Eviction of peers is not enough to restore trust in House of Lords, July 24, 2009

In a new Briefing Paper, Restoring Trust in the House of Lords (download the paper here) published today, the Hansard Society has called for more action to be taken if trust and faith in the House of Lords is to be restored in the near future.

The Government's new Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill will provide new powers to evict peers from the House of Lords for egregious behaviour. But on its own, this new measure will not be enough to address concerns about public confidence in the Upper House as it deals with only the enforcement part of the problem.

Restoring Trust in the House of Lords sets out a range of further measures that are still needed. Examining the complex issues of ethics, regulation, standards and trust that specifically affect the House of Lords it makes recommendations for reform including:

• Empowering the office of the Lord Speaker to be able to better represent and act on behalf of the House and take forward a mandate for reform.
• Significant revision of the Code of Conduct, including setting out a clear ethos and mission for the House of Lords and extending the Code to cover the use of allowances and expenses.
• Consideration of the introduction of a hybrid payments system for allowances and expenses to better reflect the degree of each peer's involvement in the work of the House.
• Establishing a hierarchy of possible sanctions that may be applied for breaches of a new Code of Conduct up to and including permanent expulsion from the House.
• Establishing a system of external independent regulation for the management of the Lords allowances and expenses system and enforcement of the Code of Conduct.

Dr Ruth Fox, Director of the Hansard Society's Parliament and Government Programme, commented: ‘Public trust has to be earned before it is granted. It is clear that faith and confidence in both Houses of Parliament is at a nadir - that's why incremental reform of the system will no longer do. A radical overhaul is necessary to build a new culture of open, transparent, independently monitored regulation coupled with robust sanctions for those who transgress. Eviction of peers is important but much more action is required if the House of Lords is to regain public confidence.'

The Senior Salaries Review Body is currently reviewing the House of Lords allowances and expenses system and a Leadership Group in the House of Lords has been established under the chairmanship of the Rt Rev Lord Eames to revise the House of Lords Code of Conduct. This Briefing Paper is a contribution to the public debate about these important issues.

For further information contact Kate Egglestone at the Hansard Society on mediaprog@hansard.lse.ac.uk or 020 7438 1210

Dr Ruth Fox on 07779666771

 Editors' Notes

• The Hansard Society is the UK's leading non-partisan political research and education charity which exists to strengthen parliamentary democracy and encourage greater public involvement in politics. (http://www.hansardsociety.org.uk/)

• The Briefing Paper, Restoring Trust in the House of Lords, (download the paper here) draws on some of the ideas and recommendations discussed at a seminar co-hosted with the Lord Speaker on May 20 2009. The paper also reflects additional issues and ideas derived from Hansard Society research in recent years and as such is not a record of the seminar itself.

• The briefing paper explores the following themes:

- the concept of a ‘professional' Upper House;

- ethics and integrity;

- the application of a principles and rules-based regulatory framework;

- the desire for internal and external regulation;

- the problems associated with conflicts of interest and paid advocacy;

- proposals to revise the Code of Conduct and establish a sanctions and enforcement regime;

- the need for clear leadership in the House in the future.

• The new Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill introduced to Parliament this week will provide new powers to evict peers from the House of Lords.

• On May 21 2009 the Leader of the House of Lords announced that a Leaders Group would be established, chaired by the Rt Rev Lord Eames to review the House of Lords Code of Conduct and rules relating to members interest. It will report later this year.

• At the request of the House of Lords the Prime Minister has asked the Senior Salaries review Body to review the expenses and allowances available to members of the House of Lords.  It too will report later this year.