Office of the Leader of the House of Lords

Last updated
Office of the Leader of the House of Lords
Welsh: Swyddfa Arweinydd Tŷ'r Arglwyddi
Office of the Leader of the House of Lords logo.svg
Department overview
Formed4 April 1721
Headquarters 1 Horseguards Road,
London,
SW1A 2HQ
Ministers responsible
Parent Department Cabinet Office
Website www.gov.uk/leader-lords

The Office of the Leader of the House of Lords (OLHL) is a ministerial department of the Cabinet Office with the duty of providing support to the Leader of the House of Lords, currently Baroness Smith of Basildon. Duties include assisting the leader in providing information, as well as answering questions from members of the House of Lords and the British Government. [1]

Contents

The deputy leader also provides support for the office including questioning government ministers and working on legislation debated by the house. The deputy leader is not a cabinet level minister. [2] It also supports the Lords Whip's Office.

Ministers

The ministers are as follows, with cabinet ministers in bold:

MinisterPortraitOfficePortfolio
The Rt Hon The Baroness Smith of Basildon PC The Baroness Smith of Basildon 2024 (cropped) 2.jpg Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal Management and delivery of the Government’s legislative programme (through the House of Lords) and facilitating the passage of individual bills; Leading the House (in the Chamber and as a key member of domestic committees to do with procedure, conduct, and the internal governance of the House); Issues connected to the House of Lords and its governance; Speaking for the Government in the Chamber on a range of issues, including repeating in the House of Lords statements made to the Commons by the Prime Minister; Ceremonial and other duties as the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal.
The Rt Hon The Lord Collins of Highbury Official portrait of Lord Collins of Highbury crop 2, 2019.jpg Deputy Leader of the House of Lords The Deputy Leader of the House of Lords supports the House of Lords in its job of questioning government ministers, improving legislation and debating topics of national significance.

Whips Office

MinisterRankPortfolio
The Rt Hon The Lord Kennedy of Southwark Chief Whip of the House of Lords
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms
Chief Whip has an active role at the despatch box promoting and defending departmental policy which involves:
  • answering questions
  • responding to debates
  • taking through primary and secondary legislation
The Rt Hon The Baroness Wheeler Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Lords
Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard
Deputising for the Chief Whip.
The Rt Hon The Lord Collins of Highbury Lord-in-waiting
Government Whip
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
The Rt Hon The Baroness Taylor of Stevenage OBE Baroness-in-waiting
Government Whip
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
The Rt Hon The Baroness Jones of Whitchurch Baroness-in-waiting
Government Whip
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and Department for Business and Trade

See also

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References

  1. "Office of the Leader of the House of Lords". 26 June 2023.
  2. "Deputy Leader of the House of Lords - GOV.UK".