Question

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what are the responsibilities of the House of Lords Management Board; to whom it reports; and what relationship it has to the House of Lords Commission.

Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The House of Lords Management Board supports the Clerk of the Parliaments in the discharge of his functions as Accounting Officer, Corporate Officer and employer of House staff. The Board takes strategic and corporate decisions for the House of Lords Administration within the framework set by the House of Lords Commission. The Commission provides high-level strategic and political direction for the House of Lords Administration on behalf of the House. The Commission works with the Management Board to develop, set and approve the strategic business plan, the annual business and financial plans for the Administration and monitor the performance of the Administration against agreed targets.

The responsibilities of the Management Board are set out in more detail in its terms of reference, and include:

· Preparing the strategic plan, business plans, financial plans, annual estimates and annual reports for approval by the House of Lords Commission;

· Managing the resources agreed by the House of Lords Commission;

· Assessing and managing each of the House of Lords Administration’s corporate risks, and maintain a system of prudent and effective controls;

· Monitoring the House of Lords Administration’s performance in achieving its objectives, as set out in the strategy approved by the House of Lords Commission; and

· Managing change in the House of Lords to increase, protect and drive value for money, improve performance and reduce costs so that the House operates and delivers services more efficiently and effectively.

By statute, 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. The Clerk of the Parliaments regularly reports to the House of Lords Commission on the work of the Administration, and the Commission, Services, Finance, and Audit and Risk Assurance Committees scrutinise the work of the House of Lords Administration.

The full Terms of Reference are set out in the Management Board Handbook and Operating Framework, which is available on ParliNet.

Question

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker why, in addition to the non-executive members of the House of Lords Commission, two non-executive directors are to be recruited to the House of Lords Management Board; and how much their employment will cost.

Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Within the House of Lords, Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) are expected to provide an independent view and expertise on service delivery and provision, governance, and boardroom best practice. The Lords Management Board is seeking two NEDs to bring complementary skills and experience to the Board to provide advice, support and challenge about the management and delivery of services to the House of Lords. The renumeration of the NEDs is in line with wider public sector practice and within the House’s governance arrangements. The remuneration for 2024/25 is £9,495 per annum based on 15 days of engagement.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total cost of school fees paid in the last year by the Government for UK private education for the children of foreign office officials serving overseas.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The amount spent by the FCDO on provision of the Continuity in Education Allowance for 494 children in UK schools in the financial year 2023/24 was £14,502,476.00

Question

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker why applicants for the position of non-executive director of the House of Lords Management Board are asked to apply anonymously.

Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble

This is a fair and open competition approach in line with sector-wide best practice, including in the Civil Service. All candidates are asked to submit a full application and provide an anonymised CV. While the supporting HR team have full access to candidates’ information, the recruitment panel receives anonymised information which enables candidates’ written applications to be assessed solely against the job criteria. The element of anonymity ends once candidates are shortlisted and invited to interview.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total cost of school fees paid in the last year by the Government for UK private education for the children of military personnel serving overseas.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The cost of Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) overall for FY 2023/24 for the Ministry of Defence was £88.35 million. Of the total contributed in FY 2023/24, £13.9 million was to Service Personnel serving overseas; this equates to 16% of MOD's total spend of the allowance.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether VAT will be levied on school fees paid by the Government for UK private education for the children of foreign office officials serving overseas.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity, ensuring every child has access to high-quality education, which is why we have made the tough decision to end tax breaks for private schools. This will raise revenue for essential public services, including investing in the education system.

The Government has set out the details of this policy in the technical note Applying VAT to Private School Fees and Removing the Business Rates Charitable Rates Relief for Private Schools which can be found at the below link. A technical consultation on the technical note and draft VAT legislation will be open until 15 September 2024.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees-removing-the-charitable-rates-relief-for-private-schools

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Livermore on the 27 September (HL1042), whether they will now provide a substantive answer to Written Question HL1042.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

On 29 July, the Government announced that, as of 1 January 2025, all education services and vocational training provided by a private school in the UK for a charge will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20%. This will include fees paid by CEA.

A small minority of diplomatic officials and service personnel are posted abroad for extended periods. In such circumstances, the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office provide the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) to ensure this does not interfere with their children's education.

The government will monitor closely the impact of these policy changes on affected military and diplomatic families with any changes to this scheme being considered as part of the ongoing Spending Review.

Found: Headley (The Chair); Lord Blackwell; Lord Davies of Brixton; Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach; Lord Lamont of Lerwick

Found: Chair); Lord Blackwell; Lord Burns; Lord Davies of Brixton; Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach; Lord Lamont of Lerwick

Found: Chair); Lord Blackwell; Lord Burns; Lord Davies of Brixton; Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach; Lord Lamont of Lerwick

Found: Headley (The Chair); Lord Blackwell; Lord Davies of Brixton; Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach; Lord Lamont of Lerwick

Found: Chair); Lord Blackwell; Lord Burns; Lord Davies of Brixton; Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach; Lord Lamont of Lerwick

Found: and long-term sickness Tuesday 29 October 2024 3 pm Watch the meeting Members present: Lord Lamont of Lerwick

Found: Chair); Lord Blackwell; Lord Burns; Lord Davies of Brixton; Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach; Lord Lamont of Lerwick

The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee is launching an inquiry into the relationship between the welfare system and long-term sickness in Great Britain, as a follow up to its 2022 inquiry into economic inactivity.