Chairman of Committees (House of Lords)
The Chairman of Committees 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 Chairman also chairs various select committees of the House, and has a role in the Administration of the House. Like the Lord Speaker, the Chairman of Committees withdraws from political party membership. The current incumbent, Lord Laming, was appointed on 7 September 2015[1] following the resignation of Lord Sewel due to a scandal. Prior to his appoitment Lord Laming had been serving as Convenor of the Crossbench peers.
The Chairman is assisted by the Principal Deputy Chairman of Committees and a panel of Deputy Chairmen of Committees. The Principal Deputy Chairman is Lord Boswell of Aynho. 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.[2] Deputy Chairmen are, by practice, Deputy Speakers.[3]
As of 14 February 2013, the panel of Deputy Chairmen were:
- Baroness Andrews (Labour)
- Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative)
- Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour)
- Lord Bates (Conservative)
- Lord Bichard (Crossbench)
- Lord Brougham and Vaux (Conservative)
- Lord Colwyn (Conservative)
- Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Labour)
- Baroness Fookes (Conservative)
- Lord Geddes (Conservative)
- Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen (Labour)
- Baroness Harris of Richmond (Liberal Democrat)
- Lord Haskel (Labour)
- Baroness Hooper (Conservative)
- Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall (Labour)
- Baroness Morris of Bolton (Conservative)
- Baroness Pitkeathley (Labour)
- Viscount Simon (Labour)
- Lord Skelmersdale (Conservative)
- Viscount Ullswater (Conservative)
Past Chairmen
- The Earl of Clarendon, 1715-1723
- The Lord De La Warr, 1724-1733
- The Earl of Warwick, 1733-1759
- The Lord Willoughby of Parham, 1759-1765
- The Lord Delamer, 1765-1770
- The Viscount Wentworth, 1770-1774
- The Lord Boston, 1774-1775
- The Lord Scarsdale, 1775-1789
- The Lord Cathcart, 1789-1794
- The Lord Walsingham, 1794-1814
- The Earl of Shaftesbury, 1814-1851
- The Lord Redesdale later Earl of Redesdale, 1851-1886
- The Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, 1886-1889
- The Earl of Morley, 1889-1905
- The 4th Earl of Onslow, 1905-1911
- The Earl of Donoughmore, 1911-1931
- The 5th Earl of Onslow, 1931-1944
- The Lord Stanmore, 1944-1946
- The Earl of Drogheda, 1946-1957
- The Lord Merthyr, 1957-1965
- The Earl of Listowel, 1965-1976
- The Lord Aberdare, 1976-1992
- The Lord Ampthill, 1992-1994
- The Lord Boston of Faversham, 1994-2000
- The Lord MacKay of Ardbrecknish, 2000-2001
- The Lord Tordoff, 2001-2002
- The Lord Brabazon of Tara, 2002-2012
- The Lord Sewel, 2012-2015
See also
References
- ↑ Lords Hansard 7 September 2015
- ↑ Private Standing Order 121.
- ↑ "Deputy Speakers".
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