A shamed Perthshire peer has cost taxpayers nearly £10,000 for each time he has spoken in the House of Lords.
Lord Watson of Invergowrie, who was jailed for fire-raising in 2005, claimed just over £48,000 in attendance allowances and travel expenses in a year. The 63-year-old claimed £40,650 for turning up at the Lords and £7,983 for travel between April 2011 and February.
But during that period he only contributed to five parliamentary debates and took part in a quarter of the possible votes.
The revelations come just days after a massive rebellion from Tory MPs saw plans to reform the House of Lords put on hold.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg wants to slash the number of peers by almost half and ensure at least 80% are elected.
SNP MSP James Dornan said Lord Watson’s case showed that the House of Lords should be abolished.
”People will be rightly angry that disgraced politicians can continue to lord it up at public expense,” he said. ”Just a week since the UK Government’s Lords reform proposals were left in chaos, this shows exactly why this unelected and expensive retirement home for old politicians should be abolished.
”Scotland already has a modern, democratically representative parliament at Holyrood, and it is there that all decisions which affect people in Scotland should be rightfully scrutinised.”
Watson, a former Labour MP and MSP, was jailed after setting alight curtains at the Prestonfield House Hotel in Edinburgh following an awards bash in 2004.
Photo by Danny Lawson / PA