Built Environment Committee
Common Frameworks Scrutiny Committee
Communications and Digital Committee
Conduct Committee
Constitution Committee
Covid-19 Committee
Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee
Economic Affairs Committee
Environment and Climate Change Committee
European Affairs Committee
Finance Committee
House of Lords Commission
Hybrid Instruments Committee
Industry and Regulators Committee
International Agreements Committee
International Relations and Defence Committee
Justice and Home Affairs Committee
Liaison Committee
National Plan for Sport and Recreation Committee
Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST)
Procedure and Privileges Committee
Public Services Committee
Risk Assessment and Risk Planning Committee
Science and Technology Committee
Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee
Services Committee
Standing Orders (Private Bills) Committee
Youth Unemployment Committee
Joint Committee on Consolidation etc. Bills
Joint Committee on Human Rights
Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy
Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments
Membership Motions
12:23
Moved by
Committee of Selection
That in accordance with Standing Order 62 a Committee of Selection be appointed to select and propose to the House the names of the members to form each select committee of the House (except the Committee of Selection itself and any committee otherwise provided for by statute or by order of the House) or any other body not being a select committee referred to it by the Senior Deputy Speaker, and the panel of Deputy Chairmen of Committees; and that the following members together with the Senior Deputy Speaker be appointed to the Committee:
Ashton of Hyde, L, Evans of Bowes Park, B, Coussins, B, Judge, L, McAvoy, L, Newby, L, Plant of Highfield, L, Smith of Basildon, B, Smith of Hindhead, L, Stoneham of Droxford, L.
Built Environment Committee
That a Select Committee be appointed to consider matters relating to the built environment, including policies relating to housing, planning, transport and infrastructure;
That the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Bakewell, B, Berkeley, L, Best, L, Carrington of Fulham, L, Cohen of Pimlico, B, Grocott, L, Haselhurst, L, Lytton, E, Moylan, L, Neville-Rolfe, B, (Chair) Stunell, L, Thornhill, B.
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;
That the Committee have power to meet outside Westminster; That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;
That the evidence taken by the Committee be published, if the Committee so wishes.
Common Frameworks Scrutiny Committee
That a Select Committee be appointed to scrutinise and consider matters relating to common frameworks; and that the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Andrews, B, (Chair) Bruce of Bennachie, L, Caine, L, Crawley, B, Foulkes of Cumnock, L, Garnier, L, Hope of Craighead, L, McInnes of Kilwinning, L, Murphy of Torfaen, L, Randerson, B, Redfern, B, Ritchie of Downpatrick, B, Thomas of Cwmgiedd, L.
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;
That the Committee have power to meet outside Westminster; That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;
That the evidence taken by the Committee in the last session of Parliament be referred to the Committee; That the evidence taken by the Committee be published, if the Committee so wishes.
Communications and Digital Committee
That a Select Committee be appointed to consider the media, digital and creative industries and that the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Bull, B, Buscombe, B, Colville of Culross, V, Featherstone, B, Gilbert of Panteg, L, (Chair) Grender, B, Griffiths of Burry Port, L, Lipsey, L, McInnes of Kilwinning, L, Rebuck, B, Stevenson of Balmacara, L, Vaizey of Didcot, L, Worcester, Bp.
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;
That the Committee have power to meet outside Westminster; That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;
That the evidence taken by the Committee in the last session of Parliament be referred to the Committee; That the evidence taken by the Committee be published, if the Committee so wishes.
Conduct Committee
That a Conduct Committee be appointed and that the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Anelay of St Johns, B, Brown of Eaton-under-Heywood, L, Donaghy, B, Hussein-Ece, B, Mance, L. (Chair)
That the following be appointed as lay external members of the Committee:
Cindy Butts, Mark Castle OBE, Andrea Coomber, Vanessa Davies;
That the quorum of the Committee shall be three Lords members and two lay members; That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records;
That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;
That the evidence taken by the Committee be published, if the Committee so wishes.
Constitution Committee
That a Select Committee be appointed to examine the constitutional implications of public bills coming before the House; and to keep under review the operation of the constitution and constitutional aspects of devolution; and that the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Corston, B, Doocey, B, Drake, B, Dunlop, L, Faulks, L, Fookes, B, Hennessy of Nympsfield, L, Hope of Craighead, L, Howarth of Newport, L, Howell of Guildford, L, Sherbourne of Didsbury, L, Suttie, B, Taylor of Bolton, B. (Chair)
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;
That the Committee have power to meet outside Westminster; That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;
That the evidence taken by the Committee in the last session of Parliament be referred to the Committee; That the evidence taken by the Committee be published, if the Committee so wishes.
Covid-19 Committee
That a Select Committee be appointed to consider the long-term implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economic and social wellbeing of the United Kingdom; and that the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Alderdice, L, Benjamin, B, Chisholm of Owlpen, B, Duncan of Springbank, L, Elder, L, Hain, L, Harris of Haringey, L, Jay of Paddington, B, Lane-Fox of Soho, B, (Chair) Morgan of Cotes, B, Pickles, L, Young of Hornsey, B.
That the Committee have power to co-opt any member to serve on the Committee; That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records;
That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers; That the Committee have power to meet outside Westminster; That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;
That the evidence taken by the Committee in the last session of Parliament be referred to the Committee; That the evidence taken by the Committee be published, if the Committee so wishes.
Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee
That a Select Committee be appointed:
(i) To report whether the provisions of any bill inappropriately delegate legislative power, or whether they subject the exercise of legislative power to an inappropriate degree of parliamentary scrutiny;
(ii) To report on documents and draft orders laid before Parliament under or by virtue of:
(a) sections 14 and 18 of the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006,
(b) section 7(2) or section 19 of the Localism Act 2011, or
(c) section 5E(2) of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004;
and to perform, in respect of such draft orders, and in respect of subordinate provisions orders made or proposed to be made under the Regulatory Reform Act 2001, the functions performed in respect of other instruments and draft instruments by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments; and
(iii) To report on documents and draft orders laid before Parliament under or by virtue of:
(a) section 85 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998,
(b) section 17 of the Local Government Act 1999,
(c) section 9 of the Local Government Act 2000,
(d) section 98 of the Local Government Act 2003, or
(e) section 102 of the Local Transport Act 2008.
That the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Andrews, B, Blencathra, L, (Chair) Browning, B, Goddard of Stockport, L, Haselhurst, L, Hendy, L, Janvrin, L, Meacher, B, Rowlands, L, Tope, L.
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;
That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;
That the evidence taken by the Committee be published, if the Committee so wishes.
Economic Affairs Committee
That a Select Committee be appointed to consider economic affairs and business affairs and that the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Bridges of Headley, L, Chandos, V, Forsyth of Drumlean, L, (Chair) Fox, L, Harding of Winscombe, B, Haskel, L, King of Lothbury, L, Kingsmill, B, Kramer, B, Livingston of Parkhead, L, Monks, L, Skidelsky, L, Stern of Brentford, L.
That the Committee have power to appoint a sub-committee and to refer to it any of the matters within the Committee’s terms of reference; that the Committee have power to appoint the Chair of the sub-committee;
That the Committee have power to co-opt any member to serve on the Committee or a sub-committee; That the Committee and its sub-committee have power to send for persons, papers and records;
That the Committee and its sub-committee have power to appoint specialist advisers; That the Committee and its sub-committee have power to meet outside Westminster; That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;
That the evidence taken by the Committee in the last session of Parliament be referred to the Committee; That the evidence taken by the Committee or its sub-committee be published, if the Committee so wishes.
Environment and Climate Change Committee
That a Select Committee be appointed to consider the environment and climate change; That the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Boycott, B, Browne of Ladyton, L, Cameron of Dillington, L, Chalker of Wallasey, B, Colgrain, L, Lilley, L, Lucas, L, Northover, B, Oxford, Bp, Parminter, B, (Chair) Puttnam, L, Whitty, L, Young of Old Scone, B.
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;
That the Committee have power to meet outside Westminster; That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;
That the evidence taken by the Committee be published, if the Committee so wishes.
European Affairs Committee
That a Select Committee be appointed:
(1) To consider matters relating to the United Kingdom’s relationship with the European Union and the European Economic Area, including:
a) The implementation of any agreements between the United Kingdom and the European Union, including the operation of the governance structures established under those agreements;
b) Any negotiations and further agreements between the United Kingdom and the European Union;
c) The operation of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland;
(2) To consider European Union documents deposited in the House by a minister;
(3) To support the House as appropriate in interparliamentary cooperation with the European Parliament and the Member States of the European Union;
That the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Couttie, B, Faulkner of Worcester, L, Foulkes of Cumnock, L, Hannay of Chiswick, L, Jay of Ewelme, L, Jolly, B, Kinnoull, E, (Chair) Lamont of Lerwick, L, Liddle, L, Purvis of Tweed, L, Trenchard, V, Tugendhat, L, Wood of Anfield, L.
That the Committee have power to appoint a sub-committee and to refer to it any matters within its terms of reference;
That the Committee have power to appoint the Chair of the sub-committee;
That the Committee have power to co-opt any member to serve on the sub-committee;
That the Committee and its sub-committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; That the Committee and its sub-committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;
That the Committee and its sub-committee have power to meet outside Westminster; That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;
That the evidence taken by the Committee and by the European Union Committee in the previous session of Parliament be referred to the Committee;
That the evidence taken by the Committee or its sub-committee be published, if the Committee so wishes.
Finance Committee
That a Select Committee be appointed to support the House of Lords Commission by:
(1) Considering expenditure on services provided from the Estimate for the House of Lords,
(2) Reporting to the Commission on the forecast outturn, Estimate and financial plan submitted by the Management Board,
(3) Monitoring the financial performance of the House Administration, and
(4) Reporting to the Commission on the financial implications of significant proposals;
That the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Campbell-Savours, L, Colgrain, L, Collins of Highbury, L, Courtown, E, Davies of Brixton, L, Lee of Trafford, L, Levene of Portsoken, L, Noakes, B, Vaux of Harrowden, L, (Chair) Stoneham of Droxford, L.
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House.
House of Lords Commission
That a Select Committee be appointed to provide high-level strategic and political direction for the House of Lords Administration on behalf of the House and that the following members be appointed to the Committee:
McFall of Alcluith, L, (Chair) Evans of Bowes Park, B, German, L, Hill of Oareford, L, Judge, L, Gardiner of Kimble, L, (Deputy Chair) Newby, L, Smith of Basildon, B, Touhig, L, Vaux of Harrowden, L.
That Mathew Duncan and Nora Senior be appointed as external members of the Committee; That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records;
That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House.
Hybrid Instruments Committee
That a Select Committee be appointed to consider hybrid instruments and that the following members together with the Senior Deputy Speaker be appointed to the Committee:
Addington, L, Dykes, L, Grantchester, L, Harrison, L, Jenkin of Kennington, B, Swinfen, L.
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House; and
That the evidence taken by the Committee be published, if the Committee so wishes.
Industry and Regulators Committee
That a Select Committee be appointed to consider matters relating to industry, including the policies of Her Majesty’s Government to promote industrial growth, skills and competitiveness, and to scrutinise the work of UK regulators;
That the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Allen of Kensington, L, Blackwell, L, Bowles of Berkhamsted, B, Burns, L, Curry of Kirkharle, L, Donaghy, B, Eatwell, L, Grade of Yarmouth, L, Hollick, L, (Chair) Noakes, B, Reay, L, Sharkey, L.
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;
That the Committee have power to meet outside Westminster; That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;
That the evidence taken by the Committee be published, if the Committee so wishes.
International Agreements Committee
That a Select Committee be appointed to consider matters relating to the negotiation, conclusion and implementation of international agreements, and to report on treaties laid before Parliament in accordance with Part 2 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010; and that the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Astor of Hever, L, Foster of Bath, L, Gold, L, Goldsmith, L, (Chair) Kerr of Kinlochard, L, Lansley, L, Liddell of Coatdyke, B, Morris of Aberavon, L, Oates, L, Robathan, L, Sandwich, E, Watts, L.
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;
That the Committee have power to meet outside Westminster; That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;
That the evidence taken by the Committee and by the International Agreements Sub-Committee of the European Union Committee in the last session of Parliament be referred to the Committee; That the evidence taken by the Committee be published, if the Committee so wishes.
International Relations and Defence Committee
That a Select Committee be appointed to consider the United Kingdom’s international relations and issues relating to UK defence policy and that the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Alton of Liverpool, L, Anderson of Swansea, L, Anelay of St Johns, B, (Chair) Blackstone, B, Boateng, L, Campbell of Pittenweem, L, Fall, B, Mendelsohn, L, Rawlings, B, Stirrup, L, Sugg, B, Teverson, L.
That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; That the Committee have power to meet outside Westminster;
That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;
That the evidence taken by the Committee in the last session of Parliament be referred to the Committee; That the evidence taken by the Committee be published, if the Committee so wishes.
Justice and Home Affairs Committee
That a Select Committee be appointed to consider justice and home affairs, including the domestic criminal justice system, and international cooperation in respect of criminal justice, civil justice, migration and asylum;
That the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Blunkett, L, Chakrabarti, B, Dholakia, L, Hallett, B, Hamwee, B, (Chair) Hunt of Wirral, L, Kennedy of The Shaws, B, Pidding, B, Primarolo, B, Ricketts, L, Sanderson of Welton, B, Shackleton of Belgravia, B.
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;
That the Committee have power to meet outside Westminster; That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;
That the evidence taken by the Committee be published, if the Committee so wishes.
Liaison Committee
That a Select Committee be appointed to advise the House on the resources required for select committee work and to allocate resources between select committees; to review the select committee work of the House; to consider requests for Special Inquiry Committees and report to the House with recommendations; to ensure effective co-ordination between the two Houses; and to consider the availability of members to serve on committees;
That the following members together with the Senior Deputy Speaker be appointed to the Committee:
Bradley, L, Campbell of Surbiton, B, Davies of Oldham, L, Hayter of Kentish Town, B, Howe, E, Judge, L, Lang of Monkton, L, Smith of Hindhead, L, Tyler, L, Walmsley, B.
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;
That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House.
National Plan for Sport and Recreation Committee
That a Select Committee be appointed to consider the effectiveness of current sport and recreation policies and initiatives, and the case for a national plan for sport and recreation, and to make recommendations; and that the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Addington, L, Blower, B, Brady, B, Devon, E, Grey-Thompson, B, Hayward, L, Knight of Weymouth, L, Morris of Yardley, B, Moynihan, L, Sater, B, Snape, L, Willis of Knaresborough, L. (Chair)
That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; That the Committee have power to meet outside Westminster;
That the evidence taken by the Committee in the last session of Parliament be referred to the Committee; That the evidence taken by the Committee be published, if the Committee so wishes;
That the Committee do report by 30 November 2021;
That the report of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House.
Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST)
That the following Lords be appointed to the Board of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST):
Haskel, L, Oxburgh, L, Patel, L, Winston, L.
Procedure and Privileges Committee
That a Select Committee on Procedure of the House be appointed and that the following members together with the Senior Deputy Speaker be appointed to the Committee:
Ashton of Hyde, L, Bew, L, Eames, L, Evans of Bowes Park, B, Faulkner of Worcester, L, Geddes, L, Harris of Richmond, B, Judge, L, Mancroft, L, McAvoy, L, McFall of Alcluith, L, McIntosh of Hudnall, B, Newby, L, Quin, B, Smith of Basildon, B, Stoneham of Droxford, L, Thomas of Winchester, B, Ullswater, V.
and that the following members be appointed as alternate members:
Alderdice, L, Browning, B, Finlay of Llandaff, B, Turnbull, L.
That the Committee have power to appoint sub-committees and that the Committee have power to appoint the Chairs of sub-committees;
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House.
Public Services Committee
That a Select Committee be appointed to consider public services, including health and education, and that the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Armstrong of Hill Top, B, (Chair) Bichard, L, Bourne of Aberystwyth, L, Davies of Gower, L, Filkin, L, Hogan-Howe, L, Hunt of Kings Heath, L, Pinnock, B, Pitkeathley, B, Tyler of Enfield, B, Wyld, B, Young of Cookham, L.
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;
That the Committee have power to meet to meet outside Westminster; That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;
That the evidence taken by the Committee in the last session of Parliament be referred to the Committee; That the evidence taken by the Committee be published, if the Committee so wishes.
Risk Assessment and Risk Planning Committee
That a Select Committee be appointed to consider risk assessment and risk planning in the context of disruptive national hazards, and to make recommendations; and that the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Arbuthnot of Edrom, L, (Chair) Browne of Ladyton, L, Clement-Jones, L, Mair, L, McGregor-Smith, B, O’Shaughnessy, L, Rees of Ludlow, L, Robertson of Port Ellen, L, Symons of Vernham Dean, B, Thurso, V, Triesman, L, Willetts, L.
That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; That the Committee have power to meet outside Westminster;
That the evidence taken by the Committee in the last session of Parliament be referred to the Committee; That the evidence taken by the Committee be published, if the Committee so wishes;
That the Committee do report by 30 November 2021;
That the report of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House.
Science and Technology Committee
That a Select Committee be appointed to consider science and technology and that the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Blackwood of North Oxford, B, Hanworth, V, Holmes of Richmond, L, Kakkar, L, Krebs, L, Manningham-Buller, B, Mitchell, L, Patel, L, (Chair) Rock, B, Sarfraz, L, Sheehan, B, Walmsley, B, Warwick of Undercliffe, B, Winston, L.
That the Committee have power to appoint sub-committees and that the Committee have power to appoint the Chairs of sub-committees;
That the Committee have power to co-opt any member to serve on the Committee or a sub-committee; That the Committee and its sub-committees have power to send for persons, papers and records;
That the Committee and its sub-committees have power to appoint specialist advisers; That the Committee and its sub-committees have power to meet outside Westminster; That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;
That the evidence taken by the Committee or its sub-committees in the last session of Parliament be referred to the Committee or its sub-committees;
That the evidence taken by the Committee or its sub-committees be published, if the Committee so wishes.
Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee
That a Select Committee be appointed to scrutinise secondary legislation.
(1) The Committee shall report on draft instruments published under paragraph 14 of Schedule 8 to the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.
(2) The Committee shall report on draft instruments and memoranda laid before Parliament under—
(a) sections 8 and 23(1) of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, and
(b) section 31 of the European Union (Future Relationship) Act 2020.
(3) The Committee shall, with the exception of those instruments in paragraphs (5) and (6), scrutinise—
(a) every instrument (whether or not a statutory instrument), or draft of an instrument, which is laid before each House of Parliament and upon which proceedings may be, or might have been, taken in either House of Parliament under an Act of Parliament;
(b) every proposal which is in the form of a draft of such an instrument and is laid before each House of Parliament under an Act of Parliament, with a view to determining whether or not the special attention of the House should be drawn to it on any of the grounds specified in paragraph (4).
(4) The grounds on which an instrument, draft or proposal may be drawn to the special attention of the House are—
(a) that it is politically or legally important or gives rise to issues of public policy likely to be of interest to the House;
(b) that it may be inappropriate in view of changed circumstances since the enactment of the parent Act;
(c) that it may imperfectly achieve its policy objectives;
(d) that the explanatory material laid in support provides insufficient information to gain a clear understanding about the instrument’s policy objective and intended implementation;
(e) that there appear to be inadequacies in the consultation process which relates to the instrument;
(f) that the instrument appears to deal inappropriately with deficiencies in retained EU law.
(5) The exceptions are—
(a) remedial orders, and draft remedial orders, under section 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998;
(b) draft orders under sections 14 and 18 of the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006, and subordinate provisions orders made or proposed to be made under the Regulatory Reform Act 2001;
(c) Measures under the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919 and instruments made, and drafts of instruments to be made, under them.
(6) The Committee shall report on draft orders and documents laid before Parliament under section 11(1) of the Public Bodies Act 2011 in accordance with the procedures set out in sections 11(5) and (6). The Committee may also consider and report on any material changes in a draft order laid under section 11(8) of the Act.
(7) The Committee shall also consider such other general matters relating to the effective scrutiny of secondary legislation and arising from the performance of its functions under paragraphs (1) to (6) as the Committee considers appropriate, except matters within the orders of reference of the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments.
That the Committee have power to appoint sub-committees and to refer to them any matters within its terms of reference; that the Committee have power to appoint the Chairs of sub-committees; that the quorum of each sub-committee be two;
The Committee’s power to appoint sub-committees shall lapse upon the expiry of the power to make instruments under section 23(1) of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018;
That the Committee have power to co-opt any member to serve on a sub-committee;
That the Committee and its sub-committees have power to send for persons, papers and records; That the Committee and its sub-committees have power to appoint specialist advisers;
That the Committee and its sub-committees have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee and its sub-committees be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;
That the evidence taken by the Committee or its sub-committees in the last session of Parliament be referred to the Committee or its sub-committees;
That the evidence taken by the Committee or its sub-committees be published, if the Committee or its sub-committees so wish.
That the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville, B, Chartres, L, Cunningham of Felling, L, German, L, Hanworth, V, Hodgson of Astley Abbotts, L, (Chair) Lindsay, E, Lisvane, L, Sherbourne of Didsbury, L, Watkins of Tavistock, B.
Services Committee
That a Select Committee be appointed to support the House of Lords Commission by:
(1) Agreeing day-to-day policy on member-facing services,
(2) Providing advice on strategic policy decisions when sought by the Commission, and
(3) Overseeing the delivery and implementation of both; That the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Ashton of Hyde, L, Borwick, L, Clark of Windermere, L, Clement-Jones, L, Deech, B, Judge, L, Morris of Bolton, B, Stoneham of Droxford, L, Touhig, L, (Chair) Wheeler, B.
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House.
Standing Orders (Private Bills) Committee
That a Select Committee on the Standing Orders relating to private bills be appointed and that the following members together with the Senior Deputy Speaker be appointed to the Committee:
Fellowes, L, Geddes, L, McColl of Dulwich, L, Naseby, L, Rodgers of Quarry Bank, L, Simon, V.
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;
That the evidence taken by the Committee be published, if the Committee so wishes.
Youth Unemployment Committee
That a Select Committee be appointed to consider youth unemployment, education and skills, and to make recommendations; and that the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Baker of Dorking, L, Clark of Kilwinning, B, Clarke of Nottingham, L, Davies of Oldham, L, Derby, Bp, Empey, L, Hall of Birkenhead, L, Layard, L, McIntosh of Hudnall, B, Newlove, B, Shipley, L, (Chair) Storey, L, Woolley of Woodford, L.
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records;
That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers; That the Committee have power to meet outside Westminster; That the Committee do report by 30 November 2021;
That the report of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;
That the evidence taken by the Committee in the last session of Parliament be referred to the Committee; That the evidence taken by the Committee be published, if the Committee so wishes.
Joint Committee on Consolidation etc. Bills
In accordance with Standing Order 50 that the following Lords be appointed to join with the Committee of the Commons as the Joint Committee on Consolidation etc. Bills:
Andrews, B, Bridgeman, V, D’Souza, B, Eames, L, Eccles, V, Hanworth, V, Mallalieu, B, Plant of Highfield, L, Razzall, L, Seccombe, B, Thomas of Cwmgiedd, L, (Chair) Thomas of Winchester, B.
That the Committee have power to agree with the Committee appointed by the Commons in the appointment of a Chair;
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;
That the evidence taken by the Committee be published, if the Committee so wishes.
Joint Committee on Human Rights
That a Select Committee of six members be appointed to join with a Committee appointed by the Commons as the Joint Committee on Human Rights:
To consider:
(a) matters relating to human rights in the United Kingdom (but excluding consideration of individual cases);
(b) proposals for remedial orders, draft remedial orders and remedial orders made under section 10 of and laid under Schedule 2 to the Human Rights Act 1998; and
(c) in respect of draft remedial orders and remedial orders, whether the special attention of the House should be drawn to them on any of the grounds specified in Standing Order 74 (Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments);
To report to the House:
(a) in relation to any document containing proposals laid before the House under paragraph 3 of the said Schedule 2, its recommendation whether a draft order in the same terms as the proposals should be laid before the House; or
(b) in relation to any draft order laid under paragraph 2 of the said Schedule 2, its recommendation whether the draft Order should be approved;
and to have power to report to the House on any matter arising from its consideration of the said proposals or draft orders; and
To report to the House, in respect of any original order laid under paragraph 4 of the said Schedule 2, its recommendation whether:
(a) the order should be approved in the form in which it was originally laid before Parliament; or
(b) the order should be replaced by a new order modifying the provisions of the original order; or
(c) the order should not be approved; and to have power to report to the House on any matter arising from its consideration of the said order or any replacement order;
That the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Brabazon of Tara, L, Dubs, L, Henley, L, Ludford, B, Massey of Darwen, B, Singh of Wimbledon, L.
That the Committee have power to agree with the Committee appointed by the Commons in the appointment of a Chair;
That the quorum of the Committee shall be two;
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;
That the Committee have power to meet outside Westminster; That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;
That the evidence taken by the Committee in the last session of Parliament be referred to the Committee; That the evidence taken by the Committee be published, if the Committee so wishes.
Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy
That a Committee of ten members be appointed to join with a Committee appointed by the Commons as the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, to consider the National Security Strategy;
That the following members be appointed to the Committee:
Brennan, L, Healy of Primrose Hill, B, Henig, B, Hodgson of Abinger, B, King of Bridgwater, L, Laming, L, Lane-Fox of Soho, B, Neville-Jones, B, Reid of Cardowan, L, Strasburger, L.
That the Committee have power to agree with the Committee appointed by the Commons in the appointment of a Chair;
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records;
That the Committee have power to meet outside Westminster in the United Kingdom;
That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;
That the evidence taken by the Committee in the last session of Parliament be referred to the Committee; That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;
That the evidence taken by the Committee be published, if the Committee so wishes.
Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments
That in accordance with Standing Order 74 and the resolution of the House of 16 December 1997 that the following members be appointed to join with the Committee of the Commons as the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments:
D’Souza, B, Gale, B, Haskel, L, Newlove, B, Rowe-Beddoe, L, Scott of Needham Market, B, Smith of Hindhead, L.
That the Committee have power to agree with the Committee appointed by the Commons in the appointment of a Chair;
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the reports of the Committee be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House.
Lord Balfe (Con)
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This is a great exercise in lack of transparency. We are appointing committees that will run virtually every aspect of the House’s policy-making functions. I am told that we do have some transparency and that an email was sent out in March. To me, that is not a very transparent way of doing things. Will the Senior Deputy Speaker make his name in this House by being a reforming Senior Deputy Speaker? I in no way criticise his predecessor, who I know put a lot of effort into trying to get things moving.
The appointment of chairs of sub-committees is quite different here from in another place. The other place for once seems to have got a bit more democracy into it. This is not an arcane point, because it means that the chairs of the sub-committees have to relate to the Members; they have to be to a level accountable. I would like to see, as in the other place, the chairs allocated to the party groups and then some elections, so that people had to demonstrate not only that they knew what they were talking about but that they could reach across the aisle—as they say in the United States—and one did not look at things and say, “Oh, well, that’s a Labour chair; we’re not going to get anywhere there”, and so that the persons standing for chair, of whom I hope there would be more than one from any group, had to make the case as to why they should be the chair.
The only committee excepted from this is the Committee of Selection itself. Perhaps the Senior Deputy Speaker could start a reform package by ensuring that at least a part of the Committee of Selection is elected and that there are some Back-Bench voices on it. At the moment, that committee is basically a committee of the leaders; it is like the chiefs’ pow-wow of the House of Lords—everybody gets together with their pipe of peace and they agree with everybody on how they are going to divide things up. I do not think that is acceptable.
I have one final point. Some noble Lords will recall that I was one of the two people who divided the House on the case of the noble Lord, Lord Maginnis, and his suspension from this House. It was a suspension that was decided in private, that was never debated in public, where he had no opportunity to put his case to his Peers and where it was decided by a committee that contains four people who are not even Members of the Lords and five people who are, at least one of whom has a senior role on a completely different committee. Will the Senior Deputy Speaker look at the way in which this committee works? The punishments—that is the only word for it—that it dishes out are far more stringent than anything found in the House of Commons.
I examined carefully all the evidence that was published about the noble Lord, Lord Maginnis. I would certainly have suspended him for a week. His behaviour was “sub-optimal”—which I think is the word we are searching for—but he did not deserve to be sacked completely for ever from his job, which is the effect of a five-year suspension on a person of 82 years of age who, whatever else one says, had had a distinguished political career. I was never in his party in Ireland; I do not agree with him, but the punishment was far harsher than the crime. The crime, basically, was a curmudgeonly old man losing his temper at the door on the way in; it was nothing more serious than that. I ask the Senior Deputy Speaker also to look at ways in which the Conduct Committee can be democratised so that when it comes to conclusions Members are able to comment on them and have some influence on the way things operate. In the case of the noble Lord, Lord Maginnis, a massive injustice was perpetrated by this House without any opportunity for debate, discussion or understanding.
Lord Cormack (Con)
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My Lords, first, I thank you, Lord Speaker, for all the work that you did as the first Senior Deputy Speaker. The whole House is very much in your debt.
Secondly, I welcome my noble friend Lord Gardiner to his new responsibilities. I hope that he can develop the role, building on the foundations laid by our Lord Speaker, and become something of a spokesman for Back-Benchers in this House.
I often think that this House, or the usual channels—once described as the murkiest waters in Europe—have one thing in common with the Almighty: they move in a very mysterious way. We need to have much more transparency. Indicative of what I am saying is that we have 33 Motions to be moved and accepted en bloc. We have no elections of chairmen to Select Committees; it is all done in the back room and the names are then produced.
12:30
My main reason in getting up today is that when I saw this this morning—the first Order Paper of the new Session, and I think it is pretty disgraceful not to have given more warning—I felt honour bound to speak because of what I said on the very last day of the last Session, when I criticised the way in which the Conduct Committee was handling those of our colleagues who had been unable for various reasons to have the compulsory behavioural training. I am not going to repeat what I said on 29 April, but I say yet again that to treat one of the most distinguished parliamentarians of the last 100 years and the first woman Speaker of the House of Commons in the way that the noble Baroness, Lady Boothroyd, was treated was little short of shameful.
It is very important that there is a separate debate on the Conduct Committee. I know that on the commission there are lay people, but I believe I am right in saying that the Conduct Committee is the only one that has outsiders. It may be that some people think that that is necessary. I myself feel that we have so much expertise in your Lordships’ House, with former judges, former and present Bishops and others, that we ought to be able to make a fairly good fist of looking after conduct ourselves. I also think that most of us have been reasonably well brought up to behave properly. If we are to have that sort of behavioural course, which I found wholly unhelpful and a waste of time, it should be arranged in-house. In the process, we should save a large percentage of the £750,000 that was spent on this committee.
This is a real challenge for the new Senior Deputy Speaker, because we are in danger of bringing the House not into disrepute but into ridicule. The treatment of the noble Baroness, Lady Boothroyd, is a good example of that. There is also a former Deputy Prime Minister who, because of an operation on his knee, was unable to take this particular course in time. Surely we are prouder of ourselves and of what this House stands for and represents than to continue to let these things happen. I believe that we should defer the consideration of the Conduct Committee for a separate debate on a separate day, whereby the chairman of that committee, the noble and learned Lord, Lord Mance, can come in person—which he has not done before—and speak to us in the Chamber. I very much hope that my noble friend will take that one on board.
I am not going to oppose any of the other recommendations. I wish all those who have in various ways found themselves on these committees success in their endeavours and inquiries. This House has produced some very remarkable reports over the years, not least those which have come from the Economic Affairs Committee, which is chaired so very ably by my noble friend Lord Forsyth of Drumlean.
I again wish my noble friend Lord Gardiner success, but I hope that we can begin to have a House that is more transparent, where things are more easily justified, and where vast numbers of Motions are not taken through on the nod without any prior notice on a Thursday morning.
Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Con)
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My Lords, I do not wish to detain the House by repeating the arguments that my noble friend Lord Cormack has made and with which I agree completely. I certainly do not want to make any difficulty for my noble friend Lord Gardiner on his first day out, but I repeat one thing, to pay tribute to his predecessor, now our Lord Speaker, for the way in which he has worked to help the committees—and I know that from being a member of the committee of chairs which, as Deputy Lord Speaker, the present Lord Speaker initiated and which has been very helpful. I know that making a change in this place, as my noble friend is about to find out, is quite a fight against quite a formidable bureaucracy—and I think that great progress has been made.
However, I have a question for my noble friend. I find it quite difficult to understand, given that we are being asked to appoint a Committee of Selection and that those members have not actually been appointed, how they were able to make these recommendations and how they were able to meet. Are we going to adjourn while they meet and then bring forward these recommendations? I know that my noble friend will no doubt say that it is because of the changeover being changed to the beginning of the year, and everyone knew they were going to be reappointed, but I do not really think that that is good enough.
I agree with my noble friend Lord Cormack about the Conduct Committee. I certainly worry about its composition, because any committee that decided that Valuing Everyone—which I have done, so I have no interest to declare—should be made compulsory, when it was not made compulsory in the House of Commons, is quite extraordinary. How, when it deliberated, did that committee come to a conclusion that it would make it compulsory without considering what it would do in the event that people were unable to comply with that? My noble friend Lord Gardiner may very well say that the House approved that. I shall not detain your Lordships by explaining how little time we were given to approve and debate it; in fact, we were given little opportunity, in part because of the circumstances that we find ourselves in.
It is very worrying to me that the institution of the hybrid House is being used to ram things through without proper discussion. It is perfectly clear that there is something wrong with the composition of the Conduct Committee when they can make such ill-judged recommendations to this House, which have brought us into complete ridicule—not least in respect of the pursuit, which I believe is still continuing, of the noble Baroness, Lady Boothroyd. The commissioner was quoted in the newspapers—I assume misquoted—as saying that she would pursue this and that anyone who spoke to the newspapers would be in contempt of Parliament. That says to me that the stage is now laughing at the audience, and the country is laughing at us as a result. I regret the fact that we do not have an opportunity to consider the composition of that committee, because that committee has let the place down.
Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Con)
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I note my thanks to the Lord Speaker for the part that he played in his previous role and the support that he gave to chairs and members of committees. I welcome my noble friend to his new role, which I am sure he will perform with aplomb.
It is a privilege to serve in any capacity on a committee, and I recognise the fact that there are insufficient places. Could my noble friend consider a proposal that we look at increasing the size of committees or allow alternates to all committees rather than just some? There has been an imbalance in recent years, with some who for no fault of anyone’s were able to serve for four years on a committee and others who could serve only one and a half years. In addition to transparency and possible elections to those committees and those who serve as Back-Benchers on committees, we are all here as working Peers and we want to serve in whatever capacity we are called to, but it is important to have a sense of fairness and balance in appointments.
The Senior Deputy Speaker (Lord Gardiner of Kimble)
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My Lords, let me say first that I am very clear about my function, which is that I am a servant of this House. Therefore, I entirely take on board, and am very interested in, what the noble Lords and the noble Baroness—as I must now call them, rather than “my noble friends”—have said, as part of that important role as a servant of this House.
As your Lordships will understand, I have been in post for but two days. However, on the issue of composition of committees, there are a number of things that I have been seeking to tease out. Having looked at the Motions, I am inclined to say that the force of experience that your Lordships provide on these committees is nothing short of unique. It is truly exceptional what this House can provide by way of specialism.
The practice, I understand, is that all Chief Whips and the Convenor seek expressions of interest from their Members. If Members are keen to serve on particular committees, I suggest that they speak to the Chief Whips or the Convenor. But it is important to say that, in the case of any Members not so represented, I would encourage them to write to me, setting out their desire to serve on a particular committee. I will then ensure that that expression of interest is considered by the Committee of Selection at the appropriate point.
Something that I know has been under consideration is the issue of elections of committee chairs, and I understand that during the extensive committee review exercise the Liaison Committee heard evidence on that. After careful consideration, the committee took the view that the current arrangements had a number of distinct advantages. Of particular note for me was the expertise we have in this House, the fact that the composition of this House is different from the other place, and the consensual and apolitical nature of our committee work; all are important features that we ought to reflect upon. We are different, although there are obviously important similarities in the work that we do. Further to the consensual and apolitical approach to committees, from my first impressions it is very important for the committee structure to have a spread across the whole House, so that the expertise and distinct knowledge that your Lordships bring is clear.
On the point raised by the noble Lord, Lord Cormack, regarding the Motions being tabled on Tuesday, I understand that it is the usual practice to reappoint committees quickly at the beginning of a new Session. The point that has been put to me—as the new boy—is that, as a result of the rotation of committee members having already taken place in January, the membership of these committees remains almost entirely the same as it was before Parliament was prorogued. As such, the Motions allow our committees to continue their important work, picking up as necessary the inquiries and activities that they were engaged in just a few weeks ago.
I have of course heard the points that were made about the Conduct Committee. Indeed, I have had a number of discussions already in the few days that I have been in this post. The House appointed four lay members to the Conduct Committee in October 2019. This followed the House’s earlier agreement to a recommendation from the Committee for Privileges and Conduct in April 2019. The decision to appoint lay members to the Conduct Committee was made by the whole House. The lay and Peer members are a cohesive group, working to oversee the Code of Conduct. I assure noble Lords that the inclusion of lay members on the internal disciplinary committee of the House is—when I asked the question—very much in the direction of travel of other legislatures and public bodies. I have noted the points that have been made by noble Lords, but I think that this scrutiny—by both your Lordships and lay members—is an important dynamic for the long-term reputation of this House.
Noble Lords have made points about the Valuing Everyone training. I am mindful of this, and of course I have been on the course. The House as a whole agreed to making the Valuing Everyone training mandatory for Members, and the independent Commissioner for Standards is therefore required by the code to look at the circumstances of all Members who do not undertake the training by the deadline set by the House. My understanding is that the commissioner is expected to report soon on this, and I look forward to that report.
12:45
On the point that the noble Baroness, Lady McIntosh of Pickering, raised about committees, what I have found interesting—again, all noble Lords have endorsed the work of my predecessor, now the Lord Speaker—is that we have already started a number of new committees, which I think will be profoundly important in the long term; they are long-term committees. The ability to refresh the committees and the ideas that there are for further work as existing inquiries conclude their work at the end of this year, and the mechanisms for that, is also important.
I will conclude on the matter of transparency. What we are doing today is enabling committees to continue their work, on the basis of the rotation in January. I very much want to hear what noble Lords have to say on how we can do things better, and my door will always be open to your Lordships—obviously with some social distancing and within the realms of possibility. My mission is that we seek to do things better and that the reputation of this House is continuously raised. In the work of the committees, we have such extraordinary breadth of expertise, and I think that we should do much more to ensure that that work is promulgated much more widely; that the consideration of that work is used and appreciated in government—I say that, having come from such a position; and that such work is seen by the wider public to be among the essence of the work that your Lordships do on behalf of the nation.
I promise all noble Lords who have spoken that I have taken on board the points that they made. On some points, it is not appropriate for me to raise individual cases—indeed, I understand that from the Standing Orders—and I hope that your Lordships will respect me in saying that. However, we have an extraordinary opportunity with the committees to do great work.
Motions agreed.
The Lord Speaker (Lord McFall of Alcluith)