Found: Lord Gardiner of Kimble 28 October 2024

Found: Speaker’s Room and via Teams Attendance • Lord McFall of Alcluith (Chair) • Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Found: in the Lord Speaker’s Room and via Teams Attendance • Lord Speaker (Chair) • Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Found: Letter from Lord Jay of Ewelme and Lord Ricketts to Lord Gardiner of Kimble, Chair of the Liaison Committee

Found: Letter from Lord Jay of Ewelme to Lord Gardiner of Kimble, Chair of Liaison Committee in relation to

Found: Email from Lord Hain, Lord Lexden, Lord Dodds, Lord Empey and Baroness O'Loan to Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Found: Letter from Lord Empey to Lord Gardiner of Kimble, Chair of Liaison Committee in relation to Northern

Found: Lord Gardiner of Kimble, Senior Deputy Speaker (18 April 2024): https://bills.parliament.uk/publications

Found: Burton, Clerk of the Parliaments 5/5 Marianne Cwynarski, Director General, Operations 5/5 Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Found: Burton, Clerk of the Parliaments 5/5 Marianne Cwynarski, Director General, Operations 5/5 Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Found: Letter from the Chair to Lord Gardiner of Kimble, Senior Deputy Speaker, re Proposed changes to the way

Question

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 25 September (HL1209), how the governance structures of the House hold the Clerk of the Parliaments and the Management Board accountable.

Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Clerk of the Parliaments is accountable to the House of Lords as a whole but, in practice, this is primarily channelled through the Commission and other domestic committees. These arrangements were established by the House following the recommendations of the Leader’s Group on Governance in 2016: Governance of Domestic Committees in the House of Lords (2015–16, HL Paper 81).

The Commission provides high-level strategic and political direction to the Clerk of the Parliaments and Management Board; requires that decisions on the management of the House are taken at the appropriate governance level; and monitors the performance of the House of Lords Administration and bicameral teams that are co-funded by the Lords but not directly controlled by the Clerk of the Parliaments (such as the Parliamentary Security Department, Parliamentary Digital Service, and Strategic Estates) against agreed targets. It also scrutinises and agrees financial and corporate plans proposed by the Administration. The Clerk of the Parliaments provides updates at each Commission meeting, and meets the Chair of the Commission, the Deputy Chair, and other members, on a regular basis. The Chief Operating Officer and Clerk Assistant also attend each Commission meeting, and other members of the Management Board attend when items relevant to their responsibilities arise.

The Commission, sitting with the House of Commons Commission as the Restoration and Renewal Client Board, scrutinises work undertaken as part of the R&R programme. The Clerk of the Parliaments and Chief Operating Officer are members of the Client Board.

The Commission appoints the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee to provide advice to the Clerk of the Parliaments (as Accounting Officer) and senior management on the effectiveness of internal controls. The Committee considers internal and external audit reports covering Lords operational areas and bicameral teams that are co-funded by the Lords and management responses thereto; evaluates the adequacy of the Administration’s risk management system and assurance processes in place; and evaluates and advises on the suitability of financial practices, internal controls, and effective governance processes throughout the administration of the House. It also works with the House of Commons Administration Estimate Audit and Risk Assurance Committee to monitor areas of joint interest to both Houses. The Clerk of the Parliaments, Chief Operating Officer and Finance Director attend each meeting of the Committee, and other members of the Management Board and other senior managers attend when agenda items relevant to their responsibilities arise.

The Services Committee is appointed by the House and has delegated authority from the Commission to provide advice on strategic policy decisions on member-facing services, and oversee consequential delivery and implementation. The Committee regularly examines, amongst other things, updates on major projects being undertaken by the administration and bicameral teams. The Clerk of the Parliaments and Chief Operating Officer attend each meeting, and other members of the Management Board and other senior managers attend when agenda items relevant to their responsibilities arise.

The Finance Committee is appointed by the House and has delegated authority from the Commission to consider expenditure on services provided from the Estimate for the House of Lords; report to the Commission on the forecast outturn, Estimate and financial plan submitted by the Management Board; monitor the financial performance of the House Administration, and bicameral teams that are co-funded by the Lords; and report to the Commission on the financial implications of significant proposals. The Clerk of the Parliaments, Chief Operating Officer and Finance Director attend each meeting of the Committee, and other members of the Management Board and other senior managers attend when agenda items relevant to their responsibilities arise.

Agendas, minutes, and some papers, for all of the domestic committees referenced above, are available to members online and in the Printed Paper Office.

In common with other Accounting Officers in the public sector, the Clerk of the Parliaments may be held to account by the Public Accounts Committee in the House of Commons.

Question

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 25 September (HL972), whether the Lord Speaker and the Commission were consulted regarding the recruitment of two external members to the Management Board, and whether they approved this recruitment exercise.

Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The role of the House of Lords Commission is to provide high-level strategic and political direction for the House of Lords Administration. Matters of executive management are the responsibility of the Clerk of the Parliaments. In this role he is supported by the Management Board. Accordingly, appointments to the Board are made by him.

External non-executive directors have been appointed by the Clerk of the Parliaments to the Management Board for several years, with the first appointment made in 2017. The recent recruitment campaign of the non-executive directors was approved and conducted by the Clerk of the Parliaments, in consultation with other senior administration officials. Non-executive members are used across the administrations of both Houses to provide independent advice, support and challenge about the management and delivery of services, and the practice is also adopted across the wider Civil Service.

Found: 35 Source: Members’ Names Information Service In response to a parliamentary question, Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Found: 35 Source: Members’ Names Information Service In response to a parliamentary question, Lord Gardiner of Kimble