Asked by MPs if he was using taxpayer-funded expenses to travel home at the weekend, Sir David said he “agreed with my department in 2010 I would have three working bases — Birmingham, London and Leeds — and my travel to all those places would be paid for to enable me to do all the three jobs”. Sir David is retiring next year after criticism over his role in the Mid Staffordshire hospital scandal and will have a pension pot of more than £2 million.