.....and a good example has emerged from our old friends the House of Lords who, in the depths of the ongoing pandemic, have mysteriously seen an upsurge in the number of peers voting.  Now this is surely coincidental but this increased enthusiasm for voting in the Lords seems to have arisen since the introduction of a £162 daily allowance for taking part in virtual divisions during the pandemic.

Since the payment was introduced last month, on average 497 peers have voted on each of the bills before the house.   This is 137 higher than the average over the past five years - an increase of nearly 40%.  Last week, for example, 561 out of the approximately 800 peers voted on an amendment to the Fisheries Bill which is the biggest `turnout` in more than two years.   That vote alone cost the taxpayer £90,000 !

Before the lockdown, peers would receive a daily allowance of £323 if they arrived to take part in the proceedings at the Lords.   Then the payment of about half that sum - £162 a day - was brought in for peers who took part virtually in debates or committee hearings.  Then the payment was changed so that any peer who simply voted became entitled to the payment.  If all of the 800 or so peers voted, the cost to the taxpayer would be £129,600 a day.

One peer, wishing to remain anonymous, said that the huge rise in the number of peers voting "looks dreadful."   He wasn`t wrong, but of course there is the old saying that it is indeed an ill wind that blows no good - especially if you`re a peer of the realm.