Lord Speaker’s statement: review of financial support for Lords
26 November 2009 (updated on 22 April 2010)
The Review Body on Senior Salaries (SSRB) published its report on the financial support for Members of the House of Lords on 26 November.
- Report: Review of financial support for Members of the House of Lords (external link)
- Parliament News: Review of financial support for Lords published
Members of the House of Lords are unsalaried. Currently, financial support for Members is provided through a system of allowances and expenses.
The review was commissioned by the Prime Minister, following the decision of the House of Lords House Committee to seek an independent, external review of options for the system of financial support for Members. Specifically, the SSRB was asked to review options for the system, given the House of Lords current role and composition, and to make recommendations.
I am grateful to the SSRB for this independent report and for their expert and detailed consideration of the system of financial support for Members of the House of Lords.
I very much welcome the recognition in their report both of the value of the essential work done by the House of Lords and of the need, recognised by the House in the commissioning of this report, to put our financial arrangements on a clear, robust and accountable basis.
The next steps will be for the Report to be considered by the House Committee and then debated by the whole House before the Christmas recess. The aim will be to meet the Report’s recommendation of having a new system in place for the new financial year.