Found: This includes leading for the Government during the passage o f the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers)

Found: (b)To advise whether the “The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill” raises any issues of constitutional

Found: Basildon, Leader of the House of Lords, to Baroness Drake, Chair of the Constitution Committee on the House

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to enact reforms to the House of Lords other than those set out in the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Government’s manifesto set out a number of commitments to reform of the House of Lords. The manifesto was clear that, as an immediate reform, it would introduce legislation to remove the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords. The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill has now completed its passage through the House of Commons and had its first reading in the House of Lords on 13 November 2024.

This is the first step in reform of the House of Lords and it is right that the Government focuses on completing the passage of this Bill.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the projected cost to the public purse is of removing hereditary peers from the House of Lords.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill is not about financial savings but is concerned with removing the outdated and indefensible right of the remaining hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) placing the House of Lords Appointment Commission (HOLAC) on a statutory footing, (b) providing HOLAC with a right of veto where candidates are not deemed fit and proper, (c) requiring the publication of supporting rationale for HOLAC decision making and (d) requiring increased scrutiny of proposed appointments where candidates have (i) acted as a fundraiser for and (ii) made sizeable financial contributions to a political party.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Government committed in its manifesto to reform the process of appointments to the House of Lords to ensure the quality of new appointments and to seek to improve the national and regional balance of the second chamber and is actively considering how this can be achieved.

This Government has also already introduced the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill. This Bill delivers the Government’s manifesto commitment to bring about an immediate reform by removing the right of the remaining hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to consult on proposals to reform the House of Lords; and whether those consultations will include the removal of the Lords Spiritual from the House of Lords.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Government has set out an ambitious programme of House of Lords reform. As an immediate first step, the Government has introduced the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill, which will remove the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords. The Government believes that it is right to take the time to consider how best to implement the other manifesto commitments over the course of this Parliament.

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Smith of Basildon on 30 July, what plans they have to consult on their proposals to reform this House; when any such consultation will (1) be published, and (2) close; and what specific proposals will be in scope.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Basildon - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

The Kings Speech included the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill which has now been introduced into the House of Commons. Other proposed reforms include the appointment process, retirement and participation. I have already started engaging with colleagues around the House and welcome their input. I look forward to continuing this dialogue. As outlined in our manifesto, in the longer term the Government will consult on further reforms to ensure that an alternative second chamber is more representative of the nation and regions.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) the Government has a planned timetable for the removal of the right for hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords and (b) his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of (i) ending by-elections to the House of Lords and (ii) offering life peerages to incumbent hereditary peers.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

As a first step in reform of the House of Lords, the Government has introduced the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill, which will remove the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords.

The Government is committed to other reforms to the House of Lords, including the introduction of a mandatory retirement age, a new participation requirement, and changes to the appointments process, as well as strengthening the circumstances in which disgraced members can be removed. There is also a long-term commitment to replace the House of Lords with an alternative second chamber that is more representative of the regions and nations. Given the nature and potential scale of these reforms, the Government will conduct engagement and consult on proposals for an alternative second chamber, seeking the input of the British public on how politics can best serve them.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to consult on (a) a mandatory retirement age and (b) the removal of hereditary peers from the House of Lords.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Government set out clear plans for House of Lords reform in the manifesto. As a first step in reform, the Government announced in the King’s Speech that it would introduce the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill, which will remove the right for Hereditary Peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords. This is a long overdue measure. The continued presence of hereditary peers in the House of Lords is outdated and indefensible.

We will engage with peers to consider how best to implement this and our other manifesto commitments on Lords reform.

Found: House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill 2024-25

Found: is one of two countries with a hereditary element to its Parliament Today [Tuesday 15 October] the House

Found: Bill [Reintroduced]  Draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill  Tobacco and Vapes Bill [Reintroduced]  House

Found: of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill ................................ ................................