Review of financial support for Lords published

• Report: Review of financial support for Members of the House of Lords (external link)
• Lords Hansard: Review Body on Senior Salaries - written statement
• Members of the Lords: allowances
• Parliament News: Review of financial support for Lords announced
• Parliament News: Consultation on review of financial support for Lords
• Parliament News: Leader’s Group on the House of Lords Code of Conduct

Members of the House of Lords are unsalaried. Currently, financial support for Members is provided through a system of allowances and expenses.

The SSRB review was formally commissioned by the Prime Minister, following the decision of the House of Lords’ House Committee to seek an independent, external review of the system of financial support for Members.

Following publication, the Lord Speaker, Baroness Hayman, Chairman of the House of Lords’ House Committee, which initiated the SSRB review, said:

“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.”

Next steps

The SSRB’s report will be considered by the House Committee. The report is expected to be debated by the House of Lords before the Christmas recess (which starts on 17 December).

The aim will be to meet the SSRB’s recommendation of having a new system in place for the new financial year.

Questions on the report

All enquiries concerning the report should be directed to the Review Body on Senior Salaries.

• Review Body on Senior Salaries
• COI press release: Consultation launched on allowances in the House of Lords

Background: House Committee

The House Committee is the principal supervisory body for the House of Lords Administration, with particular responsibility for financial matters. Its terms of reference are:

"To set the policy framework for the administration of the House and to provide non-executive guidance to the Management Board; to approve the House’s strategic, business and financial plans; to agree the annual Estimates and Supplementary Estimates; to supervise the arrangements relating to Members’ expenses; and to approve the House of Lords Annual Report."

The House Committee is chaired by the Lord Speaker, and its members include the Chairman of Committees, the leaders of the three main parties, the Convenor of the Crossbench Peers and six other backbench Members of the Lords.