The House of Lords has come into sharp focus after the resignation of Lord Sewel amid allegations about his private life.

The 69-year-old stepped down this week after he was filmed allegedly taking cocaine at his London flat, in the company of prostitutes.

The former leader of Aberdeen District Council was made a life peer in 1996 and served as a minister in Tony Blair’s government, going on to become one of the architects of the Scotland Act, which created the Scottish Parliament.

Before his political career ended in disgrace, Lord Sewel was paid £84,500 a year to oversee the Lord’s committees, as well as a daily allowance for turning up.

Each of the unelected Lords are entitled to attendance allowance of either £150 or £300.

More than 100 new peers have been created in the last five years, taking the total number to 783, including 26 bishops.

Parliament’s second chamber now costs taxpayers around £100million a year to run.

The public pay out around £1.3million a year for restaurants, cafes and bars which cater for these members of the Upper House.

The revelations about Lord Sewel has left many wondering what peers actually do between slap up meals.

Because they are not elected, the Lords do not have the same powers as MPs in the House of Commons.

However, the Upper House can revise and scrutinise the government's actions and legislation.

Some say the Lords are a vital part of the political machinery because they can ask ministers to think again or even veto a bill.

But there is growing unrest about the increasing cost to the public purse as Prime Minister David Cameron prepares to appoint around 200 new peers, bringing the total to more than 1000.

Many are also concerned that the Upper House is undemocratic because peers are often nominated after donating huge sums to political parties, or inherit the title from their fathers.

This week the SNP called for the entire second chamber to be abolished.

The majority of peers affiliate with a political party but the SNP has none and senior politicians such as former First Minister Alex Salmond have indicated they would not sit in the second chamber.

Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Pete Wishart described it as the most absurd and ridiculous legislature anywhere in the world.

He said spending millions of pounds on peers is obscene when many families are relying on food banks.

As the politics of austerity drives more people into poverty the House of Lords is likely to be subjected to even greater scrutiny.

It may well be time to examine whether we really need to pay so much for an ever growing Upper Chamber that the people have no power to kick out at the ballot box.