LORDS’ CASH FOR NO QUESTIONS
Five Scots among top 10 claimants who contributed nothing at Westminster
SEVENTEEN peers who did no work at all in the House of Lords claimed more than £10,000 each in expenses last year.
The do-nothing peers failed to speak, sit on a committee or submit a written question, it emerged yesterday.
But between them they claimed an astonishing £400,000 worth of taxpayers’ cash in the last year alone.
Our shocking discovery comes amid growing calls for a cut in the number of peers.
Nine of them – five with Scottish links – pocketed more in expenses than the average Briton takes home in pay – £22,226.25.
The list is headed by former Labour Scottish Office minister Lord Kirkhill, 87, and Baroness Adams, 70, the former Paisley Labour MP Irene Adams. Both claimed more than £40,000
Also featuring are Etoneducated former Lib Dem MP Viscount Thurso, 64, 93-year-old former Labour MP Baron Howie of Troon and Lord Colville, of Culross, 58, holder of a Scottish hereditary peerage.
The shocking figures come from an analysis of expenses records for the Lords in 2016-17 by the Electoral Reform Society.
The full data is due to be published later this week.
It emerged last month that 115 “couch potato” peers claimed £1.3million expenses last year despite not speaking in the Lords.
A Lords spokesman said then that speaking was only one way to contribute.
But it has now emerged that 73 of those peers also failed to sit on a committee or even submit a written question. Of them, 17 claimed more than £10,000.
Alexandra Runswick, of campaign group Unlock Democracy, said: “Lords getting paid for doing nothing is indefensible.
“The Government say we don’t have enough money to properly fund the NHS but we’re expected to tolerate people treating Parliament as a subsidised drop-in centre.”
Darren Hughes, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society, said: “The fact nearly one in 10 peers are failing to contribute to the work of the House is bad enough.
“But it leaves a nasty taste when a significant chunk are claiming more than the average worker takes home in a year.
“What we need is a much smaller, fairly elected upper house the public can have faith in – and where voters can hold ineffective peers to account.”
There is no suggestion any of the peers broke rules or the law. All of the 17 peers voted at least once during the 2016-17 period.
None of the peers responded to a request for comment yesterday.
A Lords spokesman said: “Members can claim £300 or £150 for every day they attend the House and undertake parliamentary work. Apart from travel costs, this is the only payment peers receive.”
The spokesman added that Lords’ votes in recent years had “made a real difference to some of the most vulnerable people in society”.