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

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 ensure necessary details are provided, this form may be downloaded and used to submit a complaint: 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

Complaints of bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct should be made via the following dedicated helplines:

The Independent Sexual Misconduct Advisory Service (ISMA) – 7.30am to 9.00pm Monday to Sunday
Tel: 0800 112 4318
Email: isma@solacehub.org

Bullying and Harassment Independent Reporting Helpline – 9.00am to 9.00pm Monday to Friday
Tel: 0800 028 2439
Email: disclosure@healthassured.co.uk

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 1.19 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.

 

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.

Further information

Contact the House of Lords Commissioner for Standards office

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