Question

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether the four members of the House of Lords Conduct Committee who are not Members of the House of Lords have full voting rights in any vote of that Committee which involves (1) the culpability of a Member of the House of Lords being investigated, and (2)  the decision as to any penalty on a Member of the House, to be reported for the approval of the House; and to which other Select Committees of the House similar voting rights apply to any outside members of such committees.

Following a consultation exercise and a lengthy debate on 30 April 2019, the House agreed that the lay members of the Conduct Committee should have full voting rights in order to bring a measure of independence to the conduct process. The House has not to date conferred voting rights on external members of other committees. In the House of Commons, the lay members of the Standards Committee (of which there are seven, alongside the seven MPs) have full voting rights, and the Independent Expert Panel which determines appeals and sanctions in cases of bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct is made up entirely of external members.