MP Owen Paterson has admitted he is ‘embarrassed’ after being asked to repay thousands of pounds in the wake of the expenses row.
Mr Paterson, MP for North Shropshire, was told to give back £5,229.15 when the findings of the Legg inquiry into the matter were released.
He told the Advertizer he had already done so, adding the mistake should not have happened.
The inquiry found 392 current and former MPs should repay a total of £1.2 million, while three Labour MPs and one Tory peer were formally charged with abusing their expenses.
Mr Paterson, the Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, said: “I went through two audits and was cleared, then Sir Thomas Legg found mistakes on my mortgage and council tax.
“I’m very embarrassed about it, they were completely genuine mistakes. I thought my claims were easily understandable by people.
“I never claimed for petty cash or furniture, just for the basic facts of living in London. The Legg inquiry went through my paperwork and found I had got my sums wrong.
“I am annoyed we got this wrong - it shouldn’t have happened.”
The MP said he explained the situation to Sir Thomas in a letter and paid up immediately.
Mr Paterson, who has posted his expenses on the internet since the situation blew up, said the continuing furore over expenses claims was extremely damaging.
He added he fully understood how appalled people were at the national revelations, and hoped a simplified system of expense accounting came about as a result.
Mr Paterson claimed mortgage interest of £977 a month on a flat near Parliament.
When clarifying his claims last year he said: “I receive an allowance for maintaining a second home.
“Since I was elected in 1997 this has almost entirely been used up by mortgage interest payments, council tax, utility bills and running costs such as cleaning.”