The Members of the House of Lords do not get any salaries. However, they are entitled to claim allowances for the expenses they have incurred for attending either a sitting of the House or attending a committee meeting of the House.
Allowances
Although the Members of the House Lords are not paid any salary, they may claim certain allowances if they attend a sitting of the House. The allowances are based on the decisions of the Senior Salaries Review Body.
£ 165.50 for overnight accommodation
£ 82.50 per day subsistence allowance
£ 71.50 as office costs
The allowances may nary in accordance with the attendance levels and the place of residence as well. The Members of the House of Lords are exempted from paying any taxes on the allowances that they get. In the year 2006 – 2007, the Members’ expenses amounted to about 18% of the annual expenses of the House of lords.
Salaried Members of the House of Lords
Some Members of the House of Lords receive a salary in lieu of the office that they hold.
The Lord Speaker, the Chairman of Committees, the Principal Deputy Chairman are paid from the budget of the House of Lords
The Government Officers are paid from the relevant Governmental Departments
The 12 Law Lords are paid from the consolidated Funds
It is pertinent to mention here that Members of the House of Lords, who receive salaries are not entitled to claim any additional allowances based on attendance
Financial Support to Opposition parties
The Convenor of the Crossbench Peers in the House of Lords as well as the two Opposition parties receive financial assistance for their Parliamentary business. The amount of the financial assistance are known as “Cranborne money” and they are revised annually in accordance with the retail prices index and they are also subject to individual audits. For the year 2006-2007, the House of Lords have paid:
£436,584 annually to the Conservatives
£217,982 annually to the Liberal Democrats
£39,125 annually to the Convenor of the Crossbench Peers.
