Lording It Up
Yesterday's Scotland on Sunday shone a light on the expenses claimed by our politicians - this time on the House of Lords. Read the full article on-line at: www.scotsman.com - but here's a brief summary of what the newspaper had to say:
"Lord Foulkes, the only MSP who is also a peer, has been criticised for claiming almost £44,000 in House of Lords expenses in 2008-9.
Foulkes, Labour MSP for the Lothians, claimed an average of £635 for each of the 69 days that he attended the Lords in the most recent financial year. According to figures recently released by the Westminster authorities, he claimed:
£17,823 in overnight subsistence
£5,684 in day subsistence
£9,052 in office costs
£69 for postage
£11,249 in travel expenses.
The expenses are in addition to the £55,000 salary he draws for being a list MSP.
Under the Holyrood expenses system, he claimed £3,656 – making him one of the lowest claimants at the Scottish Parliament.
Foulkes has long argued politicians should be well rewarded and once said that an MP's salary of £64,000 was "ridiculously low".
When defending politicians' pay, he famously got the BBC news presenter Carrie Gracie to disclose she earned £92,000.
He has also been criticised for attempting to do two jobs at the same time.
But Foulkes defended his expenses claim, pointing out that he did important work on the Lords' Intelligence and Security Committee.
The Lords expenses were published this month and also revealed that Lord Watson of Invergowrie, who was convicted of fire-raising, claimed more than £44,000.
Watson was drunk when he set fire to curtains in Prestonfield House in 2004 and claimed he had no memory of the incident. The damage cost £4,500 to repair. He was unavailable for comment."
Now these claims must be within the rules - but why do they cost so much?
Lord Foulkes spent 69 days at the House of Lords last year - at a cost to the tax payer of £17,823 or £258 per night - plus another £5,684 or £82 per day in daily subsistence.
£82 a day in expenses - in your hand - is more than most council employees earn for a full day's work.
"Lord Foulkes, the only MSP who is also a peer, has been criticised for claiming almost £44,000 in House of Lords expenses in 2008-9.
Foulkes, Labour MSP for the Lothians, claimed an average of £635 for each of the 69 days that he attended the Lords in the most recent financial year. According to figures recently released by the Westminster authorities, he claimed:
£17,823 in overnight subsistence
£5,684 in day subsistence
£9,052 in office costs
£69 for postage
£11,249 in travel expenses.
The expenses are in addition to the £55,000 salary he draws for being a list MSP.
Under the Holyrood expenses system, he claimed £3,656 – making him one of the lowest claimants at the Scottish Parliament.
Foulkes has long argued politicians should be well rewarded and once said that an MP's salary of £64,000 was "ridiculously low".
When defending politicians' pay, he famously got the BBC news presenter Carrie Gracie to disclose she earned £92,000.
He has also been criticised for attempting to do two jobs at the same time.
But Foulkes defended his expenses claim, pointing out that he did important work on the Lords' Intelligence and Security Committee.
The Lords expenses were published this month and also revealed that Lord Watson of Invergowrie, who was convicted of fire-raising, claimed more than £44,000.
Watson was drunk when he set fire to curtains in Prestonfield House in 2004 and claimed he had no memory of the incident. The damage cost £4,500 to repair. He was unavailable for comment."
Now these claims must be within the rules - but why do they cost so much?
Lord Foulkes spent 69 days at the House of Lords last year - at a cost to the tax payer of £17,823 or £258 per night - plus another £5,684 or £82 per day in daily subsistence.
£82 a day in expenses - in your hand - is more than most council employees earn for a full day's work.
