Asked by: Lord Farmer (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what has been the cost to the public purse to date of the passage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill through the House of Lords.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
It is not possible to calculate the full cost of the passage of a Bill through the House of Lords as not all factors can be appropriately separated and costed. This includes staffing time which cannot be disaggregated to just the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. Costs relating to the corresponding Ministerial Department of the Bill are also not included.
The two tables below provide the details of the allowances claimed by Members of the House of Lords for the Second Reading of the Bill, taken over two days on Friday 12 and Friday 19 September 2025, and the participation of Members appointed to the Select Committee on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. The costs come to £293,067 in total.
Second Reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill | 12th Sept 2025 | 19th Sept 2025 |
No. Members Claiming Daily Rate (£371) | 369 | 338 |
No. Members Claiming Reduced Rate (£185) | 26 | 20 |
Total No. Members claiming the daily or reduced rate allowance | 395 | 358 |
Total Allowance Claimed | £141,709.00 | £129, 098.00 |
Select Committee on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill | 15th Oct 2025 | 22nd Oct 2025 | 23rd Oct 2025 | 29th Oct 2025 | 30th Oct 2025 | Total |
No. Members Claiming Daily Rate (£371) | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 60 |
No. Members Claiming Reduced Rate (£185) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
No. Members claiming the daily or reduced rate allowance | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 60 |
Total Allowance Claimed | £4,452.00 | £4,452.00 | £4,452.00 | £4,452.00 | £4,452.00 | £22,260.00 |
Data extending beyond 1 November 2025 is not currently available as claims must be received by the Finance Department within one month from the end of the calendar month in which the entitlement to claim arose.
Asked by: Lord Farmer (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish data about how local authorities who receive funding for the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme are going further than minimum expectations on (1) reducing parental conflict, and (2) support for separating and separated funding.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department does not publish data on how funding impacts reducing parental conflict or support for separating parents.
Through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme and the Family Hubs Transformation Fund, over 400 family hubs are now open across 88 local authorities. These hubs aim to connect separating parents with local services to prioritise children’s outcomes when agreeing arrangements and to avoid unnecessary court proceedings.
The government recognises the importance of resolving issues quickly and, where appropriate, outside court. The family mediation voucher scheme continues to provide £500 towards mediation costs, with over £16 million in vouchers issued to help 38,700 parents.
Local authorities with developed family hub models may offer hub-based mediation or shared parenting programmes to support separating families. While not mandatory, this is strongly encouraged for areas seeking to enhance their offer.