Chapter 2: Permanent (Sessional) Committees
Introduction
10.The House currently appoints a total of 27 committees on an ongoing basis. Under the terms of Standing Order 63, these committees continue in existence from parliamentary session to parliamentary session, unless and until the House orders otherwise. These committees are appointed to examine and make recommendations on matters within their respective remits.2
Built Environment Committee
11.In September 2023, the Built Environment Committee published its report considering the impact of environmental regulations on development.3 During the course of the inquiry, members of the committee engaged with relevant debates on amendments to the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill, including drawing on the evidence they heard on the impact of nutrient neutrality requirements on housebuilding. Following a Government response which the Committee found disappointing, the Committee held a one-off evidence session with the then Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and engaged in further correspondence to emphasise the need for greater clarity of government policy.
12.As part of the Committee’s work examining short-term lettings, it wrote to the Government following the launch of public consultations on new policy measures in that area.4 In February 2024, the Government announced it would introduce a short-term lets register and, in line with the Committee’s recommendations, a planning use class and associated permitted development rights to give local planning authorities the choice over whether to require planning permission for the creation of a new short-term let.5
13.In January 2024, the Committee wrote to the Government following its short inquiry into the use of modern methods of construction (MMC) in housing.6 Both the inquiry and letter received substantial trade media coverage, including five interviews with the Chair and follow-up engagement.7 Coverage focused on the Committee’s concerns regarding the lack of Government strategy to support its multi-million pound investments into MMC companies, which subsequently went bust. The Government requested additional time to prepare its response and reconsider its MMC policies in light of the Committee’s work and industry developments.8
14.In February 2024, the Committee launched a new inquiry: High streets in towns and small cities.9
Communications and Digital Committee
15.In April 2023 the Committee received the Government’s response to its creative industries report At risk: our creative future.10 Several recommendations were adopted, such as making tax reliefs internationally competitive, including the creative sector in the Chancellor’s priority growth areas and changing plans for text and data mining rules.11
16.The Committee pressed for action on lawfare against journalists Strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs)12 and amendments to the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill were tabled.13 The Government subsequently amended the legislation to provide a statutory definition of SLAPPs and introduced new protections.14 The Government implemented the Committee’s recommendation to expand the remit of the National Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists and established a SLAPPs taskforce.15 The Solicitors Regulation Authority confirmed it would undertake a further review of SLAPPs cases.16
17.In June 2023 the Committee published its report Digital exclusion which called for a new joined-up approach across Government departments.17 The Government’s response agreed to address silos through a cross-Whitehall inter-ministerial group.18
18.In July 2023 the Committee examined the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill. The Committee urged Ministers at the time and the then Prime Minister to resist proposals from technology firms to weaken the new regime’s appeals standard.19
19.In February 2024 the Committee published its report Large language models and generative AI.20 The Government response confirmed it would take action on a number of recommendations including support for AI start-ups and university spinouts, safety tests, accredited standards, and new transparency measures relating to copyrighted data.21
20.Throughout the year the Committee held accountability sessions with the then Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology; the then Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport; the Director-General of the BBC; and the Chief Executive and the Chair of Ofcom.22
Constitution Committee
21.The Committee published a major report on Permanent Secretaries: their appointment and removal in October 2023.23 In December 2023 it published a long letter to the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Local Government) on the introduction of Voter ID at UK Parliament elections, local elections in England and local referendums in England.24 It has also published 5 legislative scrutiny reports on government bills25 and held annual evidence sessions with the former Lord Chief Justice,26 the President and Deputy President of the Supreme Court27 and the then Lord Chancellor.28 In addition, the Committee held a one off evidence session with the then Attorney General, the then Solicitor General and the then Advocate General for Scotland.29
22.On the Illegal Migration Bill, the Committee recommended that the House “may wish to assure itself that retrospective provision in the Bill is justified.”30 An amendment tabled by Lord Carlile of Berriew to remove retrospective provision was agreed by the House of Lords.31 While this amendment was not agreed by the House of Commons, a Government amendment with the same effect was agreed.32
23.In its report, Permanent Secretaries: their appointment and removal, the Committee recommended Ministers should be briefed by permanent secretaries about the degree to which they can be involved in the appointment of senior civil servants and this briefing should be repeated when a relevant vacancy arises.33 The Government accepted this recommendation and committed to sending a note to permanent secretaries and HR directors to this effect.34
24.In the same report, the Committee recommended that the Senior Leadership Committee should provide to the Civil Service Commission an annual account of its activities,35 which the Government committed to do.36 During the inquiry, the then Cabinet Secretary made a commitment (in response to a request from the Committee) to provide further guidance to clarify that civil servants in the devolved administrations should work and spend public funds exclusively on matters within devolved competence.37
Economic Affairs Committee
25.The Economic Affairs Committee published its report How to make an independent Bank of England work better in November 2023, following an eight-month long inquiry.38 The Committee concluded that the operational independence of the Bank should be preserved, but reforms are vital to improve its performance, strengthen its accountability to Parliament and ensure it focuses on its key objectives of tackling inflation and maintaining financial stability.39
26.The report received extensive media coverage, generating over 400 pieces in broadcast, print and online media. The Rt. Hon. Jeremy Hunt MP, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, responded to the Committee’s report via correspondence on 30 January.40 As per the Committee’s recommendations, the Chancellor wrote that he recognised the benefit of improving the clarity and focus of the letters he sends to the Bank that set its remit and objectives. He also said that the Government had taken steps to simplify the most recent remit letter for the Bank’s Financial Policy Committee. Going forward, the Government will also send a copy of the remit letters to the Chairs of the Economic Affairs Committee and the Treasury Select Committee directly.41
27.In December 2023 the Committee launched its inquiry into the sustainability of the UK’s national debt. It concluded its evidence taking on 12 March and heard from the Office for Budget Responsibility, think tanks, economists, academics and the then Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Bim Afolami MP.42
28.The Committee once again held its annual scrutiny session with the Governor of the Bank of England on 14 February43 and its annual session with the then Chancellor on 19 March.44
Finance Bill Sub-Committee
29.The Finance Bill Sub-Committee published its report, Research and development tax relief, HMRC data requirements, promoters of tax avoidance and sentencing for tax fraud, on 1 February 2024.45 The inquiry considered measures contained in the draft Finance Bill published on 18 July 2023. The Sub-Committee received 20 pieces of written evidence and heard oral evidence from 24 witnesses, including the then Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Nigel Huddleston MP, and HM Treasury and HMRC officials.46
30.In its report, the Sub-Committee urged the Government to improve the ways in which it consults with stakeholders, to allow businesses time to adapt to the significant changes in the Research and Development (R&D) tax relief regime over recent years. Additionally, the Sub-Committee questioned the utility, rationale and legal basis of a new power for HMRC to require extra data from employers and individual taxpayers.
31.The Sub-Committee welcomed measures combatting tax avoidance, tax fraud and the remaining promoters of tax avoidance schemes but questioned the efficacy of these measures given HMRC’s operational and customer service challenges over recent years.47 The report received attention in the specialist press,48 focused primarily on R&D relief,49 with further additional attention given to the Sub-Committee’s concerns about HMRC’s operational efficiency.50
32.On 3 May 2024, the Committee received a response from HM Treasury. In its response, the Government accepted 21 out of the Committee’s 36 recommendations, with a further 10 being accepted in part.51 HM Treasury agreed to review HMRC resources to ensure that standards of service were at the expected level and to remedy any current lack of capacity. It also agreed to provide evidence of the economic impact of the merged and R&D intensive schemes. Following the Sub-Committee’s recommendation concerning the need for further clarity around the definitions of subcontracted and subsidised R&D, HMRC published draft guidance in 2024, including worked examples addressing issues raised by stakeholders.
Environment and Climate Change Committee
33.In 2023/24 the Environment and Climate Change Committee published two inquiry reports. Its report on Protected Areas (An extraordinary challenge: Restoring 30 per cent of our land and sea by 2030) was published in July 2023,52 and its report on electric vehicles (EV strategy: rapid recharge needed) was published in February 2024.53 In March 2024 the Committee also launched an ongoing inquiry into UK Methane Emissions and Mitigation.54
34.As well as its main inquiry work, the Committee held one-off sessions with the leadership of the Office for Environmental Protection in February 2024 and the then outgoing Chair of the Climate Change Committee, Lord Deben, in July 2023.55 Those sessions scrutinised the work of these key bodies, and the Government’s progress against its environmental and climate policy commitments.
35.Following the Committee’s inquiry into the Boiler Upgrade Scheme during the previous financial year, the Government took up multiple key recommendations in 2023/24: in October 2023 the Government increased the level of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant, and in November 2023 confirmed its intention to consult on permitted development rights for heat pump installations as the Committee had recommended.56 The Committee’s February 2024 report on electric vehicles secured extensive favourable press coverage.57
36.The Committee has also continued its pioneering Youth Engagement Programme, with a second cohort of students from sixth form colleges across the UK participating in the electric vehicles inquiry and engagement activities including some visits to Parliament.58
European Affairs Committee
37.The European Affairs Committee published its report on The future UK-EU relationship on 29 April 2023. The report made recommendations about opportunities for cooperation on foreign policy, defence and security, energy, climate change and mobility of people.59 The report received considerable press coverage, both in the UK and Europe,60 and was quoted by the European Parliament’s internal think-tank’s analysis of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.61 The Government response to the report was positive.62
38.On 31 January 2024, the Committee published its report The Ukraine Effect: The impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the UK-EU relationship.63 It called for the UK and EU to continue support for Ukraine, and sanctions on Russia, for as long as it takes to reverse Putin’s aggression. This was the first report under the chairmanship of Lord Ricketts, who succeeded the Earl of Kinnoull in June 2023. The Government agreed with the majority of the Committee’s conclusions and recommendations in its response.64 The report also received extensive press coverage, particularly of its conclusion regarding the Government’s delay in resolving issues around the use of the Chelsea Football Club sale proceeds to support Ukraine, with articles in The Guardian, the Independent, Kyiv Independent and The Hill.65
39.On 14 December 2023, the Committee heard from Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton, the then Foreign Secretary, in his first appearance in front of a Parliamentary Select Committee in this role. The Committee questioned him on the UK-EU relationship.66
40.In May 2023, the Committee held a short inquiry into Citizens’ Rights. The Committee expressed concerns about the Government’s implementation of the December 2022 High Court ruling,67 and called for support for UK citizens living in the EU.68
Interparliamentary cooperation
41.The Committee hosted four visiting parliamentary delegations, including the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET). The Chair also met regularly with Member State ambassadors and, in March 2024, visited Brussels to engage with EU stakeholders. In December 2023 he delivered a keynote address at the EU Citizens’ Gathering hosted by the EU Delegation to the UK.
Sub-Committee on the Windsor Framework
42.In May 2023, the Sub-Committee on the Windsor Framework (known until the start of the 2023–24 Session as the Sub-Committee on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland) published its report on the PEACE PLUS Programme 2021–2027 Financing Agreement between the UK, Ireland, and the European Commission.69
43.In July 2023, it published its detailed report on the Windsor Framework,70 drawing on evidence from the Government, a wide range of business representatives and experts, and Northern Ireland political parties. The report received extensive coverage in both the national and regional media, including The Times, The Irish Times, Derry Now and the Evening Standard.71
44.As a follow-up, the Sub-Committee held evidence sessions with business stakeholders in September 2023 about business preparation for the operation of the Windsor Framework. It set out its findings in a nine-page letter to the then Foreign Secretary72 and held an evidence session on 25 October with Rt. Hon. Chris Heaton-Harris MP, the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
45.In November 2023, the Sub-Committee launched an inquiry into regulatory divergence in the context of the Windsor Framework. It held four public evidence sessions and received seven pieces of written evidence. The Sub-Committee set out its findings in a 19-page letter to the then Foreign Secretary in December 2023.73
46.In January, the Sub-Committee launched its inquiry on veterinary medicines and the Windsor Framework.74 It held two public evidence sessions with experts and conducted a visit to Belfast in January, involving a roundtable for agri-food and veterinary stakeholders as a well as several site visits. On 13 March, the Sub-Committee questioned the then Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office) and senior officials.
47.The Sub-Committee has continued its scrutiny of new, amending and replacement EU legislation applying to Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework.
48.It has also examined the implications of Government legislation within its remit, including the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023,75 the Illegal Migration Act 202376 and the Animal Welfare (Livestock Export) Bill.77
Financial Services Regulation Committee
49.The Committee was appointed on 24 January 2024 to consider the regulation of financial services. It met for the first time on 7 February.
50.In February and March the Committee met privately with all four of the regulators–the Bank of England, the Prudential Regulation Authority, the Payment Systems Regulator and the Financial Conduct Authority. It also met with industry representatives and other stakeholders to consider the key issues facing the sector.
51.In April, the Committee wrote to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regarding the consultation on its enforcement guide and the new approach to publicising investigations (CP24/2).78
52.The Committee launched its first inquiry in May, focusing on the FCA and the Prudential Regulation Authority’s secondary competitiveness and growth objective, and has issued its call for evidence.79
Industry and Regulators Committee
53.In March 2023, the Committee concluded its inquiry into the work of Ofwat and, in its report, called on the Government to publish a National Water Strategy.80 Subsequently, in April 2023, the Government published its Plan for Water.81 From June 2023, the Committee continued its scrutiny of water policy and regulation with a short follow-up inquiry,82 and wrote to the then Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.83
54.The Committee concluded evidence-taking in May 2023 on its inquiry into the Office for Students (OfS).84 The report, Must do better: the Office for Students and the looming crisis facing higher education, was published in September 2023.85 The report was critical of the OfS, arguing it was failing to act on the looming crisis facing the sector, and lacked independence from Government. The Committee’s findings received extensive media coverage, including from BBC News,86 Times Higher Education87 and The Independent,88 and considerable engagement on X (formerly Twitter).89 The OfS’ response to the report was receptive and agreed with or committed to a number of the Committee’s conclusions and recommendations, including commitments to reset its relationship with the sector and articulate how it defines “the student interest”.90
55.In February 2024, the Committee published a report, Who watches the watchdogs? Improving the performance, independence and accountability of UK regulators.91 The report, which called for the creation of an ‘Office for Regulatory Performance’, received substantial press coverage.92 The Committee held a launch event for the report, attended by stakeholders including senior regulatory officials, academics and journalists.
56.Finally, in February 2024, the Committee conducted a short inquiry into the regulation of property agents.93 This concluded with a letter to the then Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in March 2024, in which the Committee called for the establishment of a new regulator for property agents.94
International Agreements Committee
57.In January 2024, the International Agreements Committee (IAC) published a report on the UK-Rwanda Asylum Partnership.95 The report highlighted the linkage between the Agreement and the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill which was before Parliament. It noted that the Government was inviting Parliament through the Bill to declare that Rwanda was safe as a result of the Agreement, but that several important steps had to be taken before the Agreement could be fully effective. It called on the Government not to ratify the Agreement until Parliament was satisfied that the protections it provided had been fully implemented. On 22 January the House, on division, passed a motion under section 2096 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (CRAG) endorsing the Committee’s recommendations. This was the first time that either House had resolved against a treaty under CRAG.97 The debate was covered extensively in the media and has helped to influence the debate on the passage of the Bill through the House and public debate more broadly.98
58.A report on the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP, a trade agreement between 11 countries) was published in February 2024.99 It concluded that effective implementation of CPTPP is key to maximising any potential benefits and building capacity for the future. A debate to take note of the report took place on the floor of the House on 19 March 2024.100
59.The Committee has published 15 reports on agreements laid under CRAG during 2023/24, covering a diverse range of topics.101
International Relations and Defence Committee
60.In November 2023, the International Relations and Defence Committee completed its inquiry into the UK’s security, diplomatic and economic interests in the Arctic. It chose this subject because rising sea temperatures have made the region more accessible at a time when it is becoming more militarised, with tensions from the war in Ukraine adversely affecting circumpolar collaboration.102 To help shape its understanding of the key issues, a Committee delegation travelled to Norway and Finland in September.103 The Committee also held an online roundtable with Arctic indigenous peoples to better understand how a fast changing Arctic is affecting indigenous communities. This was arranged in collaboration with the Commons’ Environmental Audit Sub-Committee on Polar Research and the Parliamentary Engagement team. Participation in a Commons Foreign Affairs Committee’s practical exercise, which simulated a crisis over deep sea mining in the Arctic in 2035, was another instance of cross-parliamentary co-operation and learning.
61.The inquiry’s report, Our friends in the North: UK strategy towards the Arctic, was published on 29 November and put forward 25 recommendations.104 The report was well-received by witnesses and other Arctic stakeholders, and the UK Government provided a positive response, agreeing with most of the Committee’s recommendations.105
62.The Committee also continued to scrutinise the UK Government’s approach to the Western Balkans following the recent escalation of tensions in the region,106 and met with a parliamentary delegation from Kosovo in March 2024.
63.In January of this year, it held a one-off evidence session on the under-reported conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh. The session helped raise greater public awareness of the conflict, performing well on social media, with over 16,000 views of related posts issued by the Committee on X.107
64.In March, the Committee launched its new inquiry into the implications of the war in Ukraine for UK Defence.108
Justice and Home Affairs Committee
65.The Justice and Home Affairs Committee conducted a major inquiry into community sentences in England and Wales. The Committee engaged extensively with organisations and individuals who had experience of the Probation Service, and it held an oral evidence session with three people who had previously served a community order.109 It also took evidence from the then Minister of State for Prisons, Parole and Probation.110 Members of the Committee made an informal visit to Westminster Magistrates’ Court. Its report, Cutting crime: better community sentences was published on 28 December 2023,111 and the Government’s response was published on 1 March 2024.112
66.The Committee held an oral evidence session with the then Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice in October 2023, to scrutinise the work of the Ministry of Justice.113 It concluded a follow-up inquiry on post-Brexit UK-EU Security Cooperation and corresponded with the then Home Secretary.114 The Committee also held a one-off session on victims of crime to discuss forthcoming legislation.115 It’s report on family migration was debated in September 2023.116
67.The Committee followed up on previous work on new technologies in the justice system117 by launching an inquiry on the use of Live Facial Recognition Technology by police forces in England and Wales.118 At the request of the Welsh Government, the Committee held a bilateral meeting with Welsh Ministers to discuss the Committee’s work in this area.119 The Committee’s letter to the then Home Secretary was published on 26 January 2024.120 It received considerable coverage in the media.121
68.In February 2024, the Committee launched an inquiry on Electronic Border Management Systems, scrutinising the launch of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) by the Government and looking into the UK’s preparedness for the launch of new EU systems.122 The Committee spoke to the then Minister of State for Legal Migration and the Border in March 2024.123
Public Services Committee
69.The Committee’s inquiry into homecare medicines services, a little known but growing sector of patient care, drew substantial attention and engagement from the pharmacy sector and NHS England.124 The Committee found “a complete lack of ownership” and concluded that, since the Government did not know how much was spent on the services, it was impossible to make any assessment on value for money.125 Unusually, following the Government’s response,126 the Chair wrote to the National Audit Office to ask them to examine the sector, and this has resulted in a commitment to do so in some form.127 Since the launch of the inquiry, the Government has made key commitments the Committee sought: to undertake a review of the sector, to publish performance indicators, and to appoint a senior responsible owner for the sector. The Committee is maintaining an interest in this area via correspondence with the Government.128 The report was debated on 2 May, and during the debate Lord Markham, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Health and Social Care, invited the Committee to attend a roundtable with relevant NHS staff once the senior responsible owner had been appointed.
70.The inquiry into the transition from education to employment for young disabled people began in May 2023.129 The call for evidence was published in multiple accessible formats: easy read, British Sign Language and audio recording.130 The Committee determined that this inquiry required extensive engagement and held, in total, ten engagement events with young disabled people. The Committee is due to publish its report for this inquiry in the coming months.
71.The Committee were pleased to note that in September 2023 the Information Commissioner’s Office published guidance131 for sharing information to safeguard children, which was the result of extended engagement by the Committee, including public and private evidence sessions over several sessions.132
72.Finally, a letter from the Chair was published in March 2024133 to follow up on recommendations made in the Committee’s May 2023 report, A response to the children’s social care implementation strategy.134 The letter highlighted the urgent need for reform of children’s social care, with effective co-ordination between government departments, and called for greater transparency about the progress towards implementing the strategy. The Government responded to the letter on 26 April noting progress in this area including publication of the Kinship Care Strategy, the Children’s Social Care National Framework and revised statutory guidance relating to safeguarding.135
Science and Technology Committee
73.The Science and Technology Committee published The neglected pollutants: the effects of artificial light and noise on human health report in July 2023.136 The report concluded that environmental noise and light remain neglected pollutants and are poorly understood and poorly regulated despite their potential to negatively impact human health.
74.The Committee also published its report Long-duration energy storage: get on with it in March 2024.137 The Committee concluded that the Government must act fast to ensure that energy storage technologies can scale up in time to play a vital role in decarbonising the electricity system and ensuring energy security by 2035.
75.The Committee held public evidence sessions with Lord O’Shaughnessy in June 2023 on his independent review of UK commercial clinical trials,138 with Professor Dame Angela McLean in February 2024 on her work as the Government Chief Scientific Adviser139 and with the Rt. Hon. Michelle Donelan MP, the then Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, in March 2024 on what had been achieved in the first year of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.140 The Committee also had a one-off session in March on university spin-out companies.141 The session with the then Secretary of State was widely reported in relation to the Government’s oversight of UK Research and Innovation.142
2 These remits are set by the House in the motion appointing the Committee, and are set out on each Committee’s homepage, accessible via UK Parliament, ‘Committees’: https://committees.parliament.uk
3 Built Environment Committee, The impact of environmental regulations on development (2nd Report, Session 2022–23, HL Paper 254)
4 Letter from Lord Moylan, Chair of the Built Environment Committee to Rt Hon. Lucy Frazer KC MP, the then Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (5 May 2023): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/39865/documents/194280/default/; Letter from Lord Moylan, Chair of the Built Environment Committee to Rt Hon. Michael Gove MP, the then Secretary of State, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (6 June 2023): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/40797/documents/198830/default/
6 Built Environment Committee, ‘MMC sector may continue to struggle without a fresh approach from the Government’: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/518/built-environment-committee/news/199612/mmc-sector-may-continue-to-struggle-without-a-fresh-approach-from-the-government/
7 ‘‘Simply throwing money’ at MMC has not worked, Lords inquiry concludes’, Inside Housing (26 January 2024): https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/simply-throwing-money-at-mmc-has-not-worked-lords-inquiry-concludes-84849; ‘MMC inquiry: government investment ‘undirected and nonstrategic’’, Construction News (26 January 2024): https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/tech/offsite-mmc/mmc-inquiry-government-investment-undirected-and-nonstrategic-26-01-2024/; ‘House of Lords calls for transparency in Government MMC initiatives’, pbctoday (26 January 2024): https://www.pbctoday.co.uk/news/mmc-news/government-mmc-initiativies/136471/ [accessed 10 September 2024]; ‘UK government criticized for ‘throwing money’ at modern methods of construction’, Construction Briefing (26 January 2024): https://www.constructionbriefing.com/news/uk-government-criticized-for-throwing-money-at-modern-methods-of-construction/8034663.article
8 Letter from Lee Rowley MP, the then Minister of State for Housing, Planning and Building Safety to Lord Moylan, Chair of the Built Environment Committee (20 March 2024): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/44064/documents/218379/default/
9 Built Environment Committee, ‘Built Environment Committee launches new inquiry into high streets’: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8245/high-streets-in-towns-and-small-cities/news/200031/built-environment-committee-launches-new-inquiry-into-high-streets/
10 Communications and Digital Committee, At risk: our creative future (2nd Report, Session 2022–23, HL Paper 125)
11 Letter to Baroness Stowell of Beeston, Chair of the Communications and Digital Committee from Julia Lopez MP the then Minister for Media, Tourism and Creative Industries, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (18 April 2023): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/39303/documents/192860/default/
12 Communications and Digital Committee, ‘Correspondence on lawfare and free speech’: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/6604/lawfare-and-free-speech/publications/3/correspondence/
13 Letter from Baroness Stowell of Beeston, Chair of the Communications and Digital Committee to Rt Hon. Suella Braverman KC MP, the then Secretary of State for the Home Department (21 April 2023): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/39136/documents/192446/default/
14 Home Office, Serious Fraud Office, HM Treasury, Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, Ministry of Justice and Companies House, ‘Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act: strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs)’ (Updated 1 March 2024): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/economic-crime-and-corporate-transparency-act-2023-factsheets/economic-crime-and-corporate-transparency-act-strategic-lawsuits-against-public-participation-slapps [accessed 12 September 2024]
15 Joint letter to Baroness Stowell of Beeston, Chair of the Communications and Digital Committee from Rt Hon. Alex Chalk KC MP, the then Lord Chancellor & Secretary of State for Justice, Ministry of Justice and Rt Hon. Lucy Frazer KC MP, the then Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (30 June 2023): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/40903/documents/199190/default/
16 Letter to Baroness Stowell of Beeston, Chair of the Communications and Digital Committee from Paul Philip, Chief Executive Officer, Solicitors Regulation Authority (26 July 2023): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/41373/documents/203381/default/
17 Communications and Digital Committee, Digital exclusion (3rd Report, Session 2022–23, HL 219)
18 HM Government, Government Response (September 2023) House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee (September 2023): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/41792/documents/207070/default/
19 Letter from Baroness Stowell of Beeston, Chair of the Communications and Digital Committee to Rt Hon. Kemi Badenoch MP, the then Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Department for Business and Trade (21 July 2023): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/41026/documents/199869/default/; Letter from Baroness Stowell of Beeston, Chair of the Communications and Digital Committee to Rt Hon. Rishi Sunak MP, the then First Lord of the Treasury and Prime Minister (17 October 2023): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/41683/documents/206515/default/
20 Communications and Digital Committee, Large language models and generative AI (1st Report, Session 2023–24, HL 54). For sample press coverage see ‘’Safety-first’ approach to AI could stifle innovation, ministers warned’, The Times (29 April 2024): https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/safety-first-approach-to-ai-could-stifle-innovation-ministers-warned-7lrr6z39j [accessed 10 September 2024}
21 Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Government Response – April 2024 House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee Large Language Models (17 April 2024): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/44576/documents/221444/default/ [accessed 1 May 2024]
22 Communications and Digital Committee, ‘Non-inquiry sessions’: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/170/communications-and-digital-committee/
23 Constitution Committee, Permanent Secretaries: their appointment and removal (17th Report, Session 2022–23, HL Paper 258)
24 Constitution Committee, ‘Findings of the House of Lords Constitution Committee’s inquiry into the introduction of voter ID’: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/42629/documents/211942/default/
25 Constitution Committee, Illegal Migration Bill (16th Report, Session 2022–23, HL Paper 200); Constitution Committee, Victims and Prisoners Bill (1st Report, Session 2023–24, HL Paper 46); Constitution Committee, Data Protection and Digital Information Bill (2nd Report, Session 2023–24, HL Paper 53); Constitution Committee, Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill (3rd Report, Session 2023–2024, HL Paper 63); Constitution Committee, Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill (4th Report, Session 2023–24, HL Paper 66)
26 Oral evidence taken before the Constitution Committee, annual evidence session with the Lord Chief Justice, 14 June 2023 (Session 2022–23), QQ 1–14 (Lord Burnett of Maldon)
27 Oral evidence taken before the Constitution Committee, annual evidence session with the President and Deputy President of the Supreme Court, 4 July 2023 (Session 2022–23), QQ 1–21 (Lord Reed of Allermuir and Lord Hodge)
28 Oral evidence taken before the Constitution Committee, annual evidence session with the Lord Chancellor, 20 March 2024 (Session 2023–24), QQ 1–16 (Rt.Hon Alex Chalk KC MP)
29 Oral evidence taken before the Constitution Committee, evidence session with the Attorney General, Solicitor General and Advocate General for Scotland, 28 June 2023 (Session 2022–23), QQ 1–17 (Rt.Hon Victoria Prentis KC MP, Michael Tomlinson KC MP, Lord Stewart of Dirleton KC)
30 Constitution Committee, Illegal Migration Bill (16th Report, Session 2022–23, HL Paper 200), para 30
31 UK Parliament, ‘Lord Carlile of Berriew’s amendment, Clause 2: Illegal Migration Act 2023’: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3429/stages/17763/amendments/10007826
32 House of Commons, Lords Amendments: Illegal Migration Bill (Motions relating to Lords Amendments) (11 July 2023): https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/58-03/0347/amend/illegal_migration_day_ccla_0711.pdf
33 Constitution Committee, Permanent Secretaries: their appointment and removal (17th Report, Session 2022–23, HL Paper 258), para 53
34 HM Government, Government response to the House of Lords Constitution Select Committee’s 17th Report on “Permanent Secretaries: their appointment and removal” (January 2024): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/42881/documents/213292/default/ [accessed 1 May 2024]
35 Constitution Committee, Permanent Secretaries: their appointment and removal (17th Report, Session 2022–23, HL Paper 258), para 88
36 HM Government, Government response to the House of Lords Constitution Select Committee’s 17th Report on “Permanent Secretaries: their appointment and removal” (January 2024): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/42881/documents/213292/default/
37 Constitution Committee, Permanent Secretaries: their appointment and removal (17th Report, Session 2022–23, HL Paper 258), para 172
38 Economic Affairs Committee, How to make an independent Bank of England work better (1st Report, Session 2023–24, HL Paper 10)
39 Ibid.
40 Letter from the Rt.Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Lord Bridges of Headley, Chair of the Economic Affairs Committee (30 January 2024): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/43234/documents/215125/default/
41 Ibid.
42 Economic Affairs Committee, ‘Economic Affairs Committee launches new inquiry on the sustainability of the UK’s national debt’: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/175/economic-affairs-committee/news/198891/economic-affairs-committee-launches-new-inquiry-on-the-sustainability-of-the-uks-national-debt/
43 Oral evidence taken before the Economic Affairs Committee, annual scrutiny session with the Governor of the Bank of England, 14 February 2024 (Session 2023–24), QQ 1–38 (Andrew Bailey)
44 Oral evidence taken before the Economic Affairs Committee, annual scrutiny session with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, 19 March 2024 (Session 2023–24), QQ 1–13 (The Rt. Hon. Jeremy Hunt MP)
45 Economic Affairs Committee, Research and development tax relief, HMRC data requirements, promoters of tax avoidance and sentencing for tax fraud (2nd Report, Session 2024–24, HL Paper 52)
46 Oral evidence taken before the Finance Bill Sub-Committee, inquiry into the Draft Finance Bill 2023–24, 29 November 2023 (Session 2023–24), QQ 71–93 (Nigel Huddleston MP, Doug Stoneham, Matthew Henty, Zoë Nettlefield)
47 Economic Affairs Committee, Research and development tax relief, HMRC data requirements, promoters of tax avoidance and sentencing for tax fraud (2nd Report, Session 2024–24, HL Paper 52)
48 Taxation, ‘Lords publish report on Finance Bill’ (2 February 2024): https://www.taxation.co.uk/articles/lords-publish-report-on-finance-bill [accessed 29 April 2024]; ICAEW, ‘House of Lords reports on Finance Bill measures’ (6 February 2024): https://www.icaew.com/insights/tax-news/2024/feb-2024/house-of-lords-reports-on-finance-bill-measures [accessed 29 April 2024]
49 AccountancyAge, ‘R&D tax changes risk deterring business investment, Lords report warns’, (1 February 2024): https://www.accountancyage.com/2024/02/01/rd-tax-changes-risk-deterring-business-investment-lords-report-warns/ [accessed 29 April 2024]; Chartered Institute of Taxation, ‘Lords: Businesses need guidance ahead of R&D relief changes’, (1 February 2024): https://www.tax.org.uk/lords-businesses-need-guidance-ahead-of-r-d-relief-changes [accessed 29 April 2024]; Research Professional News, ‘Tax relief reforms may impact UK R&D investment, peers warn’, (1 February 2024): https://www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-politics-2024-2-tax-relief-reforms-may-impact-uk-r-d-investment-peers-warn/ [accessed 29 April 2024]; Financial Accountant, ‘House of Lords raises concerns about SME R&D tax relief complexity’, (2 February 2024): https://www.financialaccountant.co.uk/news/house-of-lords-raises-concerns-about-sme-r-d-tax-relief-complexity [accessed 29 April 2024]
50 accountingWEB, ‘Improve consultations and resource HMRC better, say Lords’: https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/tax/hmrc-policy/improve-consultations-and-resource-hmrc-better-say-lords [accessed 29 April 2024]; HMRC Watch, ‘Lords Urge HMRC to Reassess Strategy Against Tax Fraud’: https://www.hmrcwatch.co.uk/lords-urge-hmrc-to-reassess-strategy-against-tax-fraud/ [accessed 29 April 2024]
51 HM Treasury, ‘Government Response to the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee Report, ‘Research and Development Tax Relief, HMRC Data Requirements, Promoters of Tax Avoidance and Sentencing for Tax Fraud’’: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/44623/documents/221650/default/
52 Environment and Climate Change Committee, An extraordinary challenge: Restoring 30 per cent of our land and sea by 2030 (2nd Report, Session 2023–24, HL Paper 234)
53 Environment and Climate Change Committee, EV strategy: Rapid Recharge Needed (1st Report, Session 2023–24, HL Paper 51)
54 Environment and Climate Change Committee, ‘Methane’: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8304/methane/
55 Oral evidence taken before the Environment and Climate Change Committee, one-off evidence session with Lord Deben, the former Chair of the Climate Change Committee, 5 July 2023 (Session 2023–24), QQ 1–18 (The Rt. Hon. the Lord Deben); Oral evidence taken before the Environment and Climate Change Committee, one-off evidence session with The Office for Environmental Protection, 14 February 2024 (Session 2023–24), QQ 1–26 (Dame Glenys Stacey, Chair, Office for Environmental Protection; Natalie Prosser, CEO, Office for Environmental Protection)
56 Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, The Rt. Hon. Claire Coutinho MP, and Lord Callanan, Press Release: Heat pump applications surge after increase in government grant on 30 November 2023: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/heat-pump-applications-surge-after-increase-in-government-grant [accessed 10 September 2024]; HM Treasury, Autumn Statement 2023 (22 November 2023) p 61: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6568909c5936bb00133167cc/E02982473_Autumn_Statement_Nov_23_Accessible_Final.pdf [accessed 10 April 2024]
57 BBC News, ‘Electric cars: Lords urge action on ‘misinformation’ in press’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68130432 [accessed 1 May 2024]; BBC Sounds, ‘You and Yours Call You and Yours - EVs’ (6 February 2024) : https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001w15w [accessed 30 April 2024]; Bloomberg UK, ‘Sunak is too negative about electric cars, UK Lords say’: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024–02-06/sunak-too-negative-about-electric-cars-house-of-lords-report-says [accessed 30 April 2024]; Metro, ‘Slash tax on car charging to make life fair’ says House of Lords’: https://metro.co.uk/2024/02/06/slash-tax-ev-car-charging-make-life-fair-says-house-lords-20228603/ [accessed 30 April 2024]; ‘Electric Vehicles: Everything you need to know about Evs’, The Sun (6 February 2024): https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/25734835/uk-must-ev-ownership-house-of-lords-report/; ‘Urgent action needed to boost electric motoring - peers’, Independent (6 February 2024): https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/government-house-of-lords-co2-vat-budget-b2491127.html; ‘Make used electric cars cheaper and tackle battery fears, peers tell ministers’, The Guardian (6 February 2024): https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/06/used-electric-cars-battery-lords-evs; ‘Inside the battle to recharge Britain’s slowing electric car market’, The Telegraph (6 February 2024): https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/02/05/electric-cars-ev-demand-tumbles-backlash-high-prices/
58 Barnsley College, ‘Baroness Parminter ‘inspired’ by students during visit’, (updated 11 March 2024): https://www.barnsley.ac.uk/baroness-parminter-inspired-by-students-during-visit/ [accessed 10 April 2024]
59 European Affairs Committee, The future UK-EU relationship (4th Report, Session 2022–23, HL Paper 184). The Government responded on 30 June 2023.
60 For example, ‘The Guardian view on Brexit barriers and the young: a new deal is needed’, The Guardian (1 May 2023): https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/may/01/the-guardian-view-on-brexit-barriers-and-the-young-a-new-deal-is-needed [accessed 10 September 2024], ‘UK should rejoin Erasmus+, says Lords report’, Times Higher Education (29 April 2023): https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/uk-should-rejoin-erasmus-says-lords-report [accessed 10 September 2024], The New European, ‘How to fix our relationship with the EU’: https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/how-to-fix-our-relationship-with-the-eu/ [accessed 1 May 2024]; and Euractiv, ‘UK Parliament sets out ways to rebuild EU ties ahead of Brexit review’: https://www.euractiv.com/section/eu-uk-relations/news/uk-parliament-sets-out-ways-to-rebuild-eu-ties-ahead-of-brexit-review/ [accessed 1 May 2024]
61 European Parliament, The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement two years on: Unpacking early evidence European Implementation Assessment (August 2023): https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2023/747433/EPRS_STU(2023)747433_EN.pdf [accessed 1 May 2024]
62 HM Government, Government response to the European Affairs Committee report (28 June 2023): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/40685/documents/198331/default/ [accessed 1 May 2024]
63 European Affairs Committee, The Ukraine Effect: The impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the UK-EU relationship (1st Report, Session 2023–24, HL Paper 48). The Government responded on 27 March 2024.
64 HM Government, UK Government response to the European Affairs Committee Report (27 March 2024): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/44254/documents/220185/default/ [accessed 1 May 2024]
65 ‘‘Incomprehensible’ that Abramovich’s Chelsea funds not yet spent on Ukraine’, The Guardian (31 January 2024): https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/31/incomprehensible-roman-abramovich-chelsea-proceeds-still-not-spent-to-help-ukraine [accessed 10 September 2024] ‘Peers crticise Abramovich’s failure to donate Chelsea sale funds to Ukraine’, Independent (31 January 2024): https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/roman-abramovich-government-uk-government-european-council-europe-b2487726.html [accessed 10 September 2024], ‘UK lawmakers criticize failure to use funds from Russian oligarch Abramovich’s sale of Chelsea FC for Ukraine’, Kyiv Independent (31 January 2024): https://kyivindependent.com/uk-lawmakers-criticize-failure-to-use-funds-from-russian-oligarch-abramovichs-sale-of-chelsea-fc-for-ukraine/; and ‘UK lawmakers are annoyed that Abramovic’s frozen Chelsea funds still haven’t been used for Ukraine’, The Hill (31 January 2024): https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-international/ap-uk-lawmakers-are-annoyed-that-abramovichs-frozen-chelsea-funds-still-havent-been-used-for-ukraine/ [accessed 10 September 2024]
66 Oral evidence taken before the European Affairs Committee, one-off evidence session, 14 December 2023 (Session 2023–24), Q 1–34 (The Rt. Hon. Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton, the then Foreign Secretary, FCDO; Olaf Henricson-Bell, FCDO)
67 On 22 December 2022, the High Court ruled that the Government’s Settlement Scheme for EU citizens in the UK was implemented unlawfully. High Court, R v the Independent Monitoring Authority for the Citizens Rights Agreement and the Secretary of State for the Home Department [2022] EWHC 3274 (Admin)
68 Letter from Lord Wood of Anfield, Acting Chair of the European Affairs Committee to the Rt. Hon. Suella Braverman MP, the then Secretary of State for the Home Department (25 May 2023): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/40142/documents/195711/default/
69 European Affairs Committee, Report from the Sub-Committee on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland: Scrutiny of International Agreements: PEACE PLUS Programme 2021–2027 Financing Agreement (6th Report, Session 2022–23, HL Paper 196)
70 European Affairs Committee, Report from the Sub-Committee on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland: The Windsor Framework (7th Report, Session 2022–23, HL Paper 237)
71 For example, BBC News, ‘Windsor Framework is an improvement on protocol but problems remain, Lords say’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-66290927 [accessed 29 April 2024], ‘Post-Brexit N Ireland trade rules still need work, warn Lords’, Financial Times (25 July 2023): https://www.ft.com/content/a876f171-0c61-49ca-8f39-14aa32fb9287. [accessed 10 September 2024] ‘Brexit deal could make things worse for some firms, say peers’, The Times (25 July 2024): https://www.thetimes.com/world/ireland-world/article/brexit-deal-could-make-things-worse-for-some-firms-say-peers-t66206qzj [accessed 10 September 2024] ‘Windsor Framework deal can work but clarity needed, House of Lords subcommittee says’, Irish Times (25 July 2023): https://www.irishtimes.com/world/uk/2023/07/25/windsor-framework-deal-can-work-but-clarity-needed-house-of-lords-subcommittee-says/ [accessed 10 September 2024] ‘Windsor Framework a ‘distinct improvement’ but problems remain, peers find’, Derry Now (25 July 2023): https://www.derrynow.com/news/national-news/1256401/windsor-framework-a-distinct-improvement-but-problems-remain-peers-find.html; ‘Windsor Framework a ‘distinct improvement’ but problems remain, peers find’, The Standard (25 July 2023): https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/northern-ireland-rishi-sunak-ursula-von-der-leyen-european-commission-house-of-lords-b1096495.html [accessed 10 September 2024]
72 Letter from Lord Jay of Ewelme, Chair of the Sub-Committee on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland to Rt. Hon. James Cleverly MP, the then Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (19 October 2023): https://
73 Letter from Lord Jay of Ewelme, Chair of the Sub-Committee on the Windsor Framework to Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton, the then Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (19 December 2023): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/42662/documents/212033/default/
74 Sub-Committee on the Windsor Framework, ‘Veterinary medicines and the Windsor Framework’: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8125/veterinary-medicines-and-the-windsor-framework/
75 Letter from Lord Jay of Ewelme, Chair of the Sub-Committee on the Windsor Framework to Nusrat Ghani MP, the then Minister of State for Industry and Economic Security at the Department for Business and Trade (19 October 2023): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/41774/documents/206945/default/
76 Letter from Lord Jay of Ewelme, Chair of the Sub-Committee on the Windsor Framework to Lord Sharpe of Epsom, the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Home Office (7 March 2024): https:// committees.parliament.uk/publications/43745/documents/217041/default/
77 Letter from Lord Jay of Ewelme, Chair of the Sub-Committee on the Windsor Framework to Lord Douglas-Miller, the then Minister for Biosecurity, Animal Health & Welfare Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (7 March 2024): committees.parliament.uk/publications/43744/documents/217039/default/
78 Letter from the Chair of the Financial Services Regulation Committee, the Rt. Hon. the Lord Forsyth of Drumlean to Nikhil Rathi, Chief Executive of the Financial Conduct Authority on Consultation Paper CP24/2 (18 April 2024): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/44344/documents/220473/default/
79 Financial Services Regulation Committee, ‘FCA and PRA’s secondary competitiveness and growth objective’: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8433/fca-and-pras-secondary-competitiveness-and-growth-objective/
80 Industry and Regulators Committee, The affluent and the effluent: cleaning up failures in water and sewage regulation (1st Report, Session 2022–23, HL Paper 166)
81 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, ‘Plan for Water: our integrated plan for delivering clean and plentiful water’ (4 April 2023): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/plan-for-water-our-integrated-plan-for-delivering-clean-and-plentiful-water/plan-for-water-our-integrated-plan-for-delivering-clean-and-plentiful-water [accessed 28 March 2024]
82 Industry and Regulators Committee, ‘Follow-up: Ofwat, the water industry and the role of the Government’: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/7759/followup-ofwat-the-water-industry-and-the-role-of-the-government/
83 Letter from Lord Hollick, Chair of the Industry and Regulators Committee to Rt. Hon. Thérèse Coffey MP, the then Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (18 September 2024): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/41466/documents/204274/default/. See also ‘Delay on wet wipe ban is deeply damaging the environment, say peers’, The Times (19 September 2023): https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/delay-on-wet-wipe-ban-is-deeply-damaging-the-environment-say-peers-j0m9crv05
84 Industry and Regulators Committee, ‘The work of the Office for Students’: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/7347/the-work-of-the-office-for-students/
85 Industry and Regulators Committee, Must do better: the Office for Students and the looming crisis facing higher education (2nd Report, Session 2022–23, HL Paper 246)
86 BBC News ‘Universities reliant on overseas students – report’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-66786377 [accessed 1 May 2024]
87 ‘Peers criticise OfS ‘nonchalance’ on ‘looming crisis’ in finances’, Times Higher Education (13 September 2023): https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/peers-criticise-ofs-nonchalance-looming-crisis-finances [accessed 10 September 2024]
88 ‘Universities watchdog failing to meet students’ needs and ‘not trusted’ by many’, Independent (13 September 2023): https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/government-office-for-students-university-and-college-union-department-for-education-b2410285.html [accessed 10 September 2024]
89 Lords Industry and Regulators Committee (@HLIndustryCom), post on 13 September 2023: https://twitter.com/HLIndustryCom/status/1701861864991314395
90 Office for Students, Response to the House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee Report (27 November 2023): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/42303/documents/210300/default/ [accessed 29 April 2024]
91 Industry and Regulators Committee, Who watches the watchdogs? Improving the performance, independence and accountability of UK regulators (1st Report, Session 2023–24, HL Paper 56)
92 See, for example, ‘Regulators need less politics and more accountability, say peers’, Times (8 February 2024): https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/regulators-need-less-politics-and-more-accountability-say-peers-jlf9s3g6f; ‘UK business department ‘hampered’ inquiry into regulators, say Lords’, Financial Times (8 February 2024): https://www.ft.com/content/19e3b924-74b9-4f3c-9741–5006633c54a0 [accessed 10 September 2024]
93 Industry and Regulators Committee, ‘The regulation of property agents’: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8267/the-regulation-of-property-agents/
94 Letter from Baroness Taylor of Bolton, Chair of the Industry and Regulators Committee to Rt. Hon. Michael Gove MP, the then Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (22 March 2024): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/43997/documents/217945/default/
95 International Agreements Committee, Scrutiny of International Agreements: UK-Rwanda Agreement on an Asylum Partnership (4th Report, Session 2023–24, HL Paper 43)
96 Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, section 20
97 HL Deb, 22 January 2024, cols 597–655
98 For example: ‘Peers know the Rwanda bill is flawed and dangerous. We must use every power to oppose it’, The Guardian (14 April 2024): https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/14/rwanda-bill-peers-house-of-lords-amendments-commons-legislation; ‘Sunak’s Rwanda plan faces first test in Lords with bid to delay’, Daily Mail (22 January 2024): https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-12990039/Sunak-s-Rwanda-plan-faces-test-Lords-bid-delay-treaty.html; ‘Sunak faces ‘bigger legal hurdle’ on deportation flights after peers vote for delay to Rwanda treaty’, The Standard (23 January 2024): https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/rwanda-bill-asylum-deportation-uk-peers-house-of-lords-vote-rishi-sunak-b1134047.html; ‘Lords demand to delay Rwanda law led by Labour peer’, The Telegraph (18 January 2024): https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/01/18/do-not-frustrate-will-of-people-rwanda-rishi-sunak-lords/; and ‘Rwanda bill suffers first Lords setback’The Times (22 January 2024): https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rwanda-bill-deportations-vote-house-lords-jspgfpmtd
99 International Agreements Committee, Scrutiny of international agreements: UK accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (6th Report, Session 2023–24, HL Paper 70)
100 HL Deb, 19 March 2024, cols 107–143
101 International Agreements Committee, ‘Reports, special reports and government responses’: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/448/international-agreements-committee/publications/reports-responses/
102 International Relations and Defence Committee, ‘Our friends in the North: UK strategy towards the Arctic’: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/7410/the-arctic/news/198697/our-friends-in-the-north-uk-strategy-towards-the-arctic/
103 International Relations and Defence Committee, Arctic Inquiry: Norway and Finland visit 4–8 September (September 2023): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/41558/documents/204655/default/
104 International Relations and Defence Committee, Our friends in the North: UK strategy towards the Arctic (1st Report, Session 2023–24, HL Paper 8)
105 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Government Response to the International Relations and Defence Committee’s Report “Our friends in the North: UK strategy towards the Arctic” (26 January 2024): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/43083/documents/214368/default/
106 International Relations and Defence Committee, ‘Government should review its approach to Western Balkans says Lords committee’: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/360/international-relations-and-defence-committee/news/199639/government-should-review-its-approach-to-western-balkans-says-lords-committee/
107 Lords International Relations and Defence Committee (@LordsIRCom), tweet on 9 January 2024: https://twitter.com/LordsIRCom/status/1744736881559150971
108 International Relations and Defence Committee, ‘Implications of the war in Ukraine for UK Defence short inquiry launched’: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8251/implications-of-the-war-in-ukraine-for-uk-defence/news/200425/implications-of-the-war-in-ukraine-for-uk-defence-short-inquiry-launched/
109 Oral evidence taken before the Justice and Home Affairs Committee, inquiry on community sentences, 27 June 2023 (Session 2022–23), QQ 79–89 (Pavan Dhaliwal, Caroline, Ayesha and DeQueon). See also, BBC News, ‘People like me need to be in probation service’, (1 July 2023): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66033331 [accessed 12 April 2024].
110 Oral evidence taken before the Justice and Home Affairs Committee, inquiry on community sentences, 19 September 2023 (Session 2022–23), QQ 117–131 (Rt. Hon. Damian Hinds MP)
111 Justice and Home Affairs Committee, Cutting crime: better community sentences (1st Report, Session 2023–24, HL Paper 27)
112 Ministry of Justice, Cutting Crime: Better Community Sentences: Response from the Ministry of Justice to the Justice and Home Affairs Committee (February 2024): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/43600/documents/216620/default/
113 Oral evidence taken before the Justice and Home Affairs Committee, one-off evidence session, 25 October 2023 (Session 2022–23), QQ 1–18 (Rt. Hon. Alex Chalk KC MP)
114 Letter from Baroness Hamwee, Chair of the Justice and Home Affairs Committee to Rt. Hon. Suella Braverman KC MP, the then Home Secretary (25 July 2023): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/41088/documents/200044/default/; and Letter from Rt. Hon. Suella Braverman KC MP, the then Home Secretary to Baroness Hamwee, Chair of the Justice and Home Affairs Committee (18 October 2023): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/41869/documents/207633/default/
115 Oral evidence taken before the Justice and Home Affairs Committee, one-off evidence session, 25 July 2023 (Session 2022–23), QQ 1–10 (Dame Vera Baird DBE KC and Clare Waxman)
116 HL Deb 20 September 2023, cols 1439–1462
117 Justice and Home Affairs Committee, Technology rules? The advent of new technologies in the justice system (1st Report, Session 2021–22, HL Paper 180)
118 Justice and Home Affairs Committee, ‘Committee launches an investigation into Live Facial Recognition’: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/519/justice-and-home-affairs-committee/news/198902/committee-launches-an-investigation-into-live-facial-recognition/
119 Justice and Home Affairs Committee, Note of a private meeting held on 16 January 2024 with representatives from the Welsh Government (19 January 2024): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/43013/documents/214316/default/
120 Letter from Baroness Hamwee, Chair of the Justice and Home Affairs Committee to Rt. Hon. James Cleverly MP, the then Home Secretary (26 January 2024): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/43080/documents/214371/default/
121 For example, ITV News, ‘Police accused of widening use of live facial scanning ‘with no clear legal grounds’’, (27 January 2024): https://www.itv.com/news/2024–01-26/police-widening-use-of-live-facial-scanning-with-no-clear-legal-grounds-peers [accessed 12 April 2024]
122 Justice and Home Affairs Committee, ‘Call for evidence launched on Electronic Border Management’: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/519/justice-and-home-affairs-committee/news/200196/call-for-evidence-launched-on-electronic-border-management/
123 Oral evidence taken before the Justice and Home Affairs Committee, inquiry on electronic border management systems, 26 March 2024 (Session 2023–24), QQ 86–98 (Tom Pursglove MP)
124 For example: ‘Patient organisations call for simplified e-prescribing in homecare medicines’, The Pharmaceutical Journal (8 February 2024): https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/news/patient-organisations-call-for-simplified-e-prescribing-in-homecare-medicines-services The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, ‘Homecare services in crisis’: https://www.rpharms.com/resources/podcast-central/the-pj-pod/spotlight-homecare-services-in-crisis [accessed 3 May 2024]; Elisabeth Mahase, ‘‘Delays and errors’ by homecare medicine providers are harming patients, says House of Lords report’, The BMJ, 383 (2023), p 2724: https://www.bmj.com/content/383/bmj.p2724.full; The Lowdown, ‘Serious failings in homecare medinie services from private companies’: https://lowdownnhs.info/news/serious-failings-in-homecare-medicine-services-from-private-companies/ [accessed 3 May 2024]
125 Public Services Committee, Homecare medicines services: an opportunity lost (4th Report, Session 2022–23, HL Paper 269), and Public Services Committee, ‘Homecare medicines services could reduce strain on the NHS and transform patient care’: https://ukparliament.shorthandstories.com/homecare-medicines-services-public-services-lords-report/index.html? [accessed 11 September 2024]
126 Public Services Committee, Government response to the House of Lords Public Services Committee 4th Report of Session 2022–23 Homecare medicines services: an opportunity lost (17 January 2024): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/42934/documents/213500/default/
127 Letter from Baroness Morris of Yardley, Chair of the Public Services Committee to Gareth Davies, Comptroller and Auditor General, National Audit Office (19 February 2024): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/43337/documents/215811/default/ and Letter from Gareth Davies, Comptroller and Auditor General, National Audit Office to Baroness Morris of Yardley, Chair of the Public Services Committee (28 March 2024): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/44111/documents/218630/default/
128 Letter from Baroness Morris of Yardley, Chair of the Public Services Committee to the Rt. Hon. Victoria Atkins MP (15 February 2024): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/43332/documents/217533/default/ and Letter from Andrew Stephenson CBE MP to Baroness Morris of Yardley, Chair of the Public Services Committee (25 March 2024): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/44111/documents/218630/default/
129 Public Services Committee, ‘The transition from education to employment for young disabled people - inquiry launch’: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/7738/the-transition-from-education-to-employment-for-young-disabled-people/news/196809/the-transition-from-education-to-employment-for-young-disabled-people-inquiry-launch/
130 Public Services Committee, How disabled people get jobs after leaving school, college, or university, Easyread call for evidence : https://www.parliament.uk/contentassets/40c30c2315df47be948557fb67d6dd77/transition-young-disabled-people-easyread-cfe.pdf [accessed 26 April 2024], Youtube video, added by the House of Lords: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiDvZ0bxOjk [accessed 26 April 2024], and Youtube video, added by the House of Lords: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DozFxN4YMMc [accessed 26 April 2024]
131 Information Commissioner’s Office, ‘A 10 step guide to sharing information to safeguard children’: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/data-sharing/a-10-step-guide-to-sharing-information-to-safeguard-children/ [accessed 26 April 2024]. See also: Oral evidence taken before the Public Services Committee, inquiry on Information Commissioner’s Office - follow-up, 25 January 2023 (Session 2022–23), Q 2 (John Edwards)
132 Including: Public Services Committee, ‘The implications of the new data-sharing code for public services’: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/933/the-implications-of-the-new-datasharing-code-for-public-services/ and Public Services Committee, ‘Information Commissioner’s Office: follow-up’: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/7203/information-commissioners-office-followup/
133 Letter from Baroness Morris of Yardley, Chair of the Public Services Committee to David Johnston MP, the then Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing (25 March 2024): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/44021/documents/218134/default/
134 Public Services Committee, A response to the Children’s Social Care Implementation Strategy (3rd Report, Session 2022–23, HL Paper 201)
135 Letter from David Johnston MP, the then Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing to Baroness Morris of Yardley, Chair of the Public Services Committee (26 April 2024): https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/44585/documents/221447/default/
136 Science and Technology Committee, The neglected pollutants: the effects of artificial light and noise on human health (2nd Report, Session 2022–23, HL Paper 232)
137 Science and Technology Committee, Long-duration energy storage: get on with it (1st Report, Session 2023–24, HL Paper 68)
138 Science and Technology Committee, ‘13 June 2023 - Independent review into UK clinical trials - Oral evidence’: https://committees.parliament.uk/event/18387/formal-meeting-oral-evidence-session/
139 Science and Technology Committee, ‘13 February 2024 - Government Chief Scientific Adviser - Oral evidence’: https://committees.parliament.uk/event/20615/formal-meeting-oral-evidence-session/
140 Science and Technology Committee, ‘12 March 2024 - Ministerial session: Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology - Oral evidence’: https://committees.parliament.uk/event/20979/formal-meeting-oral-evidence-session/
141 Science and Technology Committee, ‘19 March 2024 - University Spin-out Companies - Oral evidence’: https://committees.parliament.uk/event/21059/formal-meeting-oral-evidence-session/
142 For example Research Professional News, ‘There is no university funding crisis, says Michelle Donelan’: https://www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-politics-2024-3-there-is-no-university-funding-crisis-says-michelle-donelan/ [accessed 3 May 2024]; ‘Donelan apologies for sharing UKRI letter online after payout’, Times Higher Education (12 March 2024): https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/donelan-apologises-tweeting-letter-ukri-0 [accessed 10 September 2024] and Sky News, ‘Michelle Donelan: Science secretary apologises after false Hamas claims about academic led to taxpayers footing £15,000 libel bill’: https://news.sky.com/story/michelle-donelan-science-secretary-apologises-after-false-hamas-claims-about-academic-led-to-taxpayers-footing-15-000-libel-bill-13093154 [accessed 3 May 2024]