POLITICIANS in York and North Yorkshire have defended their right to employ family members, saying the majority work hard to earn their wages.

The comments come after Derek Conway, the Conservative MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup, admitted employing his two sons while they were at university at a cost to taxpayers of almost £80,000 - despite there being no evidence of the young men actually doing any work.

Conservative Ann McIntosh, who represents the Vale of York, and Liberal Democrat Phil Willis, who represents Harrogate, declined to comment.

Three other local MPs said they currently employed no members of their own family, but stressed that the practice was common and entirely proper in all but a handful of cases.

York Labour MP Hugh Bayley said he had employed his daughter for a six-month period last year, after his secretary came back to work part-time from her maternity leave. He said his daughter worked 40 hours a week.

"What I believe very strongly is that MPs need to be open about how public money is used in their offices," he said.

"I'd like to see a more transparent system. I have already proposed a central payroll, which would get rid of these accusations, to the salary review board."

Selby Labour MP John Grogan said he employed no members of his family in either his constituency or his London offices.

"Everyone has different personal circumstances, and there are plenty of family members who work very hard for MPs, so a complete ban would be going over the top," he said. "But perhaps scrutiny powers for auditors to review a certain percentage of MPs per year, say ten per cent, would be a good idea."

Ryedale Conservative MP John Greenway said he had employed his wife as a secretary before his divorce, but no longer employed any family members.

He said many MPs' spouses worked extremely hard for them. "Unfortunately, one person abuses the system and it makes it look bad for everybody," he said.