Annual Report 2011/12...House of Lords Annual Report 2011/12 5Preface by the Clerk of the...

Published by the Authority of the House of Lords

London: The Stationery Office Limited

£8.50 HL Paper 38

Ordered to be printed 18 July 2012

Annual Report 2011/12

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House of Lords Annual Report | 2011/12 3

ContentsForeword by the Lord Speaker 4

Preface by the Clerk of the Parliaments 5

Strategic Developments for the Administration 6

Implementation of the Business Plan 10

Expenditure 24

Audit Committee Annual Report for 2011/12 26

Sustainability Report 32

Appendix A: House Strategic Plan 2011-15 38

Appendix B: House of Lords Organisation Chart 43

Appendix C: Composition of the House and changes over the year 44

Appendix D: Gender statistics for House of Lords staff appointments 46

Appendix E: House of Lords activity data 47

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House of Lords Annual Report | 2011/124

Foreword by the Lord SpeakerI have become increasingly aware of the breadth and volume of Members’ activity since my election as Lord Speaker. As Chairman of the House Committee, I am also aware of the assiduity of the Administration in ensuring that Members are well supported and that the House’s resources are properly managed. In the

last few months I have been meeting the various offices of the Administration one by one and have been immensely impressed by the professionalism and dedication, as well as the good humour, of the members of staff. Not all Members of the House come into contact with the wide range of teams and departments that work, often behind the scenes, to ensure that Members can perform their function of scrutinising the Government. As Lord Speaker my knowledge and appreciation of their work has greatly increased.

Following the expansion of members in 2010/11, the 2011/12 financial year saw levels of activity rise notwithstanding financial constraint. The 2011/12 business plan, to which this annual report relates, was drawn up with these considerations in mind. For example, work was completed on the Millbank House site providing new offices and facilities for Members and staff. Meanwhile, the House’s lease on 1 Abbey Gardens was terminated, providing a significant saving. Similarly the House has met its savings target while also having moved forward on innovative, long-term projects such as the ICT strategy.

This annual report describes a vigorous and active House working to fulfil its parliamentary duty, of which Members can be justly proud. It also describes an Administration ensuring that public money is responsibly spent and Members are properly supported.

D’Souza

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Preface by the Clerk of the ParliamentsMy predecessor Sir Michael Pownall retired on 15 April 2011, just after the beginning of the year covered by this report. The first elected Lord Speaker, Baroness

Hayman, stood down after five years in office and was succeeded by Baroness D’Souza in September. I am grateful to both of them for their invaluable support to me and to all my colleagues in the House of Lords Administration.

Most unusually, the whole of the 2011/12 financial year fell within a single Parliamentary session: the session which began after the general election in May 2010 continued until 1 May 2012. The year was marked by high attendance levels in the House: on average, 492 Members attended each sitting day, and the average number of Members voting in a division was 380. A total of 33 bills were passed. The House was recalled at short notice on 11 August 2011, the first emergency recall since 2002 and the first in August since 1968. The coming year seems likely be equally busy. As ever, the Administration stands ready to do whatever is necessary to facilitate the work of the House and to support its Members.

Parliament is not immune from the pressures on public spending. Indeed, though our budgets are relatively small, we can be expected to set an example. In 2010 the House Committee set the Administration a savings target: to keep our resource budget level in real terms and to reduce it where we could, notwithstanding the increasing size of the House. This Report shows how we have met this target so far. In this we are working closely with the House of Commons Service, who have their own challenging savings programme.

I should like to take this opportunity to thank all my colleagues in the House of Lords Administration, who, notwithstanding the current pay freeze and public sector pension reforms, have continued to show loyal commitment to enabling the House to continue to function effectively at all times, and for whose invaluable support to me during my first year as Clerk of the Parliaments I am deeply grateful.

David Beamish

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Strategic Developments for the AdministrationIntroductionThis annual report by the House of Lords Administration is for the financial year from 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 and relates to the House of Lords Business Plan 2011/12 published on 5 April 20111. The report focuses primarily on strategic developments for the Administration of the House and a succinct assessment, by strategic objective, of the fulfilment of the chief tasks prescribed in last year’s Business Plan. The Annual Report of the Audit Committee and the Sustainability Report are also included. This year some activity indicators drawn from the Administration’s corporate performance reports are also published.

The main strategic developments in 2011/12 related to:

• Accommodation and works

• Delivering financial economies

• ICT

• Bills and Committees

Accommodation and worksThe highlight of the year was the opening of Millbank House in September 2011 after refurbishment. Millbank is now the largest House of Lords outbuilding providing accommodation to Members, Members’ staff and staff of the House of Lords Administration and PICT. The building also provides a suite of meeting rooms, a library and e-library and a cafeteria. The project, which took two years, was delivered on time and on budget. The building was fully occupied in time for the House’s return from the Summer Recess in October. A second phase of minor works was commenced in early 2012 incorporating elements of both construction and fit out which had not been completed as part of the main project.

Implementation of the Accommodation Strategy continued and this year included determining the lease at 1 The Abbey Gardens. Members based in this building were

1 HL Paper 132 (Session 2010-12)

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relocated to Millbank House and staff of the IPU were moved to Fielden House. The closure of this building has delivered recurring efficiency savings of £170k pa to the Administration in reduced rent, rates and running costs.

Meanwhile the Administration continued to work closely with the Commons, through the Parliamentary Estates Directorate, in the planning and delivering of essential works relating to the historic Palace. The five-year “aggressive maintenance” of mechanical and electrical services entered into its second year; and planning was undertaken for forthcoming works on fire safety and the second phase of the Cast Iron Roofs Programme (South Return).

Delivering financial economies In December 2010 the House Committee agreed the following savings target for the House of Lords Administration for the period 2011/12 to 2014/15:

“We will aim not to increase our resource costs in real terms throughout the period of the plan, despite the increased size of the House, and will reduce them where possible by reviewing what we do and how we do it.”

The baseline was set in 2010/11 at £102m, so the target for 2011/12 was £105m (that is to say, £102m adjusted for inflation at 3.1%). Disregarding technical adjustments, the Administration met its target in both years.

2011/12

Outturn

£m

2010/11

Outturn

£m

Resource expenditure 108.8 77.4

Technical accounting adjustments

Pension credit - 10.9

Property revaluation (loss)/gain (14.0) 1.9

Resource expenditure before technical adjustments 94.8 90.2

The need to make savings and to secure value for money permeates the work of the Administration, in particular that of the finance team who represent the House on the Parliamentary Estates Board, the PICT Advisory Board (PICTAB), the Security Contract Steering Group, the Commons Savings Programme Board and the boards of selected

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high-value investment programmes. This year saw the production of the first bicameral Medium-Term Investment Plan and the evolution of PICTAB into a portfolio management body for ICT-related programmes. Both are intended to improve control of programme spending, leading to better value for money.

ICT policy This Annual Report would be incomplete without reference to the work of PICT, although this will be the subject of a separate report. During the year PICT made significant progress in furtherance of the bicameral ICT Strategy, and in particular in preparing for the introduction of “cloud” solutions. Examples of this early work included undertaking various trials (including Cloud Google email and procurement services via the G Cloud Store); developing a new staff competences framework and commencing significant training (including Change and Leadership training and ITIL Supplier Management); a Data Classification exercise; publishing a future PICT organisational model for 2014/15 and delivering interim savings with a view to achieving more substantial savings for 2014/15.

At the same time PICT has continued to support business-led programmes like the Procedural Data Programme, HAIS and HAISL (finance systems for the two Houses), Facilities ICT and SPIRE (electronic document and records management). Lords applications under these programmes appear in the relevant parts of the next section.

Bills and Committees Not surprisingly, in the second year of a two year session, legislative and committee activity was intense (see pages 10–11 below) but there were organisational and strategic changes too.

The Legislation Office came into being on 1 June 2011 with the merger of the former Public and Private Bill Office and Delegated Legislation Office. In the course of the year responsibility for Lords support to the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments also transferred to the Legislation Office. As a result there have been some staff savings and greater resilience in support for the House’s legislative functions.

Part of the remit of the Leader’s Group on Working Practices was to review committee activity. In its report2 it recommended the appointment of two additional sessional committees and that for the future any further sessional committees should replace existing committees. Taking these recommendations into account, the Liaison Committee

2 HL Paper 136, Session 2010-12, April 2011

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recommended that the House should agree to expand its sessional committees by one, with the appointment of a select committee on Post Legislative Scrutiny. It also recommended the appointment of two extra committees, one ad hoc and one pre-legislative. In order to provide the resources to service those latter committees, the Science and Technology Committee would operate as a single unit of committee activity rather than two and the number of sub-committees of the European Union Committee would reduce from seven to six. This was agreed by the House in time for the start of the current session.

Election of the Lord SpeakerAn election of a Lord Speaker was held in May-July 2011, following Baroness Hayman’s announcement that she would not seek re-election. The Journal Office was responsible for planning the election, preparing and publishing candidature statements, and liaising with Electoral Reform Services and the Hansard Society (who organised hustings in the Robing Room). The election was held on Thursday 13 July 2011, the count was conducted the following day, the result was announced on Monday 18 July, and Baroness D’Souza took office accordingly on 1 September 2011.

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Implementation of the Business Plan

House and CommitteesTask 1: Ensure that the procedural advice, research, administrative support and reporting services for the House and its committees are timely, impartial, and of high quality, and are provided in a way which is responsive to Members.

Legislation • The House was exceptionally busy with legislation – particularly in comparison with the

first year of the session. 8009 amendments were tabled and 2053 amendments agreed to (a 300% increase on the previous year and a substantial number fully comparable to other busy years). 19153 pages of bill material were printed (a 230% increase) notwithstanding the decision to cut down on printing some items like the Finance Bill.

Select Committees • As is usual mid-Parliament, investigative committees were very active. The largest

single area of activity remained scrutiny of the European Union; over eighty Members were engaged in the work of the European Union Committee and its sub-committees. Major inquiries included investigations of the Euro Area crisis, the mobility of healthcare professionals in the EU, completing the European rail market, the EU drugs strategy, the modernisation of higher education in Europe, Sudan and South Sudan and a Financial Transaction Tax.

• In addition the Committee conducted detailed scrutiny of a range of individual legislative proposals and held one-off meetings with Ministers, followed up earlier inquiries to maximise their impact, and cooperated with its counterparts in other Member States in scrutiny activities, in particular in consideration of the appropriate mechanism for interparlimentary scrutiny of European foreign, defence and security policies. The House issued its third Reasoned Opinion that a Commission proposal did not comply with the subsidiarity principle, on the EU scheme to provide food for the needy, originally from surplus production, now increasingly from purchases made on the open market. The Opinion was issued on 28 November 2011.

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• Significant inquiries were conducted by other sessional committees. The Communications Committee considered the governance and regulation of the BBC and the future of investigative journalism, and the Economic Affairs Committee conducted inquiries into the economic impact and effectiveness of development aid and the Finance Bill 2011. The Constitution Committee scrutinised the Government’s programme of constitutional legislation, both in its regular legislative scrutiny work and through a series of more substantial inquiries, notably on the process of constitutional change, judicial appointments, the Scotland Bill and the Health and Social Care Bill, many of which were relied on to a significant extent during the House’s consideration of the legislation. The Science and Technology Committee continued its scrutiny of science policy both through one-off hearings and through longer inquiries, in particular on behaviour change and nuclear research and development capabilities. The ad hoc committee on HIV and AIDS reported on a wide range of aspects of HIV and AIDS policies in the UK.

• Joint Committee activity was unprecedentedly prominent. The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy published its first ever report – a review of the National Security Strategy 2010 – and the Joint Committee on Human Rights, in addition to its regular legislative scrutiny work, conducted substantive inquiries on extradition and independent living. Pre-legislative joint committees on pre-charge detention and defamation were followed immediately by another pre-legislative joint committee on financial services. As anticipated, a joint committee on House of Lords reform was established in June, at the same time as an unanticipated joint committee on privacy and injunctions.

• All in all over 180 Members were involved as Members of committees, including a total of 103 Lords Members on non-EU investigative Select Committees. This illustrates how important policy scrutiny by select committee has now become.

Reporting services• Arrangements for the select committee transcription service were monitored and

further refined.

• Publication of Weekly Hansard was discontinued in February 2012 and production of the Bound Volume substantially reduced, resulting in savings of around £150k pa.

Procedural• Procedural changes arising out of the report of the Leader’s Group on Working

Practices agreed by the House included significant changes in the handling of Questions for Short Debate. Proposals for more radical changes to the use of Grand Committees were rejected by the House on 26 March 2011.

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Library Services• The new Millbank House Library opened on 3 October 2011. The Library area

provides a reading room and an e-library with facilities for training, presentations and informal meetings for Members and staff. Two-thirds of Library staff moved to offices in Millbank at the same time. The new accommodation provides a significantly improved working environment and opportunities for greater collaboration within and across offices. Meanwhile, additional PCs and enhanced WiFi access have been provided in the Palace Library, meeting the requirements of the growing numbers of Members.

• In line with plans for an incremental expansion of the research service, three further staff were appointed, enabling a greater focus on proactive research products that anticipate Members’ need for information in advance of Bills and non-legislative debates in the Chamber.

• In order to co-ordinate bicameral knowledge and information initiatives, a new Information Management Board was constituted in November 2011. It is fostering business ownership of and coordinating user input into ICT-related programmes and projects. The Director of Information Services chairs this Board. Its early priorities are to create a data strategy, co-ordinate activity around the forthcoming “data.parliament.uk” website and the audio and video strategy, and facilitate user input into the data classification exercise.

Extension of the print contract • A new pricing structure for printing and publishing was agreed, leading to a four-year

extension of the House’s contract with The Stationery Office. The new structure, based on a flat-rate price per page printed, is already yielding substantial savings and greater transparency in budgeting and financial planning. For the first time the pricing structure creates a genuine incentive to make further savings and to reduce the House’s environmental impact by printing less.

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Accommodation and FacilitiesTask 2: Improve the provision of accommodation and facilities to enable Members, Members’ staff and the staff of the House to work in an efficient and safe environment.

Accommodation • Millbank House was completed and occupied (see p 6 above). By contracting out the

cleaning and employing fewer attendants than originally planned considerable savings were made in servicing the building.

• House of Lords staff withdrew from 14 Tothill Street which henceforward will be occupied by Commons departments and the Parliamentary Estates Directorate.

Works and Maintenance projects• Work and planning on major bi-cameral projects has continued (see p 7 above).

• Two business cases for significant conservation projects were approved: the replacement programme for badly worn encaustic floor tiles in Peers’ Lobby and the Royal Gallery; and the interior stonework repair and cleaning project for Westminster Hall including the setting of the Diamond Jubilee Window in the North Wall.

• Restoration of the statues and high level walls and other remedial works in the Lords Chamber were deferred so that they can form part of a wider restoration project following the quadrennial inspection.

Facilities• The Offsite Consolidation Centre is now fully operational.

Health and Safety• The delivery of new Accidents, Incidents and Permits (AIP) Software improved health

and safety monitoring and reporting. Health and Safety Policies were updated. A new Fire Safety Strategy was published.

Catering and retail services• The catering subsidy fell by £100k to £1.3m, £100k short of the agreed target.

• Further recommendations arising out of the 2009 review of catering services were implemented. A number of issues relating to Member-facing outlets remain to be resolved.

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SecurityTask 3(a): Ensure that security arrangements are appropriate to the assessed level of threat and allow the House to function effectively.

• Measurements and checks are being applied to the operation of the bicameral Offsite facility. With the opening of the Curtis Green search facility in the Northern Estate a robust system for searching emergency deliveries has been put in place to complement the Offsite system and cater for the inevitable instances of short notice delivery. This latter system will be reviewed in the coming 12 months.

• The bicameral project to deliver stand-off protection to the Northern Perimeter is almost complete. Some delays occurred owing to unforeseen sub-surface pipe/cable works which had to be rerouted.

• Additional requirements for pass-controlled doors were addressed.

• The feasibility study on improving security perimeter protection measures has been completed. The project to improve various aspects of perimeter security is moving into the procurement phase. Delays of some months on two discrete projects in this area have been caused by the inability of a single source supplier to meet in a timely way the demand for some key components.

• A number of significant achievements have been made to align delivery of parliamentary security plans with the Government’s CONTEST Counter-Terrorism Strategy.

• A “best in class” security risk register was developed and a bicameral zero-based review of the Special Services Agreement with the Metropolitan Police Service was commissioned.

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Contingency Planning and Business ContinuityTask 3(b): Develop contingency plans to enable the House and its Committees to continue their work under any circumstances.

Business continuity and contingency planning• An initial re-assessment of relocation plans has been conducted taking account of the

facilities now available in Millbank House. This has indicated changes that need to be made to deliver a more robust and sustainable relocation plan. New proposals will be brought forward in the course of the coming year.

• Significant progress has been made in developing bicameral business continuity planning during the year. Departmental business continuity plans have been drawn up and validated. Solutions for any possible disruption to Parliament’s activities by major public events in London during 2012, especially the Olympic and Paralympic Games, were developed. A major programme of work to refine and develop business continuity and emergency response plans during 2012/13 was agreed upon.

• Table top exercises have been held as part of routine Management Board meetings to maintain and test the Incident Management Framework and the role of gold and silver officers. Exercises were held to build upon the previous years’ training, specifically aimed to develop the Gold level of Incident Management. A number of real incidents were handled successfully at bronze and silver levels, demonstrating and underpinning the value of the business continuity training and development that has taken place over the last few years.

Ceremonial Events• In March a Loyal Address by both Houses of Parliament to Her Majesty The Queen in

Westminster Hall formally launched The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. This was followed by the Diamond Jubilee Lunch for Her Majesty, given for 660 people by the Livery of London on 5 June in Westminster Hall. Both events were broadcast around the world.

• President Obama addressed Members of both Houses in Westminster Hall on 25 May 2011.

• Events relating to the 650th Anniversary of the Magistrates Association and to the Centennial Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference were successfully staged.

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• Because of the number and complexity of ceremonial and other significant events that took place in the year, less progress has been made than had been intended in revising planning documents. Some work has been completed on media plans.

Outreach and AccessTask 4: Improve public access to, and understanding and knowledge of, the work of the House of Lords and its heritage.

Use of online media• Work is in progress to ensure that the bicameral Web and Intranet Service (WIS)

Strategy on content reflects the needs of the Lords. Lords preparatory work is complete but delivery depends on WIS, PICT, the Commons and the outcome of bilateral discussions.

• An initial corporate portal for the House has been created but further work on content will be required.

• Four other online developments were initiated or completed during the year:

- the launch of the pilot corporate Twitter channel for the House of Lords - @HouseofLords (by 31 March 2012 over 1,000 tweets had been issued and attracted almost 8,000 followers)

- the development of a weekly email newsletter that highlights the subsequent week’s business in the House by subject

- the creation of an online publications ordering system that, for the first time, allows the public to order or download the House’s public information resources

- development work to enable biographical information about Members and their policy interests to be published on the Parliament website.

Press and publications • An out of hours Press Office service was set up and media training organised for some

key House of Lords Administration spokespeople.

• Some publications relating to the work of the House have been revised and a new corporate style developed. The remainder are in the process of revision.

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Outreach and Education• Work continues to ensure that the bicameral Outreach Service reflects the priorities

of the House of Lords Communications Strategy.

• The House’s own Outreach team successfully delivered a number of events:

- a debate in the House of Lords chamber on climate change involving 150 Commonwealth youth parliamentarians and UK diaspora community participants, facilitated in conjunction with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA)

- an award winners’ day with the Speaker’s Trust and Jack Petchey CBE, chaired by the Lord Speaker.

• The Lord Speaker’s Peers in Schools programme continued to expand during 2011/12. All secondary schools across the UK were mailed information about the programme at the end of August 2011 which resulted in over 900 requests for visits (an increase of 357 requests over 2010/11). By 31 March 2012, more than 945 visits had been made to secondary schools since the programme began in 2007, and the programme has involved more than 180 Members. Visits continue to take place in every region of the UK, and in every county in England.

Exhibitions• Archive displays in the Royal Gallery were held to mark the centenary of the passing

of the Parliament Act in 1911 and the Diamond Jubilee of HM The Queen. The 1765 Stamp Act was loaned to the New York Historical Society; the 1832 Great Reform Act to Newcastle City Library; and the 1536 Act of Union with Wales to St Fagan’s National History Museum in Cardiff.

• Three submissions from the Parliamentary Archives were inscribed on the UNESCO UK Memory of the World register during the year: the Death Warrant of Charles I, 1649; the Bill of Rights, 1689; and (jointly with the Women’s Library) a selection of women’s suffrage records, including from Parliament a suffragette banner unfurled in the Commons’ chamber in 1908, the “Cat and Mouse Act” of 1913 and the Representation of the People (Equal Franchise) Act 1928.

• Items relating to the American Revolution were put on display in the Robing Room for President Obama to see when he visited Parliament on 25 May 2011.

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Staffing and TrainingTask 5: Pursue Human Resource policies which promote the recruitment, retention and development through training of staff of high calibre; which encourage diversity and support innovation; and which provide staff with the skills and motivation to meet the needs of the House.

• The system of night allowances was reviewed. In view of the continuing pay freeze and uncertainties relating to public pay policy a review of pay systems and competences has been deferred.

• A new HR and Payroll IT system is expected to go live in April 2013, and the current system upgraded in the meantime.

• Progress was made in reviewing and simplifying staff appraisal processes and forms, and other HR forms and standard letters were revised.

• Progress was made in implementing internal audit recommendations on absence management and record keeping.

Corporate GovernanceTask 6: Ensure a system of corporate governance and internal control which is open, effective and accountable, which delivers value for money and which is based on sound financial management.

Savings• Offices and budgetholders made savings in the delivery of services and projects, and

the target of not increasing resource costs in real terms was achieved (see p 7 above).

Management reporting • Following a review by the Business Planning Group, the Management Board approved

a revision of the corporate risk register and guidance, introducing for the first time the concepts of risk appetite and target risk with effect from 1 April 2012.

• Quarterly performance reporting to the Board was introduced. Some key activity data from the first annual summary are included in this Report (see Appendix E).

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• Annual sustainability reporting is now included in this report in accordance with the template devised by HM Treasury. New developments are reported to the Administration and Works Committee and to staff on the intranet.

• A report of heritage assets, in line with HM Treasury requirements, was included in the accounts for 2010/11.

Administrative changes• In addition to the setting up of the Legislation Office by merging the Public and Private

Bill and Delegated Legislation Offices (see p 8 above), the Journal Office and Printed Paper Office were merged in April 2011. At the same time it was agreed that the provision of consumables should be transferred from the PPO to the Department of Facilities, along with management of the contract for late-night taxis. Disposal of obsolete ICT equipment would be transferred to PICT. These changes were effected on 1 April 2012.

• An enlarged Journal Office is now focused on delivering core procedural services with improved resilience, particularly for the Table Office.

• The Parliamentary Security Director took up his post in January 2012, serving both Houses.

Information and CommunicationsTask 7: Develop information and communication strategies to give parliamentary and public users ready access to parliamentary information, when they want it and without having to know where it is held.

Accessibility of procedural information• Replacement of the Registry Database with a suite of applications was completed. The

Postage-Paid Envelope application went live in April 2011, the attendance and divisions applications in August, and the Items of Business application in November. The project itself was closed in December 2011.

• The Administration is helping to establish the “data.parliament.uk” website, where core procedural data will eventually be published in reusable xml format.

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• A new Lords Online Members Centre was developed in late 2011, including setting up a system for publishing a pdf of the Order Paper on the intranet. Progress in more user-friendly electronic delivery of core documents has been slow, but remains a high priority.

Print to Web• Further progress was made in reducing the costs of printed publications and in

strengthening electronic delivery of procedural information. The extended print contract was adjusted to reflect changing requirements.

Members’ ICT• Upgrading of Members’ ICT equipment was completed.

• Use of tablet devices was trialled amongst Members of the Information Committee and some staff. At the end of the reporting period no decision had yet been taken in this House as to their future use.

Electronic record keeping• The SPIRE system – an electronic document and records management system

for Parliament – was configured, tested, piloted and begun to be rolled out across Parliament.

Accessibility of parliamentary information • A number of projects were pursued by the Parliamentary Archives in connection with

the Digitisation Strategy, including a major programme to modernise its Imaging and Collection Care Studios; a new workflow tracking system for digitisation projects; and continued digitisation of the deposited railway plans.

• The Parliamentary Archives completed procurement of a digital repository, awarding a contract to the chosen supplier in summer 2011. The system, currently being designed and developed, is scheduled to become operational in late summer 2012. This will allow Parliament to collect and preserve digital records and other assets of historical significance for the first time.

Information risk• A register of sensitive information was completed.

• The Senior Information Risk Owners in each House re-established the Data Security Group as a first step in aligning information risk arrangements in Parliament more closely with government best-practice.

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External RelationsTask 8: Strengthen working relationships with the House of Commons, devolved parliaments and assemblies, Commonwealth Parliaments and European Union institutions and national parliaments.

International Relations• Following the decision of the British Group Inter-Parliamentary Union (BGIPU) and

the UK branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA UK) not to join a bicameral International Relations Directorate, a bicameral International Relations Funding Project was established to review financial and governance arrangements relating to the four Inter-Parliamentary Groups. (The other two groups are the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly and the British American Parliamentary Group.) New financial memoranda were agreed with the groups for the current financial year which better integrated these bodies’ financial procedures and planning with the Parliamentary cycle.

The Lord Speaker hosting a meeting of members of both Houses with HM King Abdullah II of Jordan, 15 November

Meetings of Speakers• The Lord Speaker represented the House at the Conference of Speakers and Presiding

Officers of the Commonwealth in Trinidad and Tobago in January. She also attended the 14th meeting of the Association of European Senates hosted by the French Senate in March.

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• At home the Lord Speaker received a number of visiting speakers and presidents of parliaments including speakers from Montenegro, Slovenia, Macedonia, Bhutan, Vietnam and Israel, as well as the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. She also presided over meetings in the House of Lords of Members of both Houses with H.M. King Abdullah II of Jordan and with Mr Yevgeni Primakov, former Prime Minister of Russia.

Inward visits and representative travel • During the year 35 programmes of varying duration were arranged for foreign

dignitaries, speakers, Members and officials on attachment from overseas legislatures, chiefly, but by no means exclusively, from the Commonwealth.

• Members took part in a representative capacity in a number of international meetings of parliamentarians on issues such as aid effectiveness (with meetings held in Mozambique, France and South Korea), representation of local and regional interests in national parliaments (European Centre for Parliamentary Research and Documentation (ECPRD) Seminar held in Moscow) and human rights (Seminar on the Activities of the Council of Europe and Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to promote human rights, Strasbourg). In all, arrangements were made for some 20 Members and officials of this House to attend meetings overseas in a representative capacity.

• Lords Members played a full part in the delegations to the inter-parliamentary assemblies and in country visits organised by the BGIPU and CPA UK.

Capacity building • Seven members of House of Lords staff agreed to take part in an EU Commission

Twinning Project in support of capacity building in the Parliament of Kosovo. The Project is led by the Hungarian Parliament and includes the Danish Parliament as well as the House of Lords. This is the first time that this House has been involved in such an initiative.

UK Conferences• The centennial conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association

Parliamentary Assembly, the cost of which was borne by the two Houses, was held successfully in July. It came in significantly under budget.

• The Lord Speaker invited the Association of European Senates to meet at Westminster in 2013.

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Provision of shared services• Memoranda of understanding with the bicameral Education, Visitor, and Web and

Intranet Services were updated. The MoU relating to the Outreach Service was completely recast. The result is much greater budgetary transparency.

• Ten of the eleven recommendations of an internal audit of service level agreements and other arrangements for services shared with the Commons were implemented.

• As part of its collaborative working initiative, the Library established a Joint Resources Management Group (JRMG) and a Joint Resources Advisory Group (JRAG) with the House of Commons Library in May 2011. This formalised previously informal but close working on purchases of hard copy and online resources. The JRMG also reviews and promotes joint procurement options wherever possible. This new structure provides a single strategic decision-making forum and a single operational forum to streamline Library information purchases and procurements across both Houses. Recent joint procurements included those for binding, an online press aggregator and hard copy newspapers. Arrangements for co-ordinating the publication of research briefing material on legislation as Bills pass from one House to the other have been improved and Library staff continue to operate a joint team to process and index deposited papers.

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Expenditure 2011/12Net resource provision for the House of Lords was £117,863,000 in 2011/12. This included Members’ Expenses and Financial Support, staff salaries and pensions, administration costs, and the Lords’ share of works, accommodation and security costs for the Parliamentary Estate. Net resource expenditure totalled £108,794,589.

Capital works services and other capital provision in 2011/12 was £18,281,000 and expenditure was £12,850,492.

The net resource provision for 2012/13 was set by the House Committee at £101,896,000. Capital works services and other capital provision was set at £15,170,000.

Full details of the House of Lords’ expenditure are published in the House of Lords Resource Accounts 2011 12 available via the parliamentary website. Summary information is provided below. Table 1 shows the expenditure by type and Table 2 details the expenditure in line with the Management Board functions as listed in the governance structure in the House of Lords Business Plan 2012/13 (HL Paper 267).34

Table 1: Expenditure by type 2011-12

£000

2010-11

£000

Staff costs 22,975 23,286

Members’ Expenses and Financial Support 22,604 18,740

Estates and works expenditure 15,252 15,955

Security 10,202 10,203

Printing and publications 3,163 3,432

IT costs 3,732 3,634

Grants 1,165 1,401

Rentals under operating leases 2,239 2,203

Other expenditure 7,183 6,192

Non cash costs3 26,808 9,367

Income (6,528) (6,141)

Pension adjustment4 - (10,874)

Net Operating Cost 108,795 77,398

Source – House of Lords Resource Accounts 2011-12, notes 5-7.

3 Non-cash costs include amortisation, depreciation, etc. The difference in these figures is attributable to a change in the value of the House of Lords’ share of the Parliamentary estate.

4 The announced change from the Retail Prices Index to the Consumer Prices Index for the purposes of uprating public sector pensions resulted in a one-off ‘past service saving’ of £10,874,000 in 2010-11.

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/


Table 2: Expenditure by function 2011-12

£000

2010-11

£000

Clerk of the Parliaments 2,182 2,502

Parliamentary Services 9,916 9,572

Corporate Services 1,498 1,494

Support Services5 39,874 23,237

Information Services 6,319 6,221

Financial Resources 24,023 19,969

Security 11,599 11,605

Information and Communication Technology 6,112 6,402

Human Resources 197 252

Centrally held funds6 7,075 (3,856)

Total 108,795 77,398

Source – House of Lords Resource Accounts 2011-12, note 456

5 Support services includes one off non-cash costs attributable to changes in the value of the House of Lords’ share of the Parliamentary estate.

6 Centrally held funds includes the 2010-11 one –off pension adjustment (see note 2 above).

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Audit Committee Annual Report for 2011/12Introduction1. This is the third annual report with Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market as Chairman of the Committee. Baroness Noakes joined the Committee in July 2011, increasing the membership of the Committee to five, with two external Members. This expansion of membership has allowed the Committee to draw further on Members’ experience in private and public sector audit.

2. Following the retirement of Sir Michael Pownall in April 2011, David Beamish took up the post of Clerk of the Parliaments and Accounting Officer. David has worked closely with the Audit Committee during his first year in post and we look forward to continuing to develop this relationship in the coming year.

3. The senior external member of the Committee, Malcolm McCaig, has attended Management Board meetings as an observer in 2011/12. This has strengthened the link between the Audit Committee and the Management Board and has enabled the Board to make best use of Malcolm’s expertise, in particular on risk management.

4. Alongside the ongoing “business as usual” work of the Committee in maintaining oversight of risk, audit, governance and financial management, there were a number of areas where we have taken a particular interest. These are set out in more detail below.

5. Agendas and unreserved papers are published on the Committee website following committee meetings and minutes are published after their agreement at the following Committee meeting. Attendance at the Audit Committee in 2011/12 was as follows7:

Member Party/ Group Meetings attended/ total possible

Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market (Chairman)

Conservative 6 / 6

Baroness Noakes (joined Committee in June 2011)

Conservative 4 / 5

Lord Sharman Liberal Democrat 1 / 6

7 During 2011-12 the external members were remunerated as follows – Malcolm McCaig £9,500; Ian Luder £5,150. As the senior external member of the audit committee Malcolm McCaig attends the Management Board and this is reflected in the remuneration disclosed.

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Member Party/ Group Meetings attended/ total possible

Lord Tomlinson Labour 5 / 6

Lord Turnbull Crossbench 6 / 6

Ian Luder External member 6 / 6

Malcolm McCaig External member 6 / 6

Review of the year 2011/126. The Committee met six times during 2011/12, including two joint meetings with the House of Commons Administration Estimate Audit Committee. A private meeting was held with the National Audit Office in April 2011 and with the Clerk of the Parliaments in January 2012. The Committee is satisfied that the Administration continues to make good progress across a number of areas.

7. The Committee endorsed the internal audit programme for 2011/12 at the start of the year. During the year, the Committee received internal audit reports on:

a. Risk management arrangements

b. Payroll processes

c. Parliament’s business resilience arrangements

d. Financial support to Members

e. Electronic publishing arrangements

f. Legal compliance

g. Childcare voucher scheme

h. Pre-paid envelopes

i. ICT network security

j. Central Tours Office

k. Off-site consolidation centre

l. Tothill Street services

m. Members’ travel credit card facilities

n. Accounts receivable

o. Absence management

p. General maintenance

q. Environmental management

r. Mechanical and Engineering project package 9

s. Key ICT controls

t. Centrally determined training

u. Compliance review of procurement

v. Office supplies and stationery

w. ICT asset management

x. SPIRE technical audit

8. In general, management responses to internal audit reports are positive, with most recommendations accepted. In order to gain assurance that actions set out in management responses are being undertaken, the Committee also received follow-

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up reports, both on some of the audits above and on audits from earlier years. One particular recommendation, outstanding since 2008, is at last on the way to being implemented following continued pressure from the Committee. The Committee received quarterly updates on the progress of all outstanding audit issues; the number of outstanding audit recommendations is consistently low. The Committee also received an annual update on fraud.

9. In previous years, problems with maintaining a full complement in the internal audit team throughout the year have resulted in postponement of internal audits. In the last financial year the audit team has been at full complement and the audit programme was completed to schedule. For this we congratulate the internal audit team on their hard work.

10. We would like to thank the National Audit Office for their work as the House’s external auditors and their involvement in the work of the Committee. We are grateful for their support. The Committee would also like to thank Paul Thompson, Head of Internal Audit, for his excellent work through the year.

Joint meetings with the House of Commons Administration Estimate Audit Committee11. The Committee held two meetings jointly with the House of Commons Administration Estimate Audit Committee, in July 2011 and January 2012. Areas of joint expenditure of the two Houses were considered at these meetings, including the Metropolitan Police Special Services Agreement (SSA), Works and Estates and ICT. These areas represent some of the largest areas of expenditure for the Administration and joint meetings with the House of Commons Committee assist both Committees to monitor effectively the controls in place in shared services.

12. The Committees considered the Police SSA in detail at both meetings and made a number of suggestions, in particular relating to the need to improve data collection to monitor services actually provided to achieve value for money. The Committees considered two “themes” papers on works and estates and ICT, which drew together themes that were common across audit reports in these areas. Two particular issues which arose during these meetings, and which the Committee has considered throughout the year, were value for money and achieving the correct balance between cheaper short-term and more expensive long-term expenditure on infrastructure on the Parliamentary estate.

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13. Given the success of these meetings we look forward to them continuing in 2012/13. The Chairman will work with the chairman of the Commons Committee to continue to refine agendas and working practices to ensure the meetings are as effective as possible.

Risk management arrangements14. Following an internal audit report on risk management, the Audit Committee has taken a more active role in advising on the Administration’s risk management framework and mitigations relating to corporate risks. From October 2011, the Committee considered the most recent version of the corporate risk register at the beginning of every meeting. This has replaced the annual risk management report. The Committee advised on changes to the Administration’s approach to risk management, in particular on the adoption of risk appetite. These changes should help the Administration monitor risks and more effectively align risk mitigation measures to risk appetite. We will continue to consider and advise on their implementation and use in practice during 2012/13 and will consider revisions to the corporate risks in April.

15. In respect of the House of Lords risk management, control and governance processes in 2011/12, the Head of Internal Audit was able to provide substantial assurance in May 2012. The Committee was content that the assurance was based on a sufficiently broad and comprehensive audit programme.

Infrastructure: Palace of Westminster16. We continued to monitor work undertaken by the Parliamentary Estates Directorate (PED), and in particular the major projects which represent a substantial proportion of the House’s budget: refurbishment of the Cast Iron Roofs; overhaul of mechanical and electrical services across the Parliamentary Estate; and installation of modern fire detection systems. These subjects were also addressed at joint meetings with the House of Commons Administration Estimate Audit Committee. We are pleased to note improvements in project management by PED, although there is still room for improvement.

Resource Accounts for 2010/1117. The Committee considered the draft Resource Accounts for 2010/11 in July 2011 and will consider the 2011/12 draft Resource Accounts in July 2012. The 2010/11 Accounts were issued with an unqualified opinion. The Committee also agreed the NAO’s Audit Strategy for the 2011/12 Resource Accounts.

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The Year Ahead: 2012/1318. Following the publication of a new Code of Good Practice for public sector corporate governance in July 2011, the Committee will consider an internal audit report on the Administration’s corporate governance. Significant internal audit reports are also planned in areas including audits of Sustainability Initiatives, the Gifts and Hospitality Policy, Specialist Advisers, Staff Loans and Registers of Sensitive Information. Reviews of shared services will include two audits of capital projects, as well as audits of cyber threat and the fire safety programme.

19. The Committee will consider the Administration’s Corporate Governance Statement for 2011/12, which replaces the Statement on Internal Control. As part of this process, the Committee will consider the letters to the Accounting Officer from Management Board members which supported the Statement.

20. We continue to welcome suggestions by other Members of the House for issues within our terms of reference which might merit our consideration; and welcome the views and comments of Members on this report.

May 2012 Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market Chairman of the Audit Committee

Terms of ReferenceThe Audit Committee is appointed by the House Committee. Its terms of reference are:

1. To consider internal and external audit reports and other material, and to assess management responses thereto;

2. To advise the Clerk of the Parliaments as Accounting Officer on the suitability of the annual internal audit work programme and to monitor progress against the audit plan;

3. To provide advice to the Clerk of the Parliaments in the exercise of his responsibilities as Accounting Officer;

4. To evaluate the adequacy of the risk management system and the suitability of the control arrangements reported to it, and to advise the Clerk of the Parliaments as Accounting Officer and the Management Board accordingly;

5. To encourage value for money, good financial practice, appropriate internal controls and effective governance throughout the Administration of the House;

6. To review the annual financial statements and accounts;

7. To make an annual report to the House, to be submitted, in the first instance, to the House Committee and to be published with the House of Lords’ Annual Report;

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8. To work with the House of Commons Administration Estimate Audit Committee to monitor areas of joint interest of both Houses;

9. To review regularly the effectiveness of the Audit Committee.

Declarations of Interest:The relevant financial interests of internal Members of the Committee are listed in the Register of Lords Interests. An up-to-date version of the Register can be found at: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldreg.htm

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Sustainability ReportThe Sustainability Report is prepared by the Fire, Safety and Environment team for submission to the Management Board of both Houses.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12

Non-Financial Indicators (tCO2e)

Total Gross Emissions for Scopes 1 & 2.

21,943 19,847 19,786 18,754

Total Net Emissions for Scopes 1 & 2. (i.e. less green tariffs)

8,285 7,740 7,948 7,099

Gross emissions Scope 3 business travel

1,893 1,421 2,128 1,154

Related Energy Consumption (KWh)

Electricity: Non-Renewable

4,597,742 4,914,661 4,783,903 4,600,735

Electricity: Renewable 25,680,977 25,070,449 24,461,916 24,204,920

Gas 32,816,168 29,044,197 30,508,487 26,398,686

Financial Indicators (£k)

Expenditure on Energy 3,743 3,986 4,107 4,353

Expenditure on accredited offsets (e.g. GCOF).

16 16 24

Expenditure on official business travel.

3,881 4,110 4,339 4,568

Performance Commentary (including targets)Our long term target for absolute carbon dioxide emissions resulting from energy use is to reduce emissions by 34% by March 2021 relative to 2008/09 baseline levels. In order to be on trajectory to meet this target our 2011/12 emissions should have fallen by 9.7% on baseline. In 2011/12 we achieved a 16.4% reduction relative to our 2008/09 baseline year, with a fall in emissions for the third consecutive year.

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These significant carbon reductions were achieved through a number of initiatives and efficiency savings, including:

• re-commissioning of the Palace boilers,

• transformer tapping in Portcullis House and the Palace,

• introduction of LED lighting in several areas of the Palace, most notably the floodlighting of Victoria Tower,

• an energy survey in Parliament Street which identified a number of energy efficiency improvements which have been implemented and resulted in reduced energy use,

• the upgrade of hardware, software, user interface, sensors and outstations of the Building Energy Management System,

• insulation of boilers, pipe work and roof spaces

• installation of automatic loggers on all water and electrical supplies to improve our monitoring and identification of leaks and other wastage

Controllable Impacts CommentaryThe main source of our carbon dioxide emissions is energy consumption across the estate. An environmental improvement plan setting out the actions planned to improve energy efficiency is updated annually.

Overview of Influenced ImpactsWe continue to target a reduction in our own emissions as a priority, but where appropriate we use procurement specifications to encourage reductions of our supply chain.

30,000

Absolute Carbon Performance

tC0 2e

2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12

25,000

20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

0

Official Travel

Electricity

Gas & Oil

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Waste2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12

Non Financial Indicators (tonnes)

Total waste 2,009 1,627 1,632 1,639

Hazardous waste*

Total 12 7 10 11

Non hazardous waste*

Landfill 0 0 0 0

Reused/

Recycled

947 807 844 868

Incinerated/

energy from waste

1,050 812 777 760


Total disposal cost

523 542 524 NA

Hazardous waste - Total disposal cost*

NA NA NA NA

Non hazardous waste - Total disposal cost*

Landfill NA NA NA NA

Reused/ Recycled

NA NA NA NA

Incinerated/ energy from waste

NA NA NA NA

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Performance Commentary (including targets)Our long term target for waste generation is to reduce the weight produced by 25% by March 2021 relative to 2008/09 baseline levels. In order to be on trajectory to meet this target our 2011/12 weight of waste generated should have fallen by 11.5% on baseline. In 2011/12 we achieved an 18.4% reduction relative to our 2008/09 baseline year, although the levels of waste produced have remained relatively steady for the last 3 years.

We also have a short term target to increase our recycling rate to 61.5% by March 2012 and a long term target to increase the rate to 75% by March 2021 relative to 2008/09 baseline levels. In 2011/12 we achieved a recycling rate of 53%, and it is hoped that increasing the amount of food waste sent for composting, and an initiatives to improve the recycle more office waste will improve our recycling rate.

Controllable Impacts CommentaryOur general office waste is disposed of via energy from waste facility. None of our general waste goes to landfill. A pilot scheme to compost food waste in under way and there are plans to extend this to additional kitchen areas. WEEE waste is now recorded in our waste generated and recycling figures. We are working with our waste collection contractor to improve the system for collection and segregation of waste to increase recycling rates.

Overview of Influenced ImpactsWe continue to target a reduction in our own generation of waste and recycling rates as a priority, but where appropriate we use procurement specifications to encourage our supply chain to improve performance in these areas.

2500

General waste generation

Tonn

es

2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12

2000

1500

1000

500

0

Incinerated waste

Recycled waste

Landfill waste

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General waste recycling

2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12

60.0%

50.0%

40.0%

30.0%%

20.0%

10.0%

0.0%

Finite Resource Consumption - Water2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12

Non-Financial Indicators (m3)

Water Consumption

Supplied 150,172 138,057 132,876 118,215

Abstracted 172,221 171,728 136,571 104,306


Water Supply Costs

314 252 278 248

Performance Commentary (including targets)Our long term target for water use is to reduce the volume we consume by 25% by March 2021 relative to 2008/09 baseline levels. In order to be on trajectory to meet this target our 2011/12 water use should have fallen by 13.3% on baseline. In 2011/12 we achieved a 31.94% reduction relative to our 2008/09 baseline year, with a fall in consumption for the fourth consecutive year.

This improvement was as a result of efforts to optimise borehole water cooling, and a save water campaign over the last year.

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Controllable Impacts CommentaryThe main water consumers on the Parliamentary Estate are borehole water for cooling in Portcullis House, and domestic and catering services for mains water supplies.

Overview of Influenced ImpactsWe continue to target a reduction in our own water use as a priority, but where appropriate we use procurement specifications to encourage our supply chain to improve water efficiency.

Estate water consumption

m3

2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12

600,000

500,000

400,000

300,000

200,000

100,000

0

Water borehole

Water mains

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Appendix AHouse of Lords Administration Strategic Plan 2011-15

AimThe aim of the House of Lords Administration is:

To enable the House and its Members to carry out their parliamentary functions effectively.

ObjectivesThe objectives of the House of Lords Administration are:

1. To provide the House and its committees with the advice and services they need for the effective conduct of business.

2. To provide individual Members of the House with the advice and services they need for the effective performance of their parliamentary duties (regardless of party or office).

3. To make the House and its work accessible to the public.

4. To maintain the House’s buildings and collections, having regard to the heritage they represent.

Priorities in the period 2011-15:

While all four objectives are important to the work of the House, in this period we will prioritise work which directly supports the effective conduct of the business of the House and which directly helps individual Members to contribute to that business. Objectives 3 and 4 will be pursued with emphasis on tasks which most directly support objectives 1 and 2. We will also seek to improve the effectiveness for the Lords of our joint working with the House of Commons in delivering those services where the Commons is the majority stakeholder. This plan is drafted in the context of significant cost savings throughout the public sector; low public regard for Parliament; and new proposals for reform of the House of Lords.

TasksThe following tasks are intended to contribute to the objectives set out above. The annual business plans will set out how these objectives will be met.

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1. Ensure that the advice, research, administrative support and reporting services for the House, its committees and individual Members are timely, impartial, responsive and of high quality. [Links to objectives 1& 2]


(1) In the provision of our services, we will earn the respect of Members and the public for our independence, integrity and professionalism.

(2) We will help Members fulfil their roles and obligations in a changing House by making our services more accessible but in efficient and cost-effective ways.

(3) We will benchmark and review our working practices to ensure that our services are provided effectively and efficiently.

(4) We will provide impartial and expert advice on proposals for reform of the House of Lords.

2. Improve accommodation and facilities to enable Members and staff to work effectively, and in a safe, healthy, and sustainable environment. [Links to objectives 2 & 4]


(1) We will propose an effective and efficient accommodation strategy for both Members and staff; and we will implement the agreed strategy making best use of the opportunities offered by occupancy of Millbank House.

(2) We will focus the works programme on securing the long-term viability of the Palace of Westminster as the working environment for Parliament and we will set out a 25-year plan to deliver this in conjunction with a strengthened Parliamentary Estates Directorate.

(3) We will promote efficiency and sustainability in our buildings, while having regard to our architectural heritage.

(4) We will change the provision of catering services more appropriately to meet the needs of Members and staff; and continue to reduce its subsidy from public funds.

3. Ensure that security arrangements are appropriate to the assessed level of threat and the effective conduct of business; and develop and maintain contingency and business continuity plans so as to minimise the impact of disruption caused by unplanned incidents. [Links to all objectives]

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(1) We will develop and test our business continuity and contingency mechanisms to make the Administration resilient to disruption.

(2) We will better secure the perimeter of the estate, and seek to take forward the pedestrianisation of St Margaret Street and Old Palace Yard.

(3) We will examine whether our security arrangements would be more efficient if further integrated with the Government Security Zone.

4. Facilitate public access to, and understanding and knowledge of, the work of the House of Lords, its heritage and collections. [Links to objectives 3 & 4]


(1) We will consolidate and focus work under this task on specific audiences, creating communications that increase their understanding of the work and role of the House of Lords and how to interact with it.

(2) We will improve our website and make it the primary channel to help people to understand the work of the House.

5. Recruit, develop and retain staff with the capability and motivation to meet the needs of the House; encourage diversity and innovation; and approach tasks with a sense of common purpose. [Links to all objectives]


(1) We will focus on the delivery of human resources core functions: efficient recruitment, deployment, learning and development, performance management, appropriate conditions of service and record-keeping.

(2) We will work to earn the loyalty and motivation of staff in a challenging period.

(3) We will respond better to business priorities by encouraging initiative and becoming more agile at allocating human resources across the Administration.

6. Ensure a system of corporate governance and internal control which is open, effective and accountable, which delivers value for money and which is based on sound financial management. [Links to all objectives]


(1) We will aim not to increase our resource costs, in real terms, throughout the period of the plan, despite the increased size of the House, and will reduce them where possible by reviewing what we do and how we do it.

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(2) We will make management more efficient and responsive, more cohesive and better at decision making and forward-planning; and we will aim to encourage diversity in all management grades.

(3) We will review the structure of the Administration.

7. Ensure that information produced in support of objectives is well-managed, and that for all information requirements ICT is effectively exploited. [Links to all objectives]


(1) We will work with PICT to ensure that its strategy delivers robust core services and reflects an informed understanding of business needs.

(2) We will encourage greater reliance by Members and staff on electronic rather than paper documents and records; and we will implement an electronic document and record management system for the Administration.

(3) We will help PICT consider how new ICT developments (including internet-based computing) could produce secure, more efficient and effective ICT services.

8. Maintain good working relationships with the House of Commons, particularly in the provision of shared services; share information and best practice with other parliaments and assemblies within the United Kingdom and overseas; and co-operate with other organisations that can assist the work of the House and its Administration. [Links to all objectives]


(1) We will agree and monitor memoranda of understanding with the House of Commons for the delivery and management of each shared service.

(2) We will consider the establishment of further joint services, or outsourcing, where this would decrease the cost to the taxpayer and increase the efficiency and effectiveness with which the Administration provides services to the House and it Members.

(3) We will ensure that the work of the new International Relations Directorate meets the needs of the House and optimises the use of resources.

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ValuesThe Administration will be guided by the following values and principles:

• Respect for the constitutional importance and dignity of Parliament

• Professional excellence

• Honesty, impartiality and integrity

• Openness and accountability

• Fairness and respect for all staff

• Obtaining value for money while recognising our corporate responsibility to wider society

• Environmental sustainability

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Appendix BHouse of Lords Organisation Chart

House of Lords

Parliamentary Services

Financial Resources

Information Services

Support Services

Corporate Services

Lord SpeakerDomestic Committees

Audit CommitteeJoint Committee

on Security

House Committee

ICT

Parliamentary Information and Communications Technology Service

Information and Communications Technology

Human Resources

Security

Support for the Chamber and Committees

Hansard Public and Private Bill Office Delegated Legislation Office

Journal and Table Office Printed Paper Office Committee Office

Corporate strategy and business planning

Lord Speaker’s Office Overseas Office

ICT Internal Audit

Management Board

Information management, research and public information

Library Parliamentary Archives

Information Office

Financial resources

Finance Department

Catering, retail, property and office services

Department of Facilities

Clerk of the Parliaments and

Accounting Officer

Human resources

Human Resources Office

Security, access, contingency

Black Rod’s Department

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Appendix CComposition of the House of Lords 2011/12Composition of the House as at 31 March 2011

1. During the year the size of the House fell slightly, although the average daily attendance – at 492 – was higher than the figure for 2010/11 (448).

Men Women Total

Archbishops and bishops 25 – 25

Life peers under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 22 1 23

Life peers under the Life Peerages Act 1958 514 178 692

Peers under the House of Lords Act 1999 89 2 91

Total 650 181 831

Of whom: 21 Members were on leave of absence, 15 disqualified as senior Members of the judiciary, 1 disqualified as an MEP and 2 suspended from the House.

Composition of the House as at 31 March 2012

Men Women Total

Archbishops and bishops 26 – 26

Life peers under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 22 1 23

Life peers under the Life Peerages Act 1958 502 178 680

Peers under the House of Lords Act 1999 90 2 92

Total 640 181 821

Of whom: 21 Members were on leave of absence, 13 disqualified as senior Members of the judiciary, 1 disqualified as an MEP and 3 suspended from the House.

2. Three new life peers were created during the year (of whom two were nominated by the House of Lords Appointments Commission), and one bishop retired and two took their seats. Fifteen Members died and two Members took voluntary retirement in

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accordance with the terms of the voluntary retirement scheme agreed by the House in June 2011.

3. During the year two by-elections were initiated. A vacancy was created by the death on 8 April 2011 of Lord Ampthill, one of 15 peers elected by the whole House, and Viscount Colville of Culross was successful in the subsequent by-election. A second vacancy was created by the death on 14 May 2011 of the Earl of Onslow, one of 42 hereditary peers elected by the Conservative hereditary peers. Lord Ashton of Hyde was successful in the subsequent by-election.

4. At the end of the year the state of the parties/groups in the House was as follows:

Conservative 215

Labour 235

Liberal Democrat 90

Crossbench 86

Other peers 31

Bishops 26

TOTAL 783

(These figures exclude 38 Members on leave of absence, disqualified or suspended from the House.)

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Appendix DGender statistics for House of Lords staff appointments 2011-12

Gender

Applicants

Male 55%

Female 44.5%

Not Supplied 0.4%

Male 58%

Female 41.7%

Not Supplied 0.3%

Male 52%

Female 48%

Not Supplied 0%

Interview

Successful

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Daily attendance, average division size and average length of sitting in each quarter

Num

ber

Sitt

ing

days

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

0

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

Amndts tabled

QWAs tabled

Sitting days

1484

23562242

1296

1618

2556

1512

2246

Ave

rage

leng

th o

f sitt

ing

(hou

rs)

Att

enda

nce/

divi

sion

siz

e

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

Average dailyattendance

Averagedivision size

Averagelength of sitting

502

395

477 492 505

393365361

Appendix EHouse of Lords activity data 2011/12Questions for written answer, amendments and sitting days in each quarter

7792 HoL AR 2012 TEXT V0_3.indd 47 18/07/2012 15:51


Number and average length of Grand Committees in each quarter

Pages printed in each quarter

Committeereports

HoL Business

Bills andamendments

DailyHansard

Num

ber

of p

ages

16000

14000

12000

10000

8000

6000

4000

2000

0

Q1

2940

3690

1188

1380

3830

4773

918

908

6030

6132

1536

1342

7586

4558

1386

1234

Q2 Q3 Q4

1214

32

13

GrandCommittees

Averagelength of GC

Num

ber

of G

rand

Com

mitt

ees

Ave

rage

Len

gth

of G

rand

Com

mitt

ees

(hou

rs)

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

4

3.5

3

2.5

2

1

1.5

0.5

0

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

7792 HoL AR 2012 TEXT V0_3.indd 48 18/07/2012 15:51


Number of divisons and time spent sitting after 10pm in each quarter

Research transactions in each quarter

2528

40

65

Number ofdivisions

Time sittingafter 10pm

Num

ber

of G

rand

div

isio

ns

Tim

e sp

ent

sitt

ing

afte

r 10

pm (

hour

s)

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

25

20

15

10

5

0

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

Library notetake-up

Research inquiries

Num

ber

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

0

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

2012

875

307

2040

524

1862

546491

7792 HoL AR 2012 TEXT V0_3.indd 49 18/07/2012 15:51

7792 HoL AR 2012 TEXT V0_3.indd 50 18/07/2012 15:51

7792 HoL AR 2012 TEXT V0_3.indd 51 18/07/2012 15:51

7792 HoL AR 2012 TEXT V0_3.indd 52 18/07/2012 15:51

Annual Report 2011/12...House of Lords Annual Report 2011/12 5Preface by the Clerk of the...

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