Lord Strathclyde told him the costs were dependent on a number of variables, but Lord Grocott said this was an "unsatisfactory" answer.

BBC: No plan for more peers, says Lords leader

Earlier on, Labour's Lord Grocott asked the government for its estimates of the cost of running a reformed House of Lords in the first transitional year of its operation.

BBC: No plan for more peers, says Lords leader

Lord Grocott referred to the recent referendums on installing directly elected mayors for many of England's biggest cities, in which only Bristol voted in favour and low voter turnout was common.

BBC: Former whip attacks 'friendless' Lords Reform Bill