TWO Suffolk MPs between them have earned more than �78,000 in private business and consultancy work since July, which was when Commons members were first instructed to declare the exact amount of their non-parliamentary income.

Graham Dines

TWO Suffolk MPs between them have earned more than �78,000 in private business and consultancy work since July, which was when Commons members were first instructed to declare the exact amount of their non-parliamentary income.

As MPs brace themselves for next week's report on expenses and allowances, Tim Yeo and John Gummer have been able to cushion themselves against the impact of any changes.

In the latest register of members' interests, Mr Yeo, Conservative MP for Suffolk South, has declared earnings outside Westminster of �39,888.53, taking his total business income to �44,838.54. Mr Gummer has registered new earnings of �26,109.40, taking his declared income in the period since July 1 to �33,421.81.

Mr Yeo has registered a payment of �10,000 for 26 hours work between April and June, including chairing board meetings, from Eco City Vehicles, which distributes and services London taxis.

Between March and May, he was paid �6,250 as a member of the board of investment bankers First London Securities Group plc.

As a non executive director of Groupe Eurotunnel SA, which owns Eurotunnel Ltd, Mr Yeo received three individual payments of �4,265.50, �2,771.86, and �4,051.17 for a total of 19 hours work. He also registered two payments of �1,250 for two hours work as chairman of Univent, �2,500 for giving advice to Regenesis, a California-based company involved with the restoration of natural resources.

Mr Gummer, Tory MP for Suffolk Coastal, was paid �10,426.91 for nine hours work and 40 hours travelling during the seven months between December 2008 and July as a non-executive director of Sistema Hals, a construction company in Moscow.

He received �3,562.50 as chairman of the water company Veolia, �8,370 for two-and-a-half hours chairing the annual meeting and a board meeting at Valpak Ltd of Stratford-upon-Avon which advises companies on complying with the packaging waste directive, �2,083.33 for conducting a one hour interview as chairman of the Association of Independent Financial Advisers, and �1,666.66 for a two hour conference call as non-executive director of Sovereign Reversions Ltd of Brockenhurst.

Richard Spring (MP for Suffolk West) received �2,450 for 18 hours work organising activities for the British-Ukrainian Society.

None of the region's other MPs has declared extra earning in the register which was updated on October 14.