Asked by: Lord Norton of Louth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made with the establishment of a National School for Government; and when they plan to launch it.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The creation of the National School for Government and Public Services was announced by Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, Darren Jones on 20 January 2026. The purpose of the school is to support ambitions for a world-class, professional Civil Service. It is scheduled to be launched later this year.
Asked by: Lord Norton of Louth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to provide an update on progress made in implementing the recommendations of the report from the Statutory Inquiries Committee Public inquiries: Enhancing public trust (HL Paper 9).
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We are grateful for the work of the House of Lords statutory inquiries committee and its report published in September 2024, to which the government responded in February 2025.
As set out in that response the Cabinet Office will publish The Inquiry Practitioners' Handbook in due course. The Government has also launched a publicly accessible tracker reporting progress on inquiry recommendations and amended the Ministerial Code to ensure Cabinet Office policy expertise informs decisions on establishing a public inquiry and agreeing terms of reference.
The Public Office (Accountability) Bill is also progressing in parliament, making non-statutory inquiries much more powerful options.
Asked by: Lord Norton of Louth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what safeguards are in place to ensure that research, education and treatment funded through the gambling levy are independent of influence by bodies in the gambling industry.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government recognises that trust in and independence of the levy system are crucial. We have appointed expert public bodies to lead on research, prevention and treatment of gambling related harm. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and NHS England, together with appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales, are responsible for day-to-day levy spending. These bodies have set up their own governance arrangements and conflict of interest policies to ensure these decisions are independent of industry and led by the evidence of what works.
Furthermore, the Gambling Levy Programme Board oversees the statutory levy system to ensure that funding is being spent appropriately and efficiently. The Terms of Reference for the Board can be found on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Lord Norton of Louth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask The Senior Deputy Speaker how many items of postal correspondence were received in the parliamentary estate in 2025; and, of those, how many were received in the House of Lords.
Answered by Lord McLoughlin
The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. 828,242 mail items were received on the Parliamentary Estate in 2025. The Administration does not count which House each item goes to but estimates that approximately 25 per cent of these items were destined for the House of Lords. These figures do not include courier items or internal mail. Please note that this figure refers to the whole Parliamentary Estate, not just the Palace of Westminster.
Asked by: Lord Norton of Louth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 20 November (HL11754), what study was undertaken to reach the conclusion in their response (HC637) to the report of the House of Commons Committee on Standards on the operation of the Recall of MPs Act 2015; and which of the criteria adumbrated in paragraph 40.1 and 40.2 of the "Guide to Making Legislation" apply in the decision not to undertake post-legislative scrutiny of the Act.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government's January 2025 response to the House of Commons Committee on Standards' recommendation regarding the Recall of MPs Act 2015 was based on the operation of the Act and the six recall petitions that have taken place since the Act came into force.
These recall petitions have collectively engaged all three recall conditions, and one did not attain the 10% threshold required to recall the MP in question. Given the variety of circumstances in which the recall process has been engaged, and given the variety of outcomes, the Government believes that the 2015 Act has been tested sufficiently and proven an effective and proportionate tool in the parliamentary standards regime.
The Cabinet Office Guide to Making Legislation is clear that post-legislative scrutiny of legislation can take the form of discussion with the relevant parliamentary committee. The Government remains open to dialogue with Parliament, including the House of Commons Committee on Standards and the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, about the ongoing operation of the Recall Act.
Asked by: Lord Norton of Louth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which Acts of Parliament are scheduled for post-legislative review in 2026.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This information is not held centrally. The Cabinet Office has written to departments reminding them of the importance of post-legislative scrutiny.
All bills that have reached Royal Assent are eligible for post-legislative scrutiny three to five years after they are enacted. However, it can be agreed between the Government Department and the relevant Commons Departmental Select Committee that a memorandum is not required.
Asked by: Lord Norton of Louth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to implement the recommendation of the House of Commons Select Committee on Standards, in paragraph 242 of its Third Report of Session 2023–24 (HC247) that the Recall of MPs Act 2015 be subject to post-legislative scrutiny.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As stated in the Government's response to the report of the House of Commons Committee on Standards (HC637), the Government believes that the Recall of MPs Act 2015 is broadly operating as intended. Where there are procedural challenges, the standards system has evolved to accommodate these.
Asked by: Lord Norton of Louth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether people who join the Senior Civil Service are required or recommended to attend workshops run by the Parliamentary Capability Team; and, if attendance is recommended, what proportion of those joining the Senior Civil Service have attended those workshops since 1 September 2024.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Parliamentary Capability Team runs an ongoing programme of training and events for all Civil Servants. Senior Civil Servants are encouraged to attend these, but it is not mandatory. Between 1 September 2024 and 5 November 2025, a total of 275 Senior Civil Servants have attended events arranged by the Parliamentary Capability Team. Data is not held on when those attendees started working at Senior Civil Servant level.
Asked by: Lord Norton of Louth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Smith of Basildon on 19 June (HLWS717), how the Prime Minister recommending a limited number of candidates to sit as Crossbench peers will differ from the responsibility vested in the House of Lords Appointments Commission to nominate Crossbench peers.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Basildon - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
As set out in the written statement, the Prime Minister will continue to ask the House of Lords Appointments Commission to make nominations for individuals to sit as Crossbench peers. The Commission invites applications from the public and assesses candidates against the criteria set out on its website.
It is established practice that the Prime Minister can recommend a limited number of individuals to sit as Crossbench peers, based on their public service, including both distinguished public servants on retirement and individuals with a proven track record of service to the public. These nominations will continue to be vetted for propriety by the House of Lords Appointments Commission.
Asked by: Lord Norton of Louth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by the Baroness Smith of Basildon on 19 June (HLWS717) on nominations to the House of Lords, what consultations took place with the House of Lords Appointments Commission and other relevant bodies prior to the statement.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Basildon - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The Government is grateful for the work of the House of Lords Appointments Commission in nominating individuals to the crossbenches and vetting all candidates for appointment to the House of Lords for propriety.
The written statement set out how the Prime Minister will approach appointments to the House of Lords and reflects the existing roles and responsibilities of all parties in the appointments system, including the Prime Minister, the Commission and party leaders.