Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
These initiatives were driven by Lord Norton of Louth, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
A Bill to make provision for the appointment of a Commission to advise the Prime Minister on recommendations to the Crown for the creation of life peerages; to establish principles to be followed in making recommendations; and for connected purposes
A Bill to make provision for the appointment of a Commission to advise the Prime Minister on recommendations to the Crown for the creation of life peerages; to establish principles to be followed in making recommendations; and for connected purposes
Lord Norton of Louth has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. 721,005 mail items were received on the Parliamentary Estate in 2023. The Administration does not count which House each item goes to but estimates that approximately 15 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.
The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. The House of Lords Administration is aware that there was a change in the management structure of BBC Parliament and the funding levels of the service in spring/summer 2021, however we are not aware of any further reduction in funding of BBC Parliament over the last 18 months. Neither the Senior Deputy Speaker nor I have made any representations to the BBC.
The number of times fire alarms have been activated on the Parliamentary Estate in the first five months of 2022 is as follows:
January – 4
February – 2
March – 5
April – 6
May – 3
The forecast cost of repair and maintenance of the Palace of Westminster in each year from 2022/23 to 2024/25, as per the most recent Medium Term Financial Plans, is set out in the table below. This includes the forecast spend on both maintenance and major projects on the Palace. There is not yet a reliable forecast for repair and maintenance beyond the 2024/25 financial year.
| 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
Planned preventative & Reactive maintenance | £7,821,724 | £8,156,641 | £8,134,727 | £8,218,493 |
Minor projects | £2,212,473 | £2,212,473 | £2,212,473 | £2,212,473 |
Maintenance team | £5,013,950 | £5,013,950 | £5,013,950 | £5,013,950 |
Maintenance and Minor projects | £15,048,146 | £15,383,063 | £15,361,149 | £15,444,916 |
|
|
|
|
|
Major projects | £102,393,805 | £140,357,071 | £98,586,481 | £23,504,834 |
|
|
|
|
|
Total | £117,441,951 | £155,740,134 | £113,947,630 | £38,949,749 |
The risks of failure relating to the physical condition of the Palace of Westminster are reviewed and mitigated as part of the operation and maintenance of the Parliamentary Estate. These risks include fire, hitting uncharted underground services, unexploded ordnance, and failure of legally required services, all of which have mitigation plans in place to reduce the risk of failure. The table below shows the current assessment of the likelihood of the top five risk events in relation to catastrophic failure.
Top 5 Risk Events in relation to Catastrophic Failure | Likelihood |
Fire during construction work | Low |
Collapsing structures | Very Low |
Uncharted underground services | Very Low |
Unexploded ordnance (UXO) or other hazardous materials | Very Low |
Failure of legally required services (e.g. water) | Medium |
Source: In-House Services and Strategic Estates Health and Safety & maintenance team risk registers
The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. 858,483 mail items were received on the Parliamentary Estate in 2020. The Administration does not count which House each item goes to but estimates that approximately 15 per cent of these items were destined for the House of Lords.
Please note that this figure refers to the whole Parliamentary Estate, not just the Palace of Westminster, and these figures do not include parcels, courier items or internal mail.
As set out in the Ministerial Code, there is an overarching duty on all ministers to comply with the law. Ministers are personally responsible for deciding how to conduct themselves in light of the Code.
The Cabinet Office collects data on the duration and cost of inquiries from departments, inquiries’ own reports, and other publicly available information.
We have provided details on all statutory and non-statutory inquiries established since 2005 in the table below.
In some cases, information in the table below has come from reports from outside the Government. We have not included the costs for ongoing inquiries, which are published at different frequencies on inquiry or departmental websites, and we have not included the details for any investigations commissioned by NHS England (some of which were counted in the total number of non-statutory inquiries in our previous response, answered on 8th February 2024, UIN HL1937). It has been noted where the publicly available information provides the cost excluding VAT.
Inquiry | Sponsor Department | Legislative Basis | Year established | Duration in months (from announcement to publication of final report) | Reported final costs where publicly available |
Jalal Uddin Inquiry | HO | Inquiries Act 2005 | 2023 | Ongoing | - |
Cranston Inquiry | DfT | Non-statutory | 2023 | Ongoing | - |
Andrew Malkinson Inquiry | MoJ | Non-statutory | 2023 | Ongoing | - |
Thirlwall Inquiry | DHSC | Inquiries Act 2005 | 2023 | Ongoing | - |
Inquiry into the preventability of the Omagh bombing | NIO | Inquiries Act 2005 | 2023 | Ongoing | - |
Independent inquiry relating to Afghanistan | Ministry of Defence | Inquiries Act 2005 | 2022 | Ongoing | - |
Dawn Sturgess Inquiry | HO | Inquiries Act 2005 | 2022 | Ongoing | - |
Fuller Inquiry | DHSC | Non-statutory | 2022 | Ongoing | - |
Angiolini Inquiry | HO | Non-statutory | 2022 | Ongoing | - |
UK Covid-19 Inquiry | Cabinet Office | Inquiries Act 2005 | 2022 | Ongoing | - |
Lampard Inquiry | DHSC | Inquiries Act 2005 | 2021 | Ongoing | - |
Jermaine Baker inquiry | HO | Inquiries Act 2005 | 2020 | 29 | £4.1m |
Post Office Horizon IT inquiry | DBT | Inquiries Act 2005 | 2020 | Ongoing | - |
Manchester Arena inquiry | HO | Inquiries Act 2005 | 2019 | 41 | £35.6m |
Brook House Inquiry | HO | Inquiries Act 2005 | 2019 | 46 | £18.7m |
The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review | Department of Health | Non-statutory | 2018 | 29 | £1.7m |
Independent Inquiry into the issues raised by Ian Paterson | Department of Health | Non-statutory | 2018 | 26 | £1.9m |
Grenfell Tower Inquiry | Cabinet Office | Inquiries Act 2005 | 2017 | Ongoing | - |
Infected Blood Inquiry | Cabinet Office | Inquiries Act 2005 | 2017 | Ongoing | - |
Independent inquiry into the award of the Magnox decommissioning contract by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and its subsequent termination | BEIS | Non-statutory | 2017 | 48 | [unknown] |
Anthony Grainger Inquiry | HO | Inquiries Act 2005 | 2016 | 40 | £2.6m |
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse | HO | Inquiries Act 2005 | 2015 | 99 | £192.7m (as of Dec 2022) |
Undercover Policing Inquiry | HO | Inquiries Act 2005 | 2015 | Ongoing | - |
Gosport Independent Panel | Department of Health | Non-statutory | 2014 | 42 | £13m |
The Litvinenko Inquiry | HO, FCO and 3 x Intelligence Agencies | Inquiries Act 2005 | 2014 | 18 | £2.4m (exc. VAT) |
Harris Review / Independent review of self-inflicted deaths of young adults in custody aged between 18 and 24 | MoJ | Non-statutory | 2014 | 17 | £0.2m |
The Morecambe Bay Maternity and Neonatal Services Investigation | Department of Health | Non-statutory | 2013 | 18 | £1.1m |
Daniel Morgan Independent Panel | HO | Non-statutory | 2013 | 97 | £17.6m |
The Leveson Inquiry | DCMS and HO | Inquiries Act 2005 | 2011 | 16 | £5.4m |
The Azelle Rodney Inquiry | MoJ | Inquiries Act 2005 | 2010 | 40 | £2.6m |
Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Inquiry 2013 / The Francis Inquiry | Department of Health | Inquiries Act 2005 | 2010 | 36 | £13.7m |
The Detainee Inquiry | Cabinet Office | Non-statutory (Committee of Privy Counsellors) | 2010 | 45 | £2.3m (exc. VAT) |
The Hillsborough Independent Panel | HO | Non-statutory | 2009 | 33 | Less than £5m |
The Al Sweady Inquiry | MoD | Inquiries Act 2005 | 2009 | 61 | £24.9m (exc. VAT) |
Independent Inquiry into care provided by Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust January 2001 – March 2009 | Department of Health | Non-statutory | 2009 | 7 | - |
The Iraq Inquiry / The Chilcot Inquiry | Cabinet Office, FCO, DfID | Non-statutory (Committee of Privy Counsellors) | 2009 | 85 | £13.1m |
The Bernard (Sonny) Lodge Inquiry | MoJ | Inquiries Act 2005 | 2009 | 10 | £0.4m |
The Baha Mousa Inquiry | MoD | Inquiries Act 2005 | 2008 | 39 | £13m |
Inquiry into Human Tissue Analysis in UK Nuclear Facilities / Redfern Inquiry | DTI - BERR - DECC | Non-statutory | 2007 | 43 | - |
Contaminated Blood and Blood Products Inquiry | Department of Health | Non-statutory | 2007 | 48 | £75k |
Since 2005, our records show that His Majesty’s Government has established 19 non statutory inquiries and 23 statutory inquiries under the Inquiries Act 2005 on a broad range of subject matters. 28 of the total 42 inquiries have been completed. Several of these statutory inquiries had previously been established as non statutory inquiries or inquests. The length of completed inquiries in this period ranges from 7 to 99 months and published costs vary significantly from between £0.2m and £194m. Most Whitehall departments have sponsored public inquiries. Further information can be found on inquiry and departmental websites and in the National Archives.
This information is not held centrally. All bills that have reached Royal Assent are eligible for post-legislative scrutiny three to five years after they are enacted. Post-legislative scrutiny memoranda have been published on GOV.UK where bills have undergone the process. In addition, the Lords Special Inquiry Committee appointed to carry out post-legislative scrutiny on specific Acts publishes information on its inquiries on parliament.uk.
While all bills that have reached Royal Assent are eligible for post-legislative scrutiny enacted, it can be agreed between the department and the relevant Commons departmental select committee that a memorandum is not required.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has oversight of all Cabinet Office policy and continues to maintain responsibility for constitutional policy, with support from a wider ministerial team within the Cabinet Office and across Government.
An updated List of Ministerial Responsibilities will be published before the summer recess.
The Government published two post-legislative reviews between January 2020 and June 2023, two post-legislative reviews between 2010-15 and nine post-legislative reviews between 2016-20. The Government remains committed to using post-legislative reviews to examine the impact of legislation after it has been passed.
The Deputy Prime Minister holds ministerial responsibility for constitutional policy, with support on matters relating to the constitution from a wider ministerial team within the Cabinet Office and across Government.
(1) The Government Skills and Curriculum Unit committed to developing a programme of induction and training for new ministers in the Declaration of Government Reform. The Declaration noted the importance of support for ministers in their roles as the most senior leaders in Government. This work is ongoing. A programme of masterclass sessions was rolled out over the last year. A particular area of focus is legislation and the provision of guidance and support to ministers taking bills through parliament.
(2) We recognise the importance of ensuring Senior Civil Servants have the right leadership training. We provide a range of training programmes and events to support them in growing their knowledge, skills and networks to tackle many challenges. For example, we have recently launched a new programme for Directors, The Directors Leadership Programme. This has had input from the Blavatnik School for Government and a consortium of experts, to create a rigorous and focussed vehicle for leadership improvement.
The Prime Minister has overall responsibility for constitutional issues. How responsibilities across government are allocated and how the Prime Minister is supported in the discharge of responsibilities is set out in the List of Ministerial Responsibilities, the last version of which was published on 3 March 2022.
There is no centrally held record of the number of post-legislative reviews submitted by Government departments. The decision on whether a review should be submitted to the relevant departmental select committee is a matter for discussion between departments and the committee. There will be occasions when the department and committee may agree that a memorandum is not required, for example where an Act has already been repealed, has only a very limited policy or practical significance, a review has already been committed to or carried out (e.g. following a pilot); or a department has already submitted relevant evidence in connection with another inquiry by the committee.
Information on professional development programmes taken by individual Ministers is not held centrally by the Government.
Ministers are able to access advice on specific subjects, including professional development programmes, such as the short modular training programme on major project delivery, designed by the Infrastructure Projects Authority and University of Oxford Saïd Business School.
The declaration on government reform published in June states a commitment to ensuring Ministers receive training in how to assess evidence, monitor delivery, and work effectively with Civil Service colleagues. This work is underway.
The Civil Service Code sets out that civil servants advising ministers should be aware of the constitutional significance of Parliament, and of the conventions governing the relationship between Parliament and the government.
The Code is part of the terms and conditions for civil servants. Each department or agency has a duty to make civil servants aware of the Code and its values.
There are already Civil Servants based in York. Through the Places for Growth Programme, the Cabinet Office is exploring opportunities to relocate Civil Service roles across the UK. By relocating more Civil Service roles, including senior grades and decision-making roles, out of London, the Government wants to create and distribute opportunity, jobs and investment across the whole United Kingdom.
In that context, the Government has engaged with the York Central Partnership, and, as part of this, explored whether the space would allow for Parliamentary activity, should it be required.
As part of the strategic review for the Restoration and Renewal Programme, the Government believes the Sponsor Body should consider decant locations outside London, including York. The location of the House is a decision for a sovereign Parliament.
All bills that have reached Royal Assent are eligible for post-legislative scrutiny three to five years after they are enacted.
The Trade (Disclosure of Information) Act 2020 was repealed by the Trade Act 2021 and is no longer in force.
There is no planned timetable for post legislative scrutiny of the other bills mentioned in the question.
The department’s Leadership Team is responsible for setting standards within the department. Individual line managers are responsible for ensuring that staff are adhering to the Civil Service Code on a day-to-day basis.
Information about the Civil Service Code is shared regularly with employees, including in employee contracts and induction material. Clear processes are in place to enable anyone to report a breach of the Code. In the latest staff survey, 100% of Senior Civil Servants confirmed they are aware of and understand the Code.
Together with other initiatives, post-legislative scrutiny promotes the delivery of meaningful and effective legislation. Post-legislative reviews are tailored for each Act and should be proportional in scope.
The Ivory Act 2018 came into force on 6 June 2022 when the ban on dealing in elephant ivory commenced. To allow an effective assessment to be made of how the Act is working in practice, we are recommending that a post-legislative review be undertaken in due course in line with the three-to-five-year timeframe from when the Act came into effect rather than the date of Royal Assent.
Defra, as the Act's enforcement authority, monitors routinely the Wild Animals in Circuses Act 2019 and will discuss the most appropriate way to review the 2019 Act with the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.
Defra intends to undertake post-legislative review of the Agriculture Act 2020 by no later than November 2025.
Post-legislative scrutiny of the Fisheries Act 2020 will be taken forward within the three to five years’ timeframe after Royal Assent. In planning the timing of the post-legislative scrutiny, we need to consider that the Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS) required by the Act was published in November 2022, the first Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) as required by both the Act and the JFS, were published at the end of December 2023. The Act also requires review of the JFS and FMPs. We are considering the most appropriate point for the post-legislative review.
Part 1 of The Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 concerning automated vehicles was reviewed by the Law Commission in the report ‘Automated Vehicles’ on 26 January 2022 as part of a wider review into future automated vehicle law. Part 2 of the Act concerning electric vehicles was reviewed by the Government in the publication 'Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 Regulatory Report 2022' on 31 May 2023.
Both the Laser Misuse (Vehicles) Act 2018 and the Haulage Permits and Trailer Registration Act 2018 are not currently under consideration for post-legislative reviews. The Haulage Permits and Trailer Registration Act 2018 does not contain a review clause as it pertains to EU exit. The Laser Misuse (Vehicles) Act 2018 does not have a review clause and thus far there has not been any secondary legislation brought in to support the Act. Therefore, a review would be disproportionate to complete at this time.
The Department for Transport has commenced a review of the Space Industry Act (2018), which will conclude at the end of March 2024 and be published alongside a wider review being undertaken by the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology.
We continue to review all aspects of the Compensation Scheme, listening and responding to feedback received from stakeholders and customers to ensure the Scheme is operating effectively for those affected. The Windrush Compensation Scheme will also undertake a review in October 2024, in line with the published Impact Assessment.
The Compensation Scheme has no end date and there is no cap on the number of claims we will accept or the amount of compensation we will pay out.
There is no planned timetable for post legislative scrutiny of the other bills mentioned in the question.
All submissions to Ministers ask that Civil Servants have considered Parliamentary handling and followed the Civil Service Code. The Code makes reference to section 3(6) of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. All submissions must be signed off by a Senior Civil Servant (SCS) and copied to the Permanent Secretary.
The Home Office also has an extensive parliamentary capability training programme for teams across the department, which at its centre focuses on training civil servants to support Ministers in fulfilling their obligations to Parliament.
All civil servants are expected to observe the principles of the Civil Service Code as well as relevant departmental rules, policies and procedures relating to conduct, standards and service.
Annual assurance activity takes place to ensure compliance, including a self-assessment assurance framework completed by all Directors overseen by the Audit & Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC). This is designed as an evidence-based exercise and undergoes moderation by subject matter experts and a central team.
There are also regular communications on this topic to all staff from the Permanent Secretary and official routes are available to raise concerns in the Home Office.
There is no single generic model for mental health crisis “street triage” services and the Home Office does not routinely collect information on such schemes. However, the 2018 report of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) on policing and mental health recorded that mental health triage schemes were operational in 42 of the 43 police forces in England and Wales.
There have been a number of local and academic evaluations of such schemes, however HMICFRS noted that evaluation of schemes was not always consistent and recommended that all forces should review their arrangements using practice guidelines developed by the College of Policing to help forces benchmark their triage activity. HMICFRS will be inspecting on progress as part of their integrated PEEL assessments inspection framework. It is an operational matter for Chief Officers to determine whether to establish or maintain street triage schemes.
The cohesive collective element is a key component of being part of the Reserve, and the Army is reviewing the Reserve Forces and Cadets Estate to ensure local hubs maintain a visible and accessible Army Reserve footprint. Travel distances are being assessed alongside wider considerations relating to output, the employment of Smarter Ways of Working and personal preferences including cap badge affiliation and specialist capabilities.
As a Ministry of Defence asset, any changes to the Volunteer Estate would be made in consultation with all the Services, to enable alignment of strategic and fiscal priorities.
DLUHC has not undertaken any work on the availability and cost of alternative locations for the potential House of Lords decant during the Restoration and Renewal Programme. Nor has it led on developing the proposed costings work for the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre. In the context of the Places for Growth programme, the Government has previously explored whether space outside London would allow for parliamentary activity. The location of Parliament is a matter for Parliament.
The Government is clear that it is up to the House of Lords to decide where they wish to be located, including during any potential decant of Parliament. The previous Secretary of State said in his letter that he would welcome the House of Lords playing a role in the levelling up agenda and he suggested a number of illustrative options.
The freehold of the QEII Conference Centre is held by the Secretary of State. The Restoration and Renewal programme is currently being reshaped. Tangentially, the department is taking steps to deliver clarity for the commercial users of the Centre, and good outcomes for the British taxpayer.
All bills that have reached Royal Assent are eligible for post-legislative scrutiny three to five years after they are enacted. Post-legislative scrutiny memoranda have been published on GOV.UK where bills have undergone the process. In addition, the Lords Special Inquiry Committee appointed to carry out post-legislative scrutiny on specific Acts publishes information on its inquiries on parliament.uk.
It is also important to note that post-legislative scrutiny is not the only way policy is reviewed. Many Acts have built-in statutory review mechanisms and consultations have also been launched. This has the effect of providing opportunities for the legislation to be reviewed and assessed without requiring post-legislative scrutiny.
There is no planned timetable for post-legislative scrutiny of the Acts mentioned in this question.
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.