The House of Lords new sleaze watchdog is to be paid the equivalent of £90,000 a year, it has been revealed.
The post of commissioner for standards in the Lords has been advertised on the parliamentary website, and a recruitment firm is also understood to be identifying candidate.
Both the commissioner role and the new Code of Conduct were agreed by the House of Lords last November in the wake of allegations that some peers had been paid to influence legislation.
Responsibilities are to include the independent investigation and assessment of allegations of breaches of the House's Code of Conduct by members, in relation to the expenses and allowances system.
The advert placed on the Parliament website invites candidates who have "operated at senior level within a complex organisation in the public or private sector, and will bring natural authority to the role".
And although the pro-rata sum is higher than an MPs' salary of around £65,000, it is considerably less than the pay of John Lyon the Commons standards commissioner.
The new system is intended to be in place by the start of the next Parliament.
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd