The House of Lords has a strong commitment to outreach and engagement. This includes the ‘Peers in Schools’ programme as well as this blog, a unique collaboration of members drawn from different parts of the House. The House also publishes a range of literature to explain what it does and to provide data on its…
As Lord Speaker, I’m honoured to be blogging at the beginning of the second Parliament Week today. There are many worthwhile events that will be taking place both here at Westminster and around the country. On Monday, the House of Lords will launch its pilot outreach partnership with the charity Debate Mate, which uses volunteer…
When the position of Lord Speaker was created in 2006, it was clear that the House was cautious about the Speaker’s role in the Chamber, but enthusiastic about the representative and ambassadorial aspects of the job. Alongside my procedural, domestic committee and security responsibilities, I have, therefore, made building a sustainable programme of external engagement,…
As an athlete I thought it was important to visit schools, to talk to young people about the opportunities that Sport can bring. When I joined the House of Lords and found out that there was an outreach programme I signed up as soon as I could. I believe that it is important to give young…
The Health Bill is presently going through the Lords. Clause 19 bans shops from displaying cigarettes: “A person who in the course of a business displays tobacco products, or causes tobacco products to be displayed, in a place in England and Wales or Northern Ireland is guilty of an offence”. It is a subject on…
