Lord Speaker claimed expenses for chauffeur-driven cars

Baroness D’Souza is understood to have spent £738 keeping a Mercedes parked for up to 10 hours during an event at Windsor Castle, and £270 holding a car for four and a half hours while she had lunch with the Japanese ambassador in London.

Using a Mercedes to travel from Westminster to Canterbury for the enthronement of Archbishop Justin Welby in March 2013 cost £627, while Baroness D’Souza’s Commons counterpart, John Bercow, made the same journey in a separate car for £525.

The Lord Speaker, who receives a salary of £100,000 a year, also allegedly spent tens of thousands of pounds on travel, flying business class, staying in hotels costing up to £300 a night, and ordering £123 of room service for a “breakfast meeting”.

Details of the crossbench peer’s expenses were released following a freedom of information request by the Press Association news agency.

June 2013

Baroness D’Souza used a chauffeur-driven Mercedes car to travel to the Royal Opera House, a mile from parliament. She watched Benjamin Britten’s Gloriana with the chairman of the Federation Council of Russia, and was brought back to the Lords four hours later at a cost of £230.40.

Sept 2014

She had lunch with the Japanese ambassador at his residence three miles from parliament. The driver was ordered to wait outside, charging £269.75 for four and a half hours. Had Baroness D’Souza taken a taxi, it would have cost about £30. Using the Tube would have cost less than £5.

June 2012

A Mercedes was ordered to take Lady D’Souza and Black Rod David Leakey to a Garter ceremony at Windsor Castle. The driver was told to park and wait before returning, billing £738 for 10 hours.

Autumn 2014

A 10-day official trip to Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan cost nearly £26,000. Accompanied by three officials, Lady D’Souza flew business class to Tokyo and back from Hong Kong at a cost of £3,281. Her “executive deluxe” room at the five-star Le Meridien Taipei cost £248, with £123 spent on “in-room dining”.

A House of Lords spokesman said: “The Lord Speaker usually drives herself to events she attends as a representative of the House of Lords.

“However, at events she has attended at high-profile venues including those that you have highlighted, the security requirements of the hosts often require that she is brought in a car which must also wait for her departure.

“The hosts often do not permit a separate car to be sent to collect guests for security reasons. The Lord Speaker’s Office always explores the possibility of booking separate cars in order to ensure best value for money.

“Part of the Lord Speaker’s role is to represent the House at international conferences and foreign parliaments. Significant efforts are made to ensure travel is booked in the most cost-effective way possible.”

What does the Lord Speaker do?

Unlike her Commons counterpart, Baroness D’Souza has a largely ceremonial role. She leads peers into the chamber at the start of each sitting and theoretically “presides” over debates from the Woolsack.

But she cannot call members to order, decide who is entitled to speak, or select amendments. Among the functions of the Lord Speaker listed on the parliamentary website is “attending and speaking at ceremonial occasions on behalf of the Lords and meeting visiting dignitaries and heads of state”.

The role of Lord Speaker was created in 2006 and Lady D’Souza is the second holder, receiving a salary of £101,00 and an “office holders’ allowance” of up to £36,000.