Assembly expenses published

A flight to Bulgaria and a subscription to Time magazine are among expenses claimed by Mid and West AM Nick Bourne, the Welsh Conservatives' leader, it has been revealed.

He also claimed £2,438.79 for a website during the 2008/09 financial year. These were paid to London-based Haecceitas, which specialises in online campaigning.

Mr Bourne has since abandoned the website in favour of a free blog.

His claims were revealed after the expenses of Welsh Assembly members were published online for the first time yesterday at www.assemblywales.org/allowances

Items claimed by Mr Bourne included £1,775.27 on European travel during 2008/09, including a £475.80 flight to Bulgaria in May 2008, and a Time news magazine subscription at £54.

Claims by all 60 AMs for the last financial year were published yesterday and monthly updates will be posted on the Assembly's website from October.

Mr Bourne said: "As a group we have already implemented new internal rules in line with those introduced by David Cam-eron in Westminster. We have also made a submission outlining how we think Ass-embly Members' allowances should operate in future."

Claims made by Montgomeryshire AM Mick Bates, who will be standing down at the next election, include £275 spent on a carpet for his second home in Cardiff.

The Liberal Democrat said: "I've got nothing to hide and I'm pleased that people will be able to see what has been spent."

Claims made by Kirsty Williams, AM for Brecon and Radnorshire, included £36 spent on eisteddfod tickets and £30 on pictures of herself.