§ Viscount Tenbyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the annual cost of maintaining the European Parliament, the House of Commons and the House of Lords, including:
and whether they will indicate the per capita cost per Member as well as the average number of sitting days for each institution for 2001–02 and for each of the previous four years. [HL4649]
- (a) salaries, pensions, travelling allowances, secretarial expenses and other expenses for Members;
- (b) salaries, allowances and pensions and other costs of support staff;
- (c) accommodation, including rent, operating costs and security; and
- (d) all other administrative costs such as stationery, office equipment, publications, payments to parliamentary bodies and other relevant outgoings;
Lord McIntosh of Haringey:
The information for the years 1997–98 and 1998–99 was given in my Answer of 22 July 1999 (WA 129–30). The information for 1999–2000 was given in my Answer of 5 July 2000 (WA 133) and the information for 2000–01 was given in my Answer of 12 July 2001 (WA 87). The information for 2001–02 is as follows.
Total Costs £ millions House of Lords 56.3 House of Commons (5) 253.7 European Parliament (1) 614.2 of which UK. cost is 61.0 110WA
Per capita cost per member £'000 House of Lords (2) 84 House of Commons (6) 385 European Parliament (3) 981
Number of sitting days House of Lords 134 House of Commons (7) 143 European Parliament (4) 138 (1) Based on calendar years and average £/eu exchange rate for the relevant year. The cost to the UK is derived from the UK's financing share after abatement.
(2) Per capita cost based on the number of Peers eligible to sit in the House of Lords at the beginning of each year. The number of Peers has reduced significantly since the House of Lords Act 1999, when 655 hereditary Peers ceased to be Members from November 1999.
(3) The number of European Parliament seats increased from 518 to 567 in June 1994 and has increased since to its present total of 626.
(4) In 2001–02 the European Parliament sat for 138 days. This includes plenary sessions as well as part-plenaries, committee days and political group days in Brussels. In addition, there were 14 constituency days.
(5) The total cost of the House of Commons includes capital costs in respect of new parliamentary buildings.
(6) Per capita costs based on 659 members.
(7) The number of sitting days for the House of Commons in 2001–02 was 224, including Westminster Hall sittings.
(1&3) The sterling cost of the European Parliament fluctuates due to changes in the value of the euro relative to sterling.