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Bullying and Harassment in the House of Lords Independent Inquiry

Question for Leader of the House of Lords

UIN HL17179, tabled on 15 July 2019

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Naomi Ellenbogen QC An Independent Inquiry into bullying and harassment in the House of Lords, published on 11 July.

Answered on

23 July 2019

As the Prime Minister has said before, everyone working in Parliament deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. This inquiry has brought to light behaviour which is unacceptable, and it is incumbent on the House of Lords to take swift action. It is important that the House now carefully considers the concerns raised in this important report, and responds to its recommendations.

It is primarily for Parliament, rather than Government, to consider how best to respond to Naomi Ellenbogen QC’s recommendations. The House of Lords Commission met on Wednesday 17 July in order to plan its response to the recommendations. Every member of the Commission committed to complete the Valuing Everyone training course, and the leaders of the political groupings committed their front bench to do the same. The Commission agreed the establishment of a Steering Group of staff, members and others to embark on the process of moving forward with Naomi Ellenbogen QC’s recommendations, and the new Conduct Committee will examine those which relate to the Code of Conduct.