What did Lords Select Committees do in 2023/24?

Sessional committees

The House of Lords has permanent committees, known as sessional committees with broad remits that are not time limited. Sessional committees examine a wide range of policies and proposed laws across both short, focused inquiries or long-term, expansive investigations.

Earlier this year the International Agreements Committee recommended that the Government not ratify the UK-Rwanda Agreement on Asylum Partnership until Parliament was satisfied that the protections it provided has been fully implemented. The House subsequently passed a motion under section 20 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (CRAG) endorsing the Committee’s recommendations.

Several other sessional committees have an international focus to their work. Last year the International Relations and Defence Committee conducted an inquiry into the UK’s security, diplomatic and economic interests in the Arctic and its current inquiry focuses on the implications of the war in Ukraine for UK Defence.

Earlier this year the European Affairs Committee concluded its inquiry into the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the UK-EU relationship. The Committee called for the UK and EU to continue support for Ukraine and sanctions on Russia, and the Government agreed with the majority of the Committee's conclusions and recommendations in its response.

In September 2023 the Information Commissioner’s Office published guidance for sharing information to safeguard children, which resulted from continued engagement by the Public Services Committee through both public and private evidence sessions.

In February 2024, the Government announced it would give local planning authorities the choice over whether to require planning permission for the creation of a new short-term let, in line with recommendations from the Built Environment Committee as part of its work on short-term lettings.

Also in February 2024, the Communications and Digital Committee published a report on Large language models and generative AI. In response, the Government confirmed it would take action on a number of recommendations including support for AI start-ups and university spinouts, safety tests, accredited standards, and new transparency measures relating to copyrighted data.

The Industry and Regulators Committee continued its scrutiny of major regulators, including producing a critical report on the Office for Students, and work on water regulation and the regulation of property agents.

Sessional committees often also conduct annual evidence sessions with key stakeholders, such as the Constitution Committee’s annual sessions with the Lord Chief Justice, the President and Deputy President of the Supreme Court and the Lord Chancellor.

The Economic Affairs Committee held scrutiny sessions with the Governor of the Bank of England and with the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Committees may also hold one-off evidence sessions on areas of interest such as the Science and Technology Committee session on university spin-out companies and the Environment and Climate Change Committee meeting with Lord Deben, the former Chair of the Climate Change Committee.

The European Affairs Committee held a session with the Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton.

The Lords secondary legislation committees have also had another busy year with the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee publishing 28 reports, the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments publishing 33 reports and the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee publishing 40 reports.

Visits, both across the UK and around the world, continue to form an essential part of committee work, enabling members to hear directly from experts and those with lived experience.

This includes visits to Rwanda by the Joint Committee on Human Rights to see the processing and housing facilities for asylum seekers; the Windsor Framework Sub-Committee visit to Belfast to participate in a roundtable for agri-food and veterinary stakeholders; and the Horticultural Sector Committee visits to the Chelsea Flower Show, horticultural firms in Kent and the Netherlands.

Gathering evidence

Committees use a range of methods to hear evidence and contribute to public debate on key issues.

The Environment and Climate Change Committee has continued its pioneering Youth Engagement Programme, inviting a second cohort of sixth-form students from across the UK to participate in the electric vehicles inquiry, which included visits to Parliament and a range of engagement activities. The Committee is due to launch its third round of this programme in September 2024.

BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time was hosted by the Horticultural Sector Committee in the Palace of Westminster, inviting over 100 guests to hear from four expert panellists. The programme was subsequently broadcast in November 2023 coinciding with the publication of the Committee’s report.

The Integration of Primary and Community Care Committee held a private roundtable event where over 20 healthcare workers and patients from across the UK shared their experience of providing and receiving joined-up NHS care.

The AI in Weapon Systems Committee visited the University of Strathclyde and PhD students and post-doctoral researchers had the opportunity to present their redesign of an autonomous weapon to Members.

Other committees have been able to utilise collaborative working as part of their work, whether cross-parliamentary or with the devolved administrations.

The International Relations and Defence Committee worked with the House of Commons’ Environmental Audit Sub-Committee on Polar Research to host an online roundtable with Arctic indigenous peoples to understand how indigenous communities are affected by a fast-changing Arctic.

The Justice and Home Affairs Committee held a bi-lateral meeting with Welsh Ministers to discuss the committees’ work on new technologies in the justice system, including Live Facial Recognition Technology.