Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many recommendations for life peerage appointments made by the House of Lords Appointment Committee have not been followed since 2010.
The House of Lords Appointments Commission (HoLAC) was established in 2000 as an independent body. HoLAC is responsible for the vetting for propriety of all life peerages to the cross-bench and political benches of the House. HoLAC seeks advice from the appropriate vetting agencies and then will either advise the Prime Minister that it has no concerns about the appointment, or will draw its concerns to the Prime Minister’s attention. These vetting procedures and the advice to the Prime Minister are confidential.
Where HOLAC does not support a nomination, and a Prime Minister has exercised their right to recommend it anyway, this information is communicated in general terms to the relevant select committee (PACAC) whilst also protecting the identity of the nominee in question.