Catch up on 2023 so far in the House of Lords

Since the start of the year in the House of Lords, members have asked over 200 questions to government in the chamber, submitted over 2000 written questions and met in committees 264 times. The House of Lords has debated issues of the day, scrutinised legislation and held the government to account in Lords questions.

Pressing for action

At the start of business in the chamber, the Lords asks the government questions on issues of the day, giving members an opportunity to check and challenge its work and press for action. Topics in the spotlight so far this year include:

building new homes
artificial intelligence
palliative care for dementia patients
GP recruitment
financial literacy
rail services
blood donation
eating disorder services
the cost of living
animal welfare.

Inside Lords Questions

Find out why members campaign on issues in the House of Lords and press the government for action in Lords questions on YouTube.

Scrutinising legislation

The Lords plays an essential role in improving bills, highlighting potential problems and ensuring they will be workable laws. Here are some recent examples of bills where the House of Lords has used its knowledge and experience to ask the government to think again on proposed legislation.

Online Safety Bill

The Lords completed its further examination of the Online Safety Bill in July. The government accepted several changes to the bill originally put forward by Lords members on topics including AI-generated content, age verification to prevent children accessing pornographic content, disclosing information held by service providers to the parents of a deceased child and Ofcom guidance on protecting women and girls.

Members also asked the government to think again on offences relating to animal torture content and features and functionalities of online services that are harmful to children.

With more than 80 hours of scrutiny in the Lords so far, members will have a final chance to check the bill in September before it returns to the House of Commons where MPs will consider Lords changes.

Financial Services and Markets Act

Members of the Lords scrutinised the Financial Services and Markets Bill and suggested several changes to the bill on topics including the UK's net zero targets, financial inclusion and banking reform.

During report stage, members put forward a change to place restrictions on commercial activity related to forest risk commodities, globally traded goods that contribute to deforestation. After consideration in the Commons, the government and Lords agreed to compromise on a change to require the Treasury to review the adequacy of the UK financial system in eliminating the financing of the use of prohibited forest risk commodities.

National Security Act

During the bill's progress through the House, members inserted a new clause into the National Security Bill on foreign interference in elections. The new clause would require political parties to publish policy statements identifying donations from a foreign power and provide the Electoral Commission with an annual risk statement on how overseas donations are managed.

After the House of Commons later rejected the new clause, Lords members suggested a revised version of the clause, which retains the duties placed on the political parties, and which the Commons agreed to.

Illegal Migration Act

After more than 75 hours of scrutiny, the Illegal Migration Act became law in July with changes on time limits for detention of children and pregnant women, plus the application of the bill to immigration and asylum cases retrospectively, following Lords proposals earlier in the bill's progress.

Ballot Secrecy Act

Lord Hayward's private member's bill became law in May after it passed all of its stages in Parliament. This new law creates offences for individuals who accompany a voter to a polling booth, or position themselves nearby, with the intention of influencing the voter's ballot.

Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act

The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill was passed by both Houses of Parliament in June. The government made changes to the bill on its 'sunsetting' of retained laws and reporting to Parliament following changes proposed by members.

Investigating public policy and current issues

Debates

Members debate key issues facing the UK and people around the world. So far this year, members have debated topics including:

See photos from the 2023 International Women's Day debate.

Committees

Lords committees are small groups of members who consider specific policy issues. They hear from interested people and publish reports on their findings. This year's reports include:

The Communications and Digital Committee found that people of all ages and backgrounds are being left behind as services and personal lives move online in its report on digital exclusion.

The Justice and Home Affairs Committee called on the government to act in its report into laws on family migration. Hear more from members and witnesses on YouTube.

The European Affairs Committee reported that, seven years on from the Brexit referendum, the UK’s relationship with the EU has been far from perfect.
The Science and Technology Committee released a new report highlighting the negative impacts of artificial light and noise on health and the economy.
The Industry and Regulators Committee published its Ofwat report highlighting that the environmental performance of water companies is at its lowest ever level.
The International Relations and Defence Committee highlighted key challenges in its report on UK defence including the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and new technologies.
The Public Services Committee set out an action plan to make sure people can access lifesaving emergency healthcare.

Four new special investigative committees launched this year to examine AI in weapon systems, the integration of primary and community care, the future of the horticultural sector and the education system for 11-16 year olds.

House of Lords Podcast

Hear from members of the special investigative committees on the House of Lords Podcast:

Get involved

Lord Speaker's Corner

Hear from members of the House of Lords in this new series as the Lord Speaker finds out what influences their work in and beyond the Lords.

Each episode sees Lord McFall of Alcluith discover what drives members and what they hope to achieve in their time in the House.

Watch the latest episodes or search 'House of Lords Podcast' on your preferred platform.

Watch business

Questions, debates and scrutiny of legislation are streamed live online for free. Watch chamber and Lords committee meetings on Parliament TV.

Read

All business in the House of Lords chamber and in Grand Committee is transcribed and available to read from around three hours after it happens. Read it free online in Lords Hansard.

Follow on Twitter

Visit @UKHouseofLords on Twitter for highlights of each day’s work in the House.

Follow the hashtag #HouseOfLords for what’s happening, or #LordsQs for details of questions put to the government at the start of business Monday to Thursday.

Other social media

Follow the House of Lords on Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and Threads for highlights, photos and videos from the UK Parliament’s second chamber.