WYRE Forest MP Dr Richard Taylor clocked up an expenses bill of £92,303 during the last financial year.

The bulk of the Health Concern MP's spending - £58,781 - went on staff and the figure ranks him 625th out of 659 Members of Parliament.

His expenses bill for 2003/04 is about £26,000 below the average total for MPs and makes Dr Taylor the lowest spending MP in Worcestershire during that year.

Tony Blair entered a final claim of £80,836.

Dr Taylor spent a total of £18,233 on accommodation in London while £5,617 was spent on travelling to and from the capital by rail.

The train journeys had often proved costly, Dr Taylor told the Shuttle/Times and News, but was money well spent.

He said: "I have a problem with certain trains because, on some, you can't work very well. The tables are very small, so I justify going first class simply to get more room to work.

"It is where I do a vast amount of reading and writing speeches so I can thoroughly justify that."

Dr Taylor said staff who staffed his surgeries in Wyre Forest and his office at Westminster were a vital expense, along with IT, postage and stationary costs totalling £2,364.

He went on: "I am very pleased because I would hate to think I was throwing around the public's money."

On the subject of spending public funds, the former hospital consultant was quick to point out the importance a fact-finding visit to Australia by the health select committee of MPs, of which he is a member, last week.

He said the visit was to see how Australia was working towards regulation of the pharmaceutical industry, which had migrated from tightly controlled New Zealand.

"We had one afternoon off. Other than that we were working the whole time," he said.