Today's List(s)

GOVERNMENT WHIPS’ OFFICE HOUSE OF LORDS

 

TODAY’S LISTS THURSDAY 20 MARCH 2025

[Notes about this document are set out at the end]

 

Business in the Chamber at 11am

Prayers by the Bishop of London (5 minutes)

 

Royal Assent

 

Oral Questions (40 minutes)

• Lord Londesborough to ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to assess the impact of working from home on the productivity of the public sector.  

(Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent, Cabinet Office)

• Lord Addington to ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to give schools the capacity to make assessments of commonly occurring special educational needs.  (Baroness Smith of Malvern, DfE)
• Lord Fowler to ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the United States of America’s withdrawal from the World Health

Organization on the global treatment of HIV/AIDS.  (Baroness Chapman of Darlington, FCDO)

• The Lord Bishop of St Albans to ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the potential reduction in pharmacy opening hours.  (Baroness Merron, DHSC)

 

Questions on an Oral Statement made in the House of Commons on Thursday 13 March (40 minutes)

‘The 80th anniversaries of Victory in Europe and Victory over Japan’ –

Baroness Twycross (DCMS)

 

Followed by Questions on an Oral Statement made in the House of Commons on Monday

17 March (40 minutes)

‘Update on the G7 - Baroness Chapman of Darlington, FCDO

 

Main Business

Lord Alton of Liverpool to move that this House takes note of the 75th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights.  (Time-limited to 3 hours)

Speakers:

L Alton of Liverpool

B Chakrabarti

L Lilley

L Thomas of Gresford

                5          Bp St Albans

L Jay of Ewelme

B Kennedy of The Shaws

E Dundee

L Faulks

                10        L Neuberger of Abbotsbury

L Rook

L Murray of Blidworth

L Verdirame

B Brinton 

                15        L Cashman

L Hendy

L Balfe

                20        L Hannay of Chiswick

B Bennett of Manor Castle

B Goudie

B Hale of Richmond

                25        L Clement-Jones

L Sandhurst

L Carter of Haslemere

L Griffiths of Burry Port L Trevethin and Oaksey

 

                30        B Ludford

L Wolfson of Tredegar

B Chapman of Darlington

L Alton of Liverpool

 

Except for Lord Alton of Liverpool (15 minutes), Baroness Ludford (10 minutes),

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar (10 minutes) and Baroness Chapman of Darlington (20 minutes), all speeches are limited to 4 minutes

 

Topical Question for Short Debate

The Lord Bishop of London to ask His Majesty’s Government, following the COVID-19 Day of Reflection, what steps they are taking to improve support offered to people bereaved as a result of COVID-19.  (Time-limited to 1 hour)

 

Speakers:

Bp London

B Brinton 

L Kamall 

B Merron

 

Except for The Lord Bishop of London (10 minutes) and Minister (12 minutes), all speeches are limited to 10 minutes.

 

Lord Carlile of Berriew to move that this House takes note of the Crown Court criminal case backlog, and the impact of delays on reliability of evidence, experience of victims and fairness of proceedings for defendants.  (Time-limited to 2 hours)

 

Speakers:

L Carlile of Berriew

B Longfield  (Maiden)

B Levitt

L Bellamy

                5          L Thomas of Gresford

Bp London

L Burnett of Maldon

B Hazarika

L Hogan-Howe

                10        L Faulks

B Coussins

B Porter of Fulwood

L Meston

L Lemos

                15        L Stevens of Kirkwhelpington

L Sandhurst

L Hacking

L Neuberger of Abbotsbury

 

L Marks of Henley-on-Thames

                20        L Keen of Elie

L Ponsonby of Shulbrede

L Carlile of Berriew

 

Except for Lord Carlile of Berriew (15 minutes), Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames (10 minutes), Lord Keen of Elie (10 minutes) and Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede (20 minutes), all speeches are limited to 3 minutes

 

Business expected to be brief

Two Statutory Instrument approval motions en bloc – Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede

 

 

Estimated rising time 

The House is expected to rise at around 7pm

 

Business in Grand Committee in the Moses Room at 1pm

 

Holocaust Memorial Bill – Committee (day 3) – Lord Khan of Burnley

• All members opening or winding are expected to keep remarks within 15 minutes, with the exception of ministers winding up who are expected to keep within 20 minutes.
• Other speakers within each group are expected to keep within 10 minutes.
• Members' speeches should not summarise or repeat at length points made by others, and if speaking more than once a Member should not repeat points they have already made. 
• Members pressing or withdrawing an amendment should normally be brief. Target for the day:  to complete the group beginning with amendment 21

Grouping of amendments:

8, 14, Cl 2 S/P, 17 

9, 10, 18, 19, 20 

11, 12, 13 - already debated 

15, 28, 35, 36, 39 

16 

21, 34, 38, 42 

22, 23 - already debated 

24, 41 

25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31 - already debated 

32, 38A 

33, 37, 40, 43 - already debated

 

 

Estimated Rising Time

The Grand Committee is expected to rise at around 5pm

 

 

Notes:

• This document sets out the matters for the day’s business which the Government Whips’ Office coordinates: Speakers’ Lists (Companion 4.26), ministerial statements (Companion 6.02) and the grouping of amendments (Companion 8.70). It is not the formal order paper, which is produced by the Clerk of the Parliaments and is available from the Printed Paper Office and https://lordsbusiness.parliament.uk/
• Time estimates are best endeavours: there is no certainty other than for formally time-limited business. It is the duty of individual members to observe the rules on attendance at debate (Companion 4.32) and, in particular, to ensure that they are present for the start of business in which they wish to take part.
• The number of sessions shown for a stage of a bill represents the Government’s assessment of reasonable time given the balance of bills and remaining days to the likely end of the session. Progress remains in the hands of the House. Report stage is usually half the length of Committee.
• The grouping of amendments is informal. Although every effort is made to secure agreement to groupings, any peer may speak to an amendment in its place on the Marshalled List. “g” before an amendment indicates a Government amendment.  
• Speaking in debates (Companion 4.34): A member of the House who is taking part in a debate (including general debates and debates on amendments or motions) should attend the start, end and greater part of that debate. In addition, it is considered discourteous for members not to be present for at least the opening speeches, the speeches before and after their own, and for the winding-up speeches.  Ministers may decide not to answer, orally or in writing, points made by a speaker who does not stay to hear the Minister's closing speech. Members who believe that they are unlikely to be able to stay until the end of a debate should not seek to participate in it (and if the debate has a speakers' list, should remove their names from the list).