Spending scandal not on agenda as N.L. house resumes

The three politicians implicated in the Newfoundland and Labrador legislative spending scandal did their best Monday to not drawattention to themselves.

The house of assembly resumed sitting for the first time since Auditor General John Noseworthy began releasing bombshell reports detailing extensive overbilling to specific constituency allowances.

Three politicians named in Noseworthy's reports Progressive Conservative Ed Byrne, Liberal Wally Andersen and New Democrat Randy Collins returned to the legislature with the backing of their caucus colleagues.

Byrne, who was forced to quit his cabinet seat in June, was given a new chair in the government's front benches in the legislature an honour usually accorded to cabinet ministers.

Andersen spoke to reporters outside for the first time since he was named in Noseworthy's reports.

"I've continued to do my job with the same passion, the same heart and same emotion I've always done," Andersen said.

Collins walked into the legislature flanked by party supporters and former leader Jack Harris.

"It's not going to affect my job," Collins said.

"That's not to say I take it lightly, and it's not to say I'm not thinking of it I understand I have a job to do," he said.

Because Noseworthy's reports which have prompted a police investigation and involve former Liberal MHA Jim Walsh cut across political party lines, no party has been keen tomake an issue out of the scandal. None of the issues raised during question period Monday, for instance, involved constituency allowances.

Noseworthy found the MHAs cumulatively overspent their allowances tax-free payments meant to be used for maintaining an office and related expenses by about $1 million.

Premier Danny Williams has asked Noseworthy to expand his initial investigation to cover claims dating back to 1989, when the current system was drafted.

Meanwhile, Derek Green, chief justice of Newfoundland Supreme Court's trial division, is investigating whether the constituency-allowance system itself, as well as pay and benefits for politicians, need to be changed.