Guess which peer has highest expenses? Yep, you're right...

[red hander]

Ulster-Scots clown supreme Lord Laird is the most expensive peer at Westminster, claiming almost £74,000 in expenses in 2008-09, 10 per cent more than the next highest claimer.

He also holds the record as the most prolific asker of parliamentary questions - answering his written questions cost the taxpayer more than £100,000 in the same year.

The official record of Lords expenses just published shows that Laird claimed his daily attendance allowance 145 times, at a cost of £12,319. He also claimed £30,734 for staying overnight in London and £14,564 for flights between London and the occupied six. With office costs of nearly £14,000, including £598 for postage and other travel costs, the total came to £73,206.

According to Hansard, Laird spoke on seven occasions during the year, usually only briefly, but he bombarded ministers with more than 700 written questions , an  average of five or six each day, and probably more than twice as many as any other peer.  On one occasion, a minister was so deluged with written questions from Lord Laird that he bundled 34 of them together and answered them all in a single written statement.

Civil servants have calculated that the average cost of answering a written question, at December 2008, was £149, implying that questions from Lord Laird comfortably exceeded £100,000. In the previous year he asked 715 written questions.

The 65-year-old peer ran into criticism when it was discovered that he had spent more than £1,000 in three months on meals in the House of Lords, for which he billed the publicly funded Ulster-Scots Agency, of which he was chairman.

Government auditors also criticised his taxi bills, including £260 for a return trip from Belfast to Dublin. Lord Laird said that there was a security reason that he needed to use taxis, because he often travelled in a kilt, which made him conspicuous.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Artigarvan bastid.

[windyshepardhenderson]

What is the ulster scots for freeloading cnut?

[Orior]

I can anticpate the interview now:

Interviewer:		"Why are your expenses the highest?"
Laird:		"I work hard and I wont have you or anyone lecture me about wasting money"
Interviewer:		"You're an asshole"
Program Director:		"Cut! Cut!"

[redhugh]

What is the ulster scots for freeloading cnut?

Poun' grabbin' basta!

[A Quinn Martin Production]

What is the ulster scots for freeloading cnut?

Lordie Lairdie

[A Quinn Martin Production]

Artigarvan bastid.

Now, now Norf Tyrone is a good guy!

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

The eejit was on today and says he is a full time peer and so his expenses arre justified, then before any probing questions could be asked, his mobile went wonky and the interview was terminated, handy that. 
Didn't realise Lord Lard was a Tyronie?

[Orior]

The eejit was on today and says he is a full time peer and so his expenses arre justified, then before any probing questions could be asked, his mobile went wonky and the interview was terminated, handy that. 
Didn't realise Lord Lard was a Tyronie?

Besides saving Ulster from the Irish, and besides wasting money on Ulster Scots, and besides getting a taxi from Belfast to Dublin, what the f**k has this **** ever done for us?

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Artigarvan bastid.

Now, now Norf Tyrone is a good guy!

Let me be more specific: that fat feeble freeloading fcukwit of a f**king excuse for culture, the Artigarvan bastid.

That should keep Norf in the clear 

[tyronefan]

Ulster-Scots clown supreme Lord Laird is the most expensive peer at Westminster, claiming almost £74,000 in expenses in 2008-09, 10 per cent more than the next highest claimer.

He also holds the record as the most prolific asker of parliamentary questions - answering his written questions cost the taxpayer more than £100,000 in the same year.

The official record of Lords expenses just published shows that Laird claimed his daily attendance allowance 145 times, at a cost of £12,319. He also claimed £30,734 for staying overnight in London and £14,564 for flights between London and the occupied six. With office costs of nearly £14,000, including £598 for postage and other travel costs, the total came to £73,206.

According to Hansard, Laird spoke on seven occasions during the year, usually only briefly, but he bombarded ministers with more than 700 written questions , an  average of five or six each day, and probably more than twice as many as any other peer.  On one occasion, a minister was so deluged with written questions from Lord Laird that he bundled 34 of them together and answered them all in a single written statement.

Civil servants have calculated that the average cost of answering a written question, at December 2008, was £149, implying that questions from Lord Laird comfortably exceeded £100,000. In the previous year he asked 715 written questions.

The 65-year-old peer ran into criticism when it was discovered that he had spent more than £1,000 in three months on meals in the House of Lords, for which he billed the publicly funded Ulster-Scots Agency, of which he was chairman.

Government auditors also criticised his taxi bills, including £260 for a return trip from Belfast to Dublin. Lord Laird said that there was a security reason that he needed to use taxis, because he often travelled in a kilt, which made him conspicuous.

I thought the public servants were overpaid in Ireland but how can it take £149 to answer a question

[Orior]

Probably
1) at least 5 phone calls to get to the people with the information
2) Half day to review the answers
3) Half hour to rewrite the answer

[tyronefan]

wonder could he email me the questions and I will answer them for half that price thus saving the taxpayer 50K per year