Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Chris Skidmore and Jeff Smith

Wednesday 14th December 2016 Commons Chamber

[Chris Skidmore]

We are required by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 to publish an annual report on the number and cost of special advisers, and we will publish an updated list shortly. We will provide information about the pay bands of special advisers, as well as the actual salaries of the more senior ones. We will also provide the total pay bill for special advisers and severance costs, including the severance payments made to the special advisers who recently left the Government.

[Jeff Smith (Manchester, Withington) (Lab)]

4. What plans the Government have to bring forward legislative proposals to reduce the number of members of the House of Lords.

[The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Chris Skidmore)]

The Government are clear that the House of Lords cannot continue to grow indefinitely. However, comprehensive reform of the House of Lords is not a priority for this Parliament, as set out in the Government’s manifesto, given the number of pressing priorities—hon. Members know what they are—elsewhere. Of course, where measures can command consensus across the House, the Government will welcome working with peers to look at how to take them forward.

[Jeff Smith]

Even the House of Lords now thinks the House of Lords is too big, so how can it be the Government’s priority to reduce the elected house by 50 Members, when under David Cameron the Lords expanded by 260?