Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the names, roles and dates of appointment of the members of the Forfeiture Committee are; how each member was selected; and which members are classified as independent.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Forfeiture Committee is chaired by a Permanent Secretary on delegation from the Cabinet Secretary. This is currently Dame Sarah Healey, MHCLG. She has been in post as Chair since July 2025. The other permanent member is the Treasury Solicitor, currently Sussana McGibbon. She has been a member of the Committee since March 2021.
The Committee has four independent members, drawn from the Chairs of the ten independent honours committees. These Chair appointments are made through a Public Appointments process. The current independent members are Sir Hamid Patel, John Booth CVO, Stephen Kelly and Dame Jane Dacre. Each was appointed to the Forfeiture Committee in October 2022.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to help reduce the (a) number of steps required and (b) time taken to remove (i) honours and (ii) titles.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Peerages, styles, titles and honours are granted by the Sovereign.
The Sovereign may change the entitlement to the titles and styles such as “Prince” and “Royal Highness” under the Royal Prerogative. An Act of Parliament is required to remove a peerage once conferred.
Honours can only be revoked by the Sovereign, typically following a recommendation by the Forfeiture Committee to the Prime Minister.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has issued guidance on whether breaching the Business Appointment Rules is grounds for consideration by the Forfeiture Committee for the revocation of an honour.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Honours, by their very nature, are a form of recognition for creditable actions or service by an individual. The Forfeiture Committee considers cases put to it when the holder of an honour may be deemed to have brought the honours system into disrepute. This might include being found guilty of a criminal offence, behaviour which results in censure by a regulatory or a professional body, or any other behaviour that is deemed to bring the honours system into disrepute.
The Cabinet Office provides wide-ranging guidance relating to the handling of potential forfeiture cases to all government departments. Each case is considered individually.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what date he last convened the Honours Forfeiture Committee.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The Forfeiture Committee last convened on 20th May 2021.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reasons individual honours were forfeited in each of the last five years.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The names of those who have had honours revoked are usually published in the London Gazette and can be found at: https://www.thegazette.co.uk. Any exceptions to this reflect broader duty of care considerations.
The reasoning behind individual forfeiture decisions is not published and we do not comment on individual cases. Honours are forfeited where there is clear evidence of action or inaction that is not in keeping with the values of the honours system, that could bring it into disrepute.
We have increased transparency in the forfeiture system, including making more information about the process available publicly, increasing engagement with complainants and appointing independent members to the Committee.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many individual honours were forfeited in each of the last five years.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The names of those who have had honours revoked are usually published in the London Gazette and can be found at: https://www.thegazette.co.uk. Any exceptions to this reflect broader duty of care considerations.
The reasoning behind individual forfeiture decisions is not published and we do not comment on individual cases. Honours are forfeited where there is clear evidence of action or inaction that is not in keeping with the values of the honours system, that could bring it into disrepute.
We have increased transparency in the forfeiture system, including making more information about the process available publicly, increasing engagement with complainants and appointing independent members to the Committee.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including posthumous forfeiture in the process for removal of an honour in relation to victims and survivors of child sexual abuse.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The government has transformed its response to tackling child sexual abuse. The honours system has been substantially reformed over the last 25 years, with police checks carried out on all nominees.
Forfeiture cases are considered through the Independent Forfeiture Committee and for forfeiture policy through the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (known as HD Committee). The Committees will carefully consider the recommendations made by the Independant Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including in the criteria for forfeiture of honours (a) convictions (b) cautions and (c) cases decided by trial of the facts in relation to child sexual abuse.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The government has transformed its response to tackling child sexual abuse. The honours system has been substantially reformed over the last 25 years, with police checks carried out on all nominees.
Forfeiture cases are considered through the Independent Forfeiture Committee and for forfeiture policy through the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (known as HD Committee). The Committees will carefully consider the recommendations made by the Independant Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
Asked by: Lord Myners (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Honours Forfeiture Committee is next due to meet.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
We expect the next meeting to be held over the summer.
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he expects the Honours Forfeiture Committee will respond to the letter from the rt hon. Member for Birkenhead of 14 February 2019 on Sir Philip Green's knighthood.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The Forfeiture Committee has now had sight of the letter dated 14th February. We will not make any comment or statement in relation to the details of individual cases.