just as its crisis over parliamentary expenses re-ignites.

The delegation will leave tomorrow for the all-expenses paid trip on the same day that British Speaker, Michael Martin, officially resigns as a result of the scandal.

The delegation of MPs comprises Amy Adams (leader) and Michael Woodhouse of National, Carol Beaumont and Iain Lees-Galloway of Labour, Kennedy Graham of the Greens, and the Maori Party's Rahui Katene.

New Zealand will pay for the business class flights and the British will host them in the country.

The MPs will study "aspects of parliamentary practice and procedure", Speaker Lockwood Smith said in a statement yesterday.

The visit is at the invitation of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, UK branch, with a focus on professional development.

They would also receive briefings on Britain's constitutional relationship with New Zealand and on issues of interest to them individually such as climate change and health.

A spokesperson for the Speaker did not know what the cost was but believed they had got a discount price. A return ticket bought now on Air New Zealand would cost about $11,000.

The British Parliament has been enveloped in deep crisis since May over revelations of MPs' expenses claims, including moat cleaning and switching primary homes to maximise accommodation allowances.

The scandal is creating fresh outrage in Britain with the release of censored expenses information.

After an unsuccessful battle by Parliament to exempt itself from Freedom of Information legislation, expenses information that was due to be released in an official and vetted form was released in full detail by the Daily Telegraph.

The fallout of the scandal has been such that cross-party MPs in New Zealand have decided to set up a disclosure regime for travel and accommodation expenses in New Zealand.

They have not gone so far as to end the exemption of New Zealand MPs to the Official Information Act.