Anger over rise in MPs' pensions

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Figures showed that the amount taxpayers have pumped into the Parliamentary scheme has rocketed by nearly a quarter over five years, up from £9.8 million in 2003 to £12 million.

An MP with 20 years' service can now expect to receive a pension of around £30,000 a year at today's prices, according to a ministerial answer to Liberal Democrat Work and Pensions spokesman Paul Rowen.

A further £15 million of taxpayers' cash was spent over the past year helping to plug a £100million black hole caused by the Treasury taking a "contributions holiday" from the scheme between 1989 and 2003.

Mr Rowen said: "This extravagance is an insult to hard-pressed taxpayers and should be reviewed. MPs need to tighten their belts too."

Former Treasury pensions adviser Ros Altmann said: "MPs are the ultimate example of the public-sector pensions aristocracy.

"Their scheme is the most generous in the land."

An extra £250,000 of overpayments from the MPs' pension fund has also been written off.

Chris Bryant, Labour MP and Deputy Commons Leader, said there had been a "significant number of pension payment errors" by the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund (PCPF) over a period of 10 years.