Each European MP costs taxpayers nearly £1m a year - that compares with £385,000 for a Westminster MP and £84,000 for a peer.

The figures - published in the House of Lords annual report - show that the upper house costs £32.1m a year.

The biggest single proportion of that money goes on peers who have 31% of the money spent on them.

Unlike MPs and MEPs members of the Lords do not get a salary but they can be reimbursed for travel, subsistence and secretarial costs incurred in the course of parliamentary duties.

Opposition cash

The allowances given to peers includes £122 for overnight accommodation, £61 for daily subsistence including food and £51 for secretarial assistance.

Additional financial help is provided to the two opposition parties and also to the cross-benchers.

The Conservatives get £390,555 a year, the Liberal Democrats get £190,000 and £35,000 a year to the convenor of the cross-benchers.

The second biggest cost for the House of Lords is that of the staff whose salaries account for just over £8m.

General administration, printing, publications, computers and so cost 20% of the £32.1m.

Costs

Security takes up 18% of the budget.

The refreshment department and retirement allowances each cost 3% of the total.

Maintaining the actual building is calculated separately from the administration costs.

In 2002-02 cash expenditure on the building £24.3m.

That money went on a range of maintenance such as restoring stonework and complying with fire, health and safety regulations.

A spokeswoman for the European Parliament said the figure of £385,000 was arrived at by dividing the entire budget by the number of MEPs.