The Conduct Of Lord Bhatia

The focus of this report is Lord Bhatia's use of the Members' Reimbursement Scheme between 1 October 2007 and 1 January 2009, regarding his designation of a flat in Reigate as his main residence whilst still owning and spending the majority of his time at a family home in Hampton. The Sub-committee on Lords' Conduct found that Lord Bhatia's interpretation of "main residence" was unreasonable and that he did not act in good faith in designating the Reigate property and in claiming for overnight subsistence and travel. Lord Bhatia appealed to the full Committee against the Sub-committee's findings and recommendations. The Committee upholds the findings of the Sub-committee, and recommends that he makes a personal statement of apology to the House and is then suspended from the House for one year or until she has repaid the sum of £27,446 wrongly claimed, whichever is the later.

The focus of this report is Lord Paul's use of the Members' Reimbursement Scheme from late 2005 onwards. The Sub-committee on Lords' Conduct considered whether in this period Lord Paul had correctly designated two successive properties in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire as his main residence, and made claims for overnight subsistence and travel in relation to them. Lord Paul has acknowledged that he wrongly designated the Oxfordshire property as his main residence, has apologised and repaid a sum of money. Lord Paul maintained that he acted in good faith in making the designation and claims, but the Sub-committee disagreed. Lord Paul appealed to the full Committee on this point. The Committee, while not finding actions that were dishonest or in bad faith, conclude that: designation of the Oxfordshire property was a deliberate misrepresentation of his domestic arrangements; his actions were unreasonable, and demonstrated gross irresponsibility and negligence. The Committee recommends that Lord Paul be suspended from the service of the House for four months.

The focus of this report is Baroness Uddin's use of the Members' Reimbursement Scheme from May 2005 onwards, regarding her designation of three successive properties - in Frinton on Sea, Maidstone and Wapping, London - as her main residence. The last of these, designated on 1 January 2010, has been Lady Uddin's family home since 1993. The Sub-committee on Lords' Conduct found that Lady Uddin's interpretation of "main residence" was unreasonable. The designation of the Frinton and Maidstone properties was a deliberate misrepresentation of her position and the travel claims were made with the intention of substantiating her designation of her main residences. In total, the Sub-committee calculated that she wrongly claimed £125,349.10 over the period in question. Lady Uddin appealed to the full Committee against the Sub-committee's findings and recommendations. The Committee upholds the finding on the sum wrongly claimed, and recommends that she makes a personal statement of apology to the House and is then suspended from the House for three years or until she has repaid the sum wrongly claimed, whichever is the later.

Parliament and the Law (Second Edition) is an edited collection of essays, supported by the UK's Study of Parliament Group, including contributions by leading constitutional lawyers, political scientists and parliamentary officials. It provides a wide-ranging overview of the ways in which the law applies to, and impacts upon, the UK Parliament, and it considers how recent changes to the UK's constitutional arrangements have affected Parliament as an institution. It includes authoritative discussion of a number of issues of topical concern, such as: the operation of parliamentary privilege, the powers of Parliament's select committees, parliamentary scrutiny, devolution, English Votes for English Laws, Members' conduct and the governance of both Houses. It also contains chapters on financial scrutiny, parliamentary sovereignty, Parliament and human rights, and the administration of justice. Aimed mainly at legal academics, practitioners, and political scientists, it will also be of interest to anyone who is curious about the many fascinating ways in which the law interacts with and influences the work, the constitutional status and the procedural arrangements of the Westminster Parliament.

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