Lords to debate expenses peers' punishment

Published on Monday 18 October 2010 15:10

THREE peers who wrongly claimed tens of thousands of pounds in expenses will hear on Thursday whether they will be suspended from the House of Lords.

The House of Lords Privileges and Conduct Committee said Baroness Uddin, Lord Bhatia and Lord Paul should repay nearly 200,000 between them.

The committee recommended Labour's Lady Uddin be suspended from the upper chamber until the end of the parliamentary session at Easter 2012 - and longer if she refuses to return 125,349.10.

Crossbencher Lord Bhatia faces being suspended for eight months, and has already repaid 27,446. Both peers were found to have acted "not in good faith".

Labour's Lord Paul, on appeal, was cleared of acting "not in good faith", but his conduct was found to have been "utterly unreasonable".

He returned 41,982 last year but the committee recommended that he be suspended for four months.

In a short statement yesterday Lords Leader Lord Strathclyde told peers: "The House now has a duty to consider these three reports. The three reports will be debated together on Thursday of this week as the first business after oral questions.

"At the end of the debate the House will be asked to take decisions on the reports and subsequently on the recommendations of the Privileges and Conduct Committee."