Monday 12 November 2007

NUMBER CRUNCHING LORDS STYLE

Oh Lordy, they’ve been up to it again. Not content to see MP’s rake it in via expenses claims, members of the House of Lords have also pigged out at the trough of plenty. Covered by many papers today, it is the Times which suppliers the figures which make the calculator over heat.

“Peers help themselves to £300 a day tax free”. Self service as well I see!

Parliament has allowed members of the other house to claim up to £308 a day for meals, hotels, taxis and other travel expenses. Just in case the Lords are to sleepy after all this fun, they don’t even have to submit receipts! Could it be any more easier, or indeed, lucrative?

Here’s how it all works out:

359 out of 550 Lords who have claimed day subsistence (£78.50) – claimed the maximum on 95% of occasions

272 out of 406 Peers who live outside London and claim overnight subsistence (£159.50) – claimed the maximum on 95% of occasions

338 out of 514 Lords who claim office expenses (£69 per day) err…… as above

Lord Paul, worth about £15 billion, claimed allowances for 137 days, and then voted 26 times on 21 occasions over this period.

Peers expenses cost the tax payer £17.7 million per year, nearly 1/5 of the House of Lord’s total running costs.

Phew, tough work!

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