What's on in the Lords
25 March 2021
Discover what's coming up in the House of Lords.
Thursday 25 March
Questions
From midday
Topics are:
- Human rights abuses in Bahrain
- Access to Child Trust Funds for children with learning disabilities
- Famine in Yemen
- Racism: discrimination against Gypsies, Travellers and Roma
Questions for the Cabinet Office
Lord Frost (Conservative), Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, faces questions from the House of Lords:
- Lord Rooker (Labour) asks what analysis the government is using to oversee the cross-government work on maximising opportunities from Brexit.
- Lord Hain (Labour) asks what initiatives the government will pursue in the EU–UK Joint Committee to reduce the burdens for businesses in Northern Ireland trading with Great Britain.
- Baroness Crawley asks why the government unilaterally extended the grace period for checks on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland under the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.
Legislation
From 1.30pm
Members consider House of Commons changes to the Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill.
Debate
From 2.30pm
House of Lords debates powers in the Coronavirus Act 2020 one year on and the government's handling of the pandemic.
Keep track of chamber and committee work
Watch the work of the House of Lords on Parliament TV, or read transcripts of what’s said (from three hours after the event).
Stay up to date with the latest Lords news and follow the House of Lords on Twitter.
Catch up
Monday 22 March
Questions
Members check and challenge government actions with questions for 40 minutes.
Topics were:
- Heat pumps in domestic premises
- British judges’ role in Hong Kong
- Support for those with disabilities standing for elected office
- Impact of COVID-19 on prisoners
See full questions and find out who’s asking in Lords business.
Statements
Members questioned the government on two statements: an update on the Department for Health and Social Care and the Independent Review of Administrative Law from 7.30pm.
Regulations
The House debated a motion to regret on coronavirus travel rules. It calls for a comprehensive hotel quarantine on all UK arrivals to prevent new COVID-19 variants spreading. Find out more in this House of Lords Library briefing.
Further discussion on regulations included direct payments to farmers, agriculture and Administration (Restrictions on Disposal etc. to Connected Persons) Regulations 2021.
Members also debated the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review regulations for England. Special attention is drawn to it by the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee (47th Report).
Tuesday 23 March
Questions
At midday
Subjects are:
- Proposal to add folic acid to flour
- Youth Justice System
- Racially offensive posts on social media
- Restoring trust in audit and corporate governance policy paper
Statements
At 1pm and 5.30pm
Members question the government following two statements:
- an update on human rights at 1pm
- the Integrated Review: Defence Command Paper statement at 5.30pm.
View the members questioning government (external website), including former armed services chiefs.
Legislation
From 2pm
The Lords considers Commons amendments to the Trade Bill.
From 3pm
Members debate secondary legislation on the registration of marriages and the Extradition Act 2003.
From 4.30pm
The House also considers the Renewables Obligation (Amendment) Order 2021, making changes to energy supplier payments. Find out more in the House of Lords Library briefing.
Wednesday 24 March
Questions
From midday
Topics are:
- Reducing food waste
- Safety of Jewish students at the University of Bristol
- Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
- COVID-19: Care Quality Commission
See full questions and members asking in Lords business.
Private Notice Question
At 1pm
The Lord Speaker has accepted a topical urgent question from Lord Herbert of South Downs on global Tuberculosis cases.
Statement
Members question the government on the Future Defence and Security
Industrial Strategy, from 1.15pm.
Legislation
From 2pm
Final changes and tidy-up (third reading) of the Domestic Abuse Bill starts, and members begin further detailed check (report stage) of the Financial Services Bill.
Debates
At 2.30pm
Members debate the case for a long-term housing strategy in a debate put forward by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The debate takes place in Grand Committee, away from the chamber.
Image: House of Lords / Roger Harris