HL Deb 19 January 1995 vol 560 cc60-2WA
Lord Finsberg

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What are the costs of maintaining the European Parliament, the House of Commons and the House of Lords, including:

  1. (a) salaries, pensions travelling allowances, secretarial expenses and other expenses for Members;
  2. (b) salaries, allowances and pensions, etc. of support staff:
  3. (c) accommodation, including rent, operating costs and security; and
  4. (d) all other administrative costs such as stationery, office equipment, publications, payments to parliamentary bodies and any other relevant outgoings.

and whether they will indicate the per capita cost per Member as well as the average number of sitting days for each institution over the past five years.

Lord Henley

Precise comparisons between the costs of the European Parliament and the Houses of Parliament are difficult. The information my noble friend has requested, however, is as follows:

Total costs £ million
1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–951
House of Lords 29.4 31.2 32.2 36.3 41.8
House of Commons 124.8 142.3 154.2 165.3 181.7
European Parliament2 306.9 342.1 425.8 486.3 516.6
Per capita cost per member £'000
1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–951
House of Lords3 31 32 31 35 41
House of Commons4 192 219 237 254 279
European Parliament2 5 592 660 822 939 911
Number of sitting days
1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–951
House of Lords 149 144 121 142 150
House of Commons 170 142 155 162 163
European Parliaments6 60 60 60 60 60

Notes:

1 Estimates.

2 Based on average £/ecu exchange rates for the relevant year.

3 Per capita costs based on number of peers eligible to sit in the House of Lords each year.

4 The number of Parliamentary seats increased from 650 to 651 in 1992–93.

5 The number of European Parliament seats increased from 518 to 567 on 9 June 1994.

6 It is not possible to give an exact figure for the number of European Parliament sittings. The European Parliament generally holds a five-day plenary session every month but there have been occasions when those plenaries have been held over a longer period.