HL Deb 21 January 2004 vol 657 cc1036-8

ELIGIBILITY TO CLAIM

  1. A. Members of the House of Lords, except those in receipt of a salary as a Minister, Office Holder or Lord of Appeal in Ordinary, are entitled to recover travel, subsistence and office costs incurred in connection with their parliamentary duties.
  2. B. Ministers and Office Holders are able to recover Secretarial Expenses incurred in respect of their Parliamentary duties. In addition, the Chairman of Committees, the Principal Deputy Chairman of Committees, Leader of the Opposition and Opposition Chief Whip are paid personal travelling expenses from home to the House of Lords.
  3. C. Lords of Appeal in ordinary are eligible for reimbursement of travelling expenses alone.

ATTENDANCE

Expenses payable to Members within category A above are linked to attendance at:

Costs incurred in respect of an attendance at any other meeting, whether held at Westminster or not, cannot be recovered unless the Member attends a meeting as defined above on the same day.

SENIOR SALARIES REVIEW BODY (SSRB)

Facilities for free travel to enable Lords to attend the House for the purpose of their parliamentary duties were introduced in 1946. Lords were first able to claim limited reimbursement of other expenses in 1957. The current structure was broadly put in place following the recommendations of the then Top Salaries Review Body in 1979. Since 1994, allowances have been annually uprated by reference to the Retail Prices Index. The last report by the SSRB was in 2001 (Report No 48); its recommendations were accepted with effect from 20 June 2001. Subsistence and office costs allowances are up-rated with effect from 1 August each year, the travel allowances with effect from 1 April.

Expenses of Members of the House of Lords 2001–04:explanatory notes
Description Maximum amount payable
Overnight Subsistence For each day of attendance:
Members who do not live within reasonable daily travelling distance of Westminster, and incur the expense of overnight accommodation in London while away from their only or main residence for the purpose of attending sittings of the House may claim for such expenses. A Member whose main residence is outside Greater London and who maintains a residence in London for the purpose of attending sittings of the house may claim this allowance towards the cost of maintaining such a residence. August 2000–19 June 2001 £84.00 per day
20 June 2001–July 2001 £120.00
August 2001–July 2002 £122.00
August 2002–July 2003 £124.00
August 2003–July 2004 £128.00
Day Subsistence For each day of attendance:
Members may claim day subsistence and incidental travel costs not separately recoverable. This allowance is intended to cover such items as the cost of meals and incidental travel costs. August 2000–19 June 2001 £37.00 per day
20 June 2001–July 2001 £60.00
August 2001–July 2002 £61.00
August 2002–July 2003 £62.00
August 2003–July 2004 £64.00
Office Costs For each day of attendance:
Members may recover certain office costs including the cost of secretarial help, research assistance and here appropriate the cost of providing necessary equipment, together with the cost of certain additional expenses (eg domestic costs, purchase of books, periodicals, and professional subscription charges that arise out of parliamentary duties). August 2000–19 June 2001 £36.00 per day
20 June 2001–July 2001 £50.00
August 2001–July 2002 £51.00
August 2002–July 2003 £52.00
August 2003–July 2004 £53.50
In addition, office costs incurred on days when the House is not sitting or a Member does not attend may be claimed up to an additional 40 days per year.
Description Maximum amount payable
Travelling Expenses
Travel to Westminster
Members may recover, subject to certain rules, the costs of fares incurred in travelling between their principal residence and Westminster for the purposes of attending a sitting of the House, or (subject to the limits set out below) the costs of travel by private car or bicycle.
UK Travel
In addition to the normal travel arrangements, the cost of journeys made on parliamentary business elsewhere within the United Kingdom may also be recovered.
European Travel
From 1 April 2003 Members are able to recover the costs of two return journeys per year, travelling on parliamentary duties, between the United Kingdom and any European Union institution in Brussels, Luxembourg or Strasbourg or the national parliament of a European Union state or a candidate country.
Motor Mileage Allowance 2001–up to 20,000 miles per year at 53.7p per mile and over 20,000 at the rate of 24.8 per mile 2002–03: 54.4p or 25.1p 2003–04:56.1p or 25.9p
Bicycle Allowance 2001–02:6.9p per mile 2002–03:7p 2003–04:7.2p
Free Postage Costs
Prepaid envelopes and postcards are available for use by Members for correspondence on House of Lords' business. The costs shown include the postage and envelope costs.
Ministers' Secretarial Expenses
Ministers and other paid Office Holders in the House of Lords are able to recover expenses for secretarial assistance certified as incurred by them in the performance of their Parliamentary duties. August 2000—July 2001 £4,460 per year
August 2001—July 2002 £4,531
August 2002—July 2003 £4,599
August 2003—July 2004 £4,742
IT Equipment
Members are entitled to the loan of up to two PCs (one of which must be a laptop) and printers for use on Parliamentary business. House of Lords policy is for PCs to be replaced every three years. From November 2003 the costs of a broadband installation and line rental may also be paid by the House.
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