House of Lords Commissioner for Standards

The House of Lords Commissioner for Standards is responsible for the independent and impartial investigation of alleged breaches of the House of Lords Code of Conduct. This includes investigating breaches of the rules on members’ financial support, use of parliamentary facilities and treatment of those with whom they come into contact in the course of their parliamentary duties and activities.

The current Commissioner is Lucy Scott-Moncrieff CBE. She was appointed by the House as Commissioner for Standards for five years from 1 June 2016. She was president of the Law Society of England and Wales from 2010 to 2013.

Complaints against a member of the House of Lords

Anyone wishing to make a complaint against a member of the House of Lords concerning a matter within the Commissioner's remit should email lordsstandards@parliament.uk. To provide us with the correct details please download the complaint form (PDF PDF 102 KB)

Complaints may also be submitted in writing to: The House of Lords Commissioner for Standards, House of Lords, London, SW1A 0PW

Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) Helpline

Call: 0808 168 9281 (freephone)
Email: Support@ICGShelpline.org.uk
The Helpline is open 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday
 
If you feel you have experienced, witnessed, been accused of or are supporting someone  with bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct, the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) Helpline can provide you with emotional support and guidance on the options available to you and the processes involved.

Information to include with your complaint

When making a complaint the following information should be provided:

  • in what respect the member concerned is alleged to have breached the Code of Conduct (PDF PDF 1.5 MB), or broken the rules governing the use of financial support or parliamentary facilities
  • as much evidence as possible in support of the complaint
  • name, postal address, telephone number and, if possible, email address.

The Commissioner conducts a preliminary assessment of all complaints. Following this preliminary assessment she will inform both the complainant and the member concerned whether or not she will investigate the complaint. If the Commissioner decides that a complaint does not merit investigation then she will provide the person who has complained with a brief explanation of the reasons for her decision.

A full explanation of the investigation process is in the Guide to the Code of Conduct.

For general enquiries the office of the Commissioner may be contacted on 020 7219 7152 and at lordsstandards@parliament.uk.

Commissioner for Standards annual reports

The Commissioner’s annual reports cover the period from the start of June to the end of May each year. The reports detail the number of complaints received in that period and indicate how the complaints were resolved.

House of Lords code of conduct: more information

Contact the House of Lords Commissioner for Standards office

General Enquiries: 020 7219 7152
Press Office: 0207 219 8550
Email: lordsstandards@parliament.uk