Senior Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords

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Senior Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords
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since 11 May 2021
House of Lords
Style
  • Senior Deputy Speaker
    (informal and within the house)
  • His or her own peerage title
Status Deputy presiding officer
Appointer House of Lords
Approved and sworn in by the Sovereign
Website Official website

The senior deputy speaker is an officer of the House of Lords whose main role is to preside over the house when it is in committee (i.e., considering a bill at committee stage), either in the Lords Chamber or in Grand Committee, which is when committee stage is taken away from the floor to free up debating time in the main chamber. The senior deputy speaker deputises for the lord speaker, and like the lord speaker withdraws from political party membership. Additionally, the senior deputy speaker chairs various select committees of the house, and has a role in the administration of the house.

Contents

The current incumbent, John Gardiner, Lord Gardiner of Kimble, took the office on 11 May 2021. [1] Up until September 2016 the position was known as chairman of committees. [2]

The senior deputy speaker is assisted by a panel of deputy chairmen of committees. In addition to taking the chair in Committee of the Whole House and Grand Committee, deputy chairmen are appointed from time to time to serve with the chairman of committees on unopposed bill committees, which scrutinise private bills against which no petitions have been lodged. [3] Deputy chairmen are, by practice, deputy speakers. [4]

In March 2020, the Lord Speaker, Lord Fowler, announced that, due to the coronavirus pandemic, he would be withdrawing from Westminster and leaving woolsack duties to his deputies. [5] On 23 March the house agreed to a motion that, until 21 July, any member could perform the deputy speakers' functions. [6]

List of holders

Chairmen of committees (1715–2016)

Senior deputy speakers (2016–present)

Deputies

The following table lists the panel of deputy chairmen of committees, along with their concurrent terms as deputy speaker, as of July 2024. [7]

PeerPartyDeputy Chair startDeputy Speaker start
Lord Ashton of Hyde ConservativeJune 2023 [lower-alpha 1] April 2024
Baroness Barker Liberal DemocratJuly 2020April 2024
Lord Beith Liberal DemocratMay 2022April 2024
Baroness Bull CrossbenchMay 2022April 2024
Viscount Colville of Culross CrossbenchJune 2023April 2024
Lord Duncan of Springbank ConservativeApril 2020April 2024
Lord Faulkner of Worcester LabourNovember 2007December 2008
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff CrossbenchNovember 2017March 2018
Baroness Fookes ConservativeMay 2002December 2002
Baroness Garden of Frognal Liberal DemocratJune 2015March 2018
Lord Geddes ConservativeApril 2000December 2002
Lord Haskel LabourMay 2002December 2002
Baroness Healy of Primrose Hill LabourJuly 2020April 2024
Baroness Kennedy of Cradley LabourMay 2022April 2024
Lord Kennedy of Southwark LabourJune 2021April 2024
Earl of Kinnoull CrossbenchJanuary 2020April 2024
Lord Lexden ConservativeNovember 2017March 2018
Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall LabourNovember 2007December 2008
Baroness Morris of Bolton ConservativeJune 2010November 2010
Baroness Newlove ConservativeNovember 2017March 2018
Baroness Pitkeathley LabourNovember 2002December 2002
Lord Russell of Liverpool CrossbenchApril 2020April 2024
Baroness Scott of Needham Market Liberal DemocratJune 2023April 2024
Viscount Stansgate LabourNovember 2023April 2024
Lord Stoneham of Droxford Liberal DemocratMay 2021April 2024
Baroness Watkins of Tavistock CrossbenchJuly 2020April 2024
Baroness Williams of Trafford ConservativeOctober 2022April 2024
Lord Young of Cookham ConservativeMay 2022April 2024
  1. Lord Asthon of Hyde previously served as deputy chairman of committees from October 2019 to October 2022 [8]

See also

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References

  1. "House of Lords: Senior Deputy Speaker". UK Parliament. 11 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  2. "Senior Deputy Speaker". Hansard. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  3. Private Standing Order 121.
  4. "Deputy Speakers".
  5. "Lord Speaker's Statement". Hansard. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  6. "Appointment of Deputy Chairmen of Committees (panel)". UK Parliament. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  7. "Membership Motion – Deputy Chairmen of Committees". House of Lords Hansard − UK Parliament. 29 July 2024.
  8. "Parliamentary career for Lord Ashton of Hyde". House of Lords − UK Parliament.