Government Defeats in the House of Lords

This Session
2012-2013
2010-2012
2009-2010
2008-2009
2007-2008
2006-2007
2005-2006

This Session

This page lists all government defeats in the House of Lords since the start of the 2013-14 parliamentary session, in reverse order. The column on the right shows the number of votes the government was beaten by. To see details of a defeat, click the relevant line of the table and this will bring up a report showing the number of votes cast for and against, and lists of voters (in both cases broken down by party).

Summary tables and voting records are recorded for every session since 2005-06. Defeats from preceding sessions can be reached by clicking on the tabs above.

The Constitution Unit can email you every time a new defeat is added to this page. If you would like us to do so, please complete our mailing list form and ensure you check the Lords defeats box.

Government Defeats

Defeat no	Date	Bill	Subject	Majority

Coalition Split Votes

Cases where the coalition partners whipped their parties to vote in opposite lobbies, and the division was therefore a defeat for one governing party and a victory for the other.

Coalition Split no	Date	Bill	Subject

2012-2013

This page lists all government defeats in the House of Lords in the 2012-13 parliamentary session, in reverse order. The column on the right shows the number of votes the government was beaten by. To see details of a defeat, click the relevant line of the table and this will bring up a report showing the number of votes cast for and against, and lists of voters (in both cases broken down by party).

Summary tables and voting records are recorded for every session since 2005-06. Defeats from preceding sessions can be reached by clicking on the tabs above.

The Constitution Unit can email you every time a new defeat is added to this page. If you would like us to do so, please complete our mailing list form and ensure you check the Lords defeats box.

Government Defeats

Defeat no	Date	Bill	Subject	Majority
26	22/04/13	Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill	To insist on insertion of a clause adding 'caste' to the list of characteristics covered by the term 'race' in the Equalities Act 2010	-13
25	22/04/13	Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill	To insist on reinstatement of Section 3 of the Equalities Act 2006, which requires the EHRC to discharge its functions "with a view to encouraging and supporting the development of a society" which respects human rights and equal opportunities	-30
24	22/04/13	Growth and Infrastructure Bill	To insist on removal of a clause which allows employees to become "employee shareholders" when they receive £2000 or more in shares, and requires that in so doing they forego certain rights, including redundancy payment and the right to claim unfair dismissal.	-69
23	27/03/13	Civil Legal Aid (Procedure) Regulations 2012	To regret that the regulations fail to deliver on a government promise to provide adequate legal aid services for domestic violence victims, many of whom will be unable to meet evidential criteria and will therefore risk injury or death (non-fatal motion).	-17
22	27/03/13	Civil Legal Aid (Procedure) Regulations 2012	To regret that the regulations fail to deliver sufficient access to legal aid for disabled people, and that "exempted person" is defined too narrowly (non-fatal motion).	-15
21	27/03/13	Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (Amendment of Schedule 1) Order 2013	To regret that the government is excluding even the limited provision of legal aid services for first tier tribunal cases, such a provision having been judged by the Lords' fatal motion of 3 December 2012 to be inadequate (non-fatal motion).	-5
20	26/03/13	Growth and Infrastructure Bill	To insert a new clause to make orders for extension to planning permission made after 1 January 2013 subject to local authority approval.	-6
19	20/03/13	Growth and Infrastructure Bill	To remove a clause which allows employees to become "employee shareholders" when they receive £2000 or more in shares, and requires that in so doing they forego certain rights, including redundancy payment and the right to claim unfair dismissal.	-54
18	06/03/13	Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill	To insert a clause to require that letting and block management agents belong to an ombudsman scheme	-5
17	06/03/13	Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill	To reinstate civil liability in breaches of duty of health and safety regulations	-2
16	04/03/13	Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill	To insert a clause adding 'caste' to the list of characteristics covered by the term 'race' in the Equalities Act 2010	-103
15	04/03/13	Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill	To reinstate Section 3 of the Equalities Act 2006, which requires the EHRC to discharge its functions "with a view to encouraging and supporting the development of a society" which respects human rights and equal opportunities	-51
14	28/02/13	House of Lords: Membership	To move to call on the government to use restraint in recommending new appointments to the House of Lords; to allow members to retire permanently; to exclude members who do not attend during a session; and to not allow members convicted of serious offences to attend sittings.	-172
13	12/02/13	Public Service Pensions Bills	To include the Defence Fire and Rescue Service under the category of fire and rescue services generally, so that they are no longer subject to the separate Ministry of Defence retirement age and pension scheme	-23
12	05/02/13	Defamation Bill	To insert a clause allowing profit-making organisations to sue for defamation only where they can prove that it has caused or is likely to cause substantial financial loss, and barring public bodies from taking any defamation action.	-8
11	05/02/13	Defamation Bill	To insert a clause establishing a Defamation Recognition Commission.	-131
10	18/12/12	Crime and Courts Bill [HL]	To require that probation trusts make appropriate provisions for female offenders, including unpaid work and behavioural change programmes.	-28
9	18/12/12	Crime and Courts Bill [HL]	To insert a clause making bailiffs and enforcement agents subject to the same regulation and legal status as other authorised bodies under the Legal Services Act 2007.	-42
8	12/12/2012	Crime and Courts Bill [HL]	To insert a clause repealing the offence of use of insulting words that are likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.	-96
7	3/12/12	Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (Amendment of Schedule 1) Order 2012	To not approve an Order on access to legal aid in welfare cases because it does not fulfil an earlier government commitment and would lead to many disabled claimants not receiving legal aid at first-tier tribunals (fatal motion).	-10
6	27/11/12	Crime and Courts Bill [HL]	To remove a clause which empowers the Secretary of State, by order, to confer, remove or modify the National Crime Agency's counter-terrorism functions	-21
5	21/11/12	Justice and Security Bill [HL]	To require that the court be satisfied when ordering a closed material procedure that the harm to national security caused by disclosure of material outweighs the public interest in fair and open justice.	-87
4	21/11/12	Justice and Security Bill [HL]	To introduce judicial discretion rather than obligation in the ordering of closed material procedures where national security is considered to be involved.	-105
3	21/11/12	Justice and Security Bill [HL]	To enable judges and both parties, rather than the state only, to order a closed material procedure.	-99
2	22/10/2012	Local Government Finance Bill	To insert a clause requiring that an independent review of all council tax reduction schemes be implemented by the Secretary of State within three years of the Act coming into place.	-38
1	18/06/2012	Financial Services Bill	To commit the entire Bill to a committee of the whole House, rather than splitting it between the Chamber and Grand Committee.	-4

Coalition Split Votes

Cases where the coalition partners whipped their parties to vote in opposite lobbies, and the division was therefore a defeat for one governing party and a victory for the other.

Coalition Split no	Date	Bill	Subject
1	14/01/13	Electoral Registration and Administration Bill	To insert a clause requiring the boundary commissions to submit their reports not before October 2018, rather than before October 2013

2010-2012

The UK government was defeated 48 times in the House of Lords during the parliamentary session of 2010-12. Below is an overview of these defeats, listed in chronological order. Click within the grid for more detail about a particular defeat.

Defeat no	Date	Bill	Subject	Majority
48	23.04.12	Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill	To insist on the clause exempting those making claims related to industrial respiratory diseases specifically from the obligation to use their damages to pay part of their legal fees.	-9
47	23.04.12	Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill	To require that the types of evidence accepted for access to legal aid in domestic abuse cases be widened, and that the expiration period for submission of such evidence be extended.	-3
46	23.04.12	Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill	To insist on the requirement that the Lord Chancellor ensures that individuals have access to legal services that effectively meet their needs, subject to available resources.	-15
45	27.03.12	Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill	To provide legal aid for children in the event of clinical negligence.	-13
44	27.03.12	Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill	To ensure that legal aid continues to be available to children in all cases which are currently covered.	-12
43	14.03.12	Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill	To insert a clause exempting those making claims related to industrial diseases generally from the obligation to use their damages to pay part of their legal fees.	-5
42	14.03.12	Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill	To insert a clause exempting those making claims related to industrial respiratory diseases specifically from the obligation to use their damages to pay part of their legal fees.	-31
41	14.03.12	Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill	To remove the provision for a mandatory legal aid telephone gateway, and to to require that the Lord Chancellor ensure that legal aid recipients may access a variety of forms of aid, including face-to-face talks.	-28
40	07.03.12	Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill	To retain civil legal services for covering the cost of expert reports into cases of clinical negligence.	-6
39	07.03.12	Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill	To retain civil legal advice for benefits claimants who wish to challenge cuts to their allowances at a second-tier tribunal or higher court.	-28
38	07.03.12	Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill	To retain civil legal services for benefits claimants who wish to challenge cuts to their allowances at a first-tier tribunal.	-39
37	05.03.12	Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill	To require the Lord Chancellor to ensure that the process for appointing the Director of Legal Aid Casework guarantees his or her independence.	-17
36	05.03.12	Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill	To require the Lord Chancellor to ensure that victims of domestic violence have access to civil legal services, in accordance with the financial eligibility criteria laid out elsewhere in the Bill.	-37
35	05.03.12	Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill	To require the Lord Chancellor to ensure that individuals have access to legal services that effectively meet their needs, subject to available resources.	-45
34	14.02.12	Welfare Reform Bill	To require that certain categories of tenant, including war widows, foster carers and the severely disabled, be exempt from the under-occupancy penalty on universal credit/housing benefit.	-10
33	08.02.12	Health and Social Care Bill	To require that the Secretary of State's duty to promote the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of illness be defined as pertaining to both mental and physical illness.	-4
32	06.02.12	Protection of Freedoms Bill	To ensure that powers of entry into property are only exercised upon agreement with the premises occupier or where there is a warrant.	-12
31	31.01.12	Welfare Reform Bill	To require that the lower rate of additional universal credit allowance for disabled children is no less than two-thirds of the higher rate.	-16
30	25.01.12	Welfare Reform Bill	To ensure that where a parent with care has shown that a maintenance agreement is either impossible or inappropriate, they will not be liable to pay fees to the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission for intervening.	-142
29	23.01.12	Welfare Reform Bill	To exclude child benefit from the cap on welfare benefits which is enforced when a single person's or a couple's entitlements exceed the prescribed amount	-15
28	11.01.12	Welfare Reform Bill	To exempt from the 12-month limit on contributory employment support claims those receiving cancer treatment and those unable to work as a result of cancer diagnosis, and to grant those people support until they are able to work	-56
27	11.01.12	Welfare Reform Bill	To replace the 12-month limit for contributory employment support claims by those in the work-related activity group with a prescribed period of at least two years	-48
26	11.01.12	Welfare Reform Bill	Paving amendment to include severely disabled young people who qualify for the support group in those entitled to contributory employment support for one year	-44
25	14.12.11	Welfare Reform Bill	Paving amendment to prevent the government making regulations to impose the underoccupancy penalty on social housing tenants with no more than one spare bedroom	-68
24	14.11.11	Health and Social Care Bill	To insert a clause requiring the Secretary of State to report to parliament on the VAT treatment of supplies by charities providing health care services for the NHS	-12
23	10.10.11	Armed Forces Bill	To insert a clause permitting current or former members of the armed forces to wear medals awarded by Commonwealth governments (including the Pingat Jasa Malaysia medal) without restriction	-14
22	10.10.11	Armed Forces Bill	To require the annual covenant report on the impact of membership of the armed forces on service people to cover the operation of inquests as well as the subjects of healthcare, housing and education	-24
21	18.07.11	Fixed-term Parliaments Bill	To insist on amendments which set a date of 2015 for the next general election, but which require a resolution of both Houses of Parliament before the length of each subsequent parliament is set at five years	-32
20	15.06.11	European Union Bill	To introduce a "sunset clause" to make the requirement for a referendum to be held before certain powers can be transferred from the UK to the EU expire after the next general election, and to require parliamentary approval of any order to renew this	-6
19	15.06.11	European Union Bill	To clarify that applicable EU law is recognised as law in the UK specifically by virtue of the European Communities Act 1972, rather than more generally by any Act of Parliament	-33
18	13.06.11	European Union Bill	To remove the requirement for a referendum to be held before certain powers could be transferred from the UK to the EU, leading to amendments requiring a referendum only on a single military force, bringing the UK into Schengen, or joining the euro	-5
17	08.06.11	European Union Bill	To require a turnout of 40 per cent in referendums on amending the Treaty on the European Union in order for it to be automatically ratified, otherwise to require approval by both Houses of Parliament	-12
16	11.05.11	Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill	To remove the provision establishing police and crime commissioners for each police area outside London	-12
15	10.05.11	Fixed-term Parliaments Bill	To retain the provision which sets a date of 2015 for the next general election, but to require a resolution of both Houses of Parliament before the length of each subsequent parliament is set at five years	-6
14	28.03.11	Public Bodies Bill [HL]	To add the Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council to the list of bodies scheduled for possible merger with other bodies (while leaving it on the list for possible abolition)	-7
13	28.03.11	Public Bodies Bill [HL]	To remove the Youth Justice Commission for England and Wales from the list of bodies scheduled for possible abolition	-63
12	16.02.11	Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill	To insist to make the result of the referendum on the voting system non-binding if less than 40 per cent of the electorate vote in it	-62
11	09.02.11	Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill	To allow the number of voters in new constituencies to deviate up to 7.5 per cent from the norm if necessary to address special geographical considerations or local ties of an "exceptionally compelling nature"	-18
10	07.02.11	Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill	To make the result of the referendum on the voting system non-binding if less than 40 per cent of the electorate vote in it	-1
9	09.01.11	Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill	To prevent the Isle of Wight having to share a constituency with the mainland, and to exempt it from the 5 per cent variation rule	-74
8	21.12.10	Identity Documents Bill	To adjourn consideration of a motion to not insist to give ID cardholders the option to be reimbursed £30 on surrender of their card	-44
7	14.12.10	Public Bodies Bill [HL]	To remove the Chief Coroner from the list of offices and bodies scheduled for possible abolition	-112
6	06.12.10	Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill	To allow the referendum on the voting system to be held on any day before the 31 October 2011, rather than requiring it to be held on the 5 May 2011	-4
5	23.11.10	Public Bodies Bill [HL]	Paving amendment to allow for a new clause which places restrictions on ministerial powers to abolish or modify public bodies by delegated legislation, including requirements to protect judicial independence and human rights	-34
4	17.11.10	Identity Documents Bill	To give ID cardholders the option to be reimbursed £30 on surrender of their card	-32
3	13.07.10	Academies Bill [HL]	To add spending on academy pupils with low-incidence special educational needs or disabilities to the list of planned expenditure for LEAs, and to allow the Secretary of State to intervene if local authorities fail to make satisfactory provision	-22
2	29.06.10	House of Lords Reform	To call on the government to table motions before the summer recess to a) allow members to retire, b) abolish by-elections for hereditary peers, c) remove members convicted of serious criminal offences, d) create a statutory appointments commission	-15
1	08.06.10	Local Government Bill [HL]	To move to refer the Bill to the Examiners of Petitions for Private Bills (to determine whether the Bill is hybrid)	-5

2009-2010

The UK government was defeated 14 times in the House of Lords during the parliamentary session of 2009-10. Below is an overview of these defeats, listed in chronological order. Click within the grid for more detail about a particular defeat.

Defeat no	Date	Bill	Subject	Majority
1	07/12/2009	Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (References to Financial Investigators) (Amendment) Order 2009	To move to “note with concern” the Chairman of the Police Federation's criticisms of the order, which broadens the definition of a financial investigator for the Proceeds of Crime Act, and call upon the government to revoke the regulations	-61
2	25/01/2010	Equality Bill	To remove the proportionality test from the exception to discrimination law where employment is for the purposes of organised religion	-38
3	25/01/2010	Equality Bill	To reject the government amendment clarifying that posts "for the purposes of an organised religion" include ministers of religion and posts that exist to promote, represent or explain the doctrines of the religion	-21
4	25/01/2010	Equality Bill	To remove the definition of "for the purposes of organised religion" as posts which involve leading or assisting in the observance of religious practices, or promoting or explaining the doctrine of the religion	-5
5	08/02/2010	Bribery Bill	To require prior ministerial authorisation for bribery by the intelligence services and Armed Forces, rather than to make a statutory defence for bribery available to them after the event	-36
6	03/03/2010	Digital Economy Bill	To allow the High Court to grant an injunction requiring ISPs to block access to sites which host infringing material	-25
7	03/03/2010	Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 Order 2010	To call upon the government to introduce primary legislation to limit control orders to a year	-7
8	10/03/2010	Financial Services Bill	To require the Council for Financial Stability to deliver the report on the structure of the UK financial system, and the Treasury to lay it before Parliament, within six months	-10
9	10/03/2010	Royal Parks and Other Open Spaces Regulations 2010	To regret that the regulations, which include parking charges for Royal Parks, have been laid before Parliament despite public opposition, and to call upon the government to replace them with regulations without the parking charges	-65
10	17/03/2010	Personal Care at Home Bill	To prevent regulations being made for free care at home until after April 2011	-81
11	17/03/2010	Personal Care at Home Bill	To prevent the Act coming into force until a commencement order has been approved by both Houses of Parliament	-67
12	17/03/2010	Personal Care at Home Bill	To prevent the Act coming into force until the Secretary of State has commissioned an independent review of the affordability of the provisions and laid its report before both Houses of Parliament	-51
13	17/03/2010	Personal Care at Home Bill	To insert a 'sunset clause' that stops the Act having effect two years after it is passed	-13
14	22/03/2010	Norwich and Norfolk (Structural Changes) Order 2010	To regret that the regulations, which establish a unitary council in Norwich, do not comply with the government’s affordability criteria and to call upon the government not to proceed before consulting with local residents	-58

2008-2009

The UK government was defeated 25 times in the House of Lords during the parliamentary session of 2008-09. Below is an overview of these defeats, listed in chronological order. Click within the grid for more detail about a particular defeat.

Defeat no	Date	Bill	Subject	Majority
1	03/02/09	Banking Bill	To insert a clause requiring the Treasury to report to Parliament on a quarterly basis detailing financial assistance, guarantees, indemnities or arrangements provided to banks or financial institutions	-35
2	18/03/09	Non-Domestic Rating Regulations 2009	To move to regret that the regulations, which give port companies more time to pay retrospective non-domestic rates liability, will not prevent several port companies from becoming insolvent	-8
3	25/03/09	Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill [HL]	To insert a clause specifying that the new citizenship requirements in Part 2 of the bill will not apply to those who have already submitted applications for citizenship or indefinite leave to remain, or for limited leave to remain in the past 12 months	-61
4	01/04/09	Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill [HL]	To remove a clause which introduces powers to control travel within "the common travel area"	-86
5	01/04/09	Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill [HL]	To insert a clause removing powers to place immigration controls on the land border in “the common travel area”	-84
6	01/04/09	Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill [HL]	To ensure that the Administrative Court has discretion to decide whether an application refers to a fresh claim, and to remove the power of the Lord Chancellor to restrict the grounds for appeals from the Upper Tribunal in immigration cases	-57
7	28/04/09	Health Bill [HL]	To insert a clause incorporating provision for making changes to the NHS Constitution into the Bill in order to give Parliament a role in determining the principles of the NHS Constitution.	-4
8	05/05/09	Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]	To require a marine plan authority for where a marine policy statement governs marine planning for the region.	-2
9	12/05/09	Health Bill [HL]	To insert a clause allowing the Secretary of State to make regulations to permit exceptions to the rules governing the private patient income cap for NHS foundation trusts	-58
10	08/06/09	Business Rate Supplements Bill	To require that a ballot of businesses to approve levying a business rate supplement (BRS) is held before all projects to be funded by a BRS	-7
11	09/06/09	Business Rate Supplements Bill	To prevent the business rate supplement from being imposed retrospectively on ratepayers through an alteration that was not due to an error on their part	-60
12	15/06/09	Political Parties and Elections Bill	To require that prior approval has been obtained from a magistrate before the Electoral Commission can exercise its powers to enter premises and inspect documents of political parties	-47
13	15/06/09	Political Parties and Elections Bill	To require that donors to political parties are resident in the United Kingdom for the purposes of the Income Tax Act 2007 and are not non-domiciled UK residents	-22
14	16/06/09	Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill	To insert a clause clarifying the definition of 'apprenticeship' as including an agreement with an employer, a mixture of on- and off-the job learning, and training designed to lead to a recognised level of proficiency in a trade, profession or occupation	-23
15	09/07/09	Coroners and Justice Bill	To not agree a clause removing the provision for the "free speech" defence in homophobic hatred cases	-53
16	13/07/09	Coroners and Justice Bill	To insert a clause requiring the Secretary of State to appoint an Independent Commissioner to monitor the detention and treatment of terrorist suspects including extensions of detention periods.	-42
17	13/07/09	Various Identity Cards Act Regulations 2009	To move to regret the government's decision to proceed with Identity Cards regulations before the case for them has been put to the British people at a general election	-59
18	16/07/09	Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill	To insert a clause requiring authorities to carry out an assessment of and record those who cannot read when they enter youth detention, and those who cannot read when they leave youth detention.	-8
19	14/10/09	Non-Domestic Rating (Deferred Payments)	To move to regret that the regulations, which establish a deferred payments scheme for businesses to spread the increase in their business rates, do not remove the retrospective application of non-domestic rates for port-side operators	-6
20	21/10/09	Coroners and Justice Bill	To require coroners to inform the Chief Coroner if investigations are likely to take more than 12 months, and to require the Chief Coroner to monitor prolonged investigations	-54
21	21/10/09	Coroners and Justice Bill	To insert a clause making intercept evidence admissible in inquests, so that certain deaths can be dealt within the coronial system instead of through private inquiries	-30
22	22/10/09	Welfare Reform Bill	To exempt single parents of children under five from financial sanctions under the back-to-work path through work-related activity plans	-6
23	26/10/09	Coroners and Justice Bill	To make a deputy chief coroner responsible for overseeing military inquests and for providing specialist training to coroners conducting them	-26
24	26/10/09	Coroners and Justice Bill	To not make sexual infidelity an exception to the qualifying triggers for the loss of control defence to murder	-15
25	11/11/09	Coroners and Justice Bill	To insist to not repeal the provision for the "free speech" defence in homophobic hatred cases.	-44

2007-2008

The UK government was defeated 29 times in the House of Lords during the parliamentary session of 2007-08. Below is an overview of these defeats, listed in chronological order. Click within the grid for more detail about a particular defeat.

Defeat no	Date	Bill	Subject	Majority
1	29/01/08	Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Bill [HL]	To allow all building societies to transfer funds to a charity that will apply them in the local area where the building society operates	-55
2	29/01/08	Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Bill [HL]	To add a clause on parliamentary accountability requiring the Treasury to lay any directions issued to a reclaim fund before parliament, and similarly any accounts or report from a reclaim fund	-60
3	29/01/08	Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Bill [HL]	To specify that a bank or building society "must use its knowledge of its accounts, its account holders and any other relevant matters in determining whether an account is dormant".	-36
4	29/01/08	Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Bill [HL]	To add a new clause requiring the Treasury to lay a triennial report before parliament on the operation of the dormant account arrangements and specifying what action it proposes to take if any arrangement proves unsatisfactory	-34
5	21/02/08	Banking (Special Provisions) Bill	To require that the body taking over a bank or building society be subject to an independent audit commissioned by, and reporting to, the Bank of England within three months of the date of the take-over, and annually thereafter	-12
6	21/02/08	Banking (Special Provisions) Bill	To require any nationalised bank or building society to comply with the Freedom of Information Act 2000	-31
7	21/02/08	Banking (Special Provisions) Bill	To require the OFT to report annually to parliament on the impact of the activities of the body taking over bank/building society on the competitiveness of the UK market and to do so immediately if it identifies a significant adverse effect	-21
8	25/02/08	Climate Change Bill [HL]	To ensure that UK emissions of greenhouse gases do not exceed the level necessary to contribute to raising the global average temperature to more than 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels	-10
9	04/03/08	Climate Change Bill [HL]	To require the Prime Minister, rather than a Secretary of State, to be directly responsible for driving the climate change policy agenda across government departments	-51
10	04/03/08	Climate Change Bill [HL]	To insert a clause that requires all passenger travel, and all imports and exports to/from the UK, to be included in the calculation of UK carbon emissions and in the targets for their reduction	-49
11	11/03/08	Climate Change Bill [HL]	To insert a clause requiring 70% of the efforts to decarbonise the UK economy to be made within the UK itself rather than through the balancing of international carbon credits	-32
12	11/03/08	Climate Change Bill [HL]	To require the Climate Change Committee to establish an Adaptation Sub-Committee consisting of experts in climate change adaptation appointed by the Secretary of State	-23
13	17/03/08	Children and Young Persons Bill [HL]	To insert a clause to place a duty on the Border and Immigration Agency to safeguard the welfare of the children who pass through its care	-54
14	02/04/08	Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill	To leave out Clause 10 which prevents magistrates’ courts ordering suspended custodial sentences for summary offences	-41
15	21/04/08	Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill	To limit the powers of non-legally qualified Crown Prosecution Service employees to summary offences which do not carry a term of imprisonment and to require these employees to be subject to an approved regulator	-70
16	21/04/08	Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill	To insert a freedom of expression clause which asserts that the discussion or criticism of sexual conduct or practices shall not in itself be deemed threatening or intending to incite hatred	-24
17	23/04/08	Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill	To insert a clause amending provisions in the Data Protection Act to add sanctions for the reckless, intentional or repeatedly negligent disclosure of information contained in personal data to another person	-4
18	23/04/08	Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill	To require the government to insert in the bill a completely exhaustive list of the implications of receiving a Violent Offender Order, detailing the boundary between civil preventive orders and criminal punishment	-11
19	30/04/08	Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill	To insert a clause requiring the Government to bring the matter of Prison Service and Police pay before parliament if they are not intending to accept the recommendations of the independent review body	-81
20	07/05/08	Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill	To insist on an earlier amendment to remove the power of magistrates to give suspended sentence orders for minor offences	-76
21	07/05/08	Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill	To insist on the insertion of a freedom of expression clause which asserts that the discussion or criticism of sexual conduct or practices shall not be deemed in itself to be threatening or intending to incite hatred	-14
22	23/06/08	Pensions Bill	To remove flexibility from the Secretary of State in setting the earnings band, to ensure that it is increased in line with earnings	-3
23	02/07/08	National Insurance Contributions Bill	To limit the government's ability to increase the National Insurance upper earnings limit without further primary legislation	-56
24	02/07/08	Pensions Bill	To require that the Secretary of State "shall", not “may”, establish a personal accounts pension scheme	-3
25	13/10/08	Counter-Terrorism Bill	To insert a clause to clarify, for the avoidance of doubt, that the Act does not allow the Secretary of State to extend the maximum period of pre-charge detention beyond 28 days.	-191
26	04/11/08	Counter-Terrorism Bill	To insert a clause requiring the Secretary of State to publish national guidelines for government agencies establishing procedures for people to find out what fingerprint and sample data is held on them and request that this data is destroyed	-11
27	11/11/08	Counter-Terrorism Bill	To insert a clause to allow a High Court judge acting in capacity as a coroner to have access to intercept evidence in inquests	-3
28	12/11/08	Planning Bill	To insert a clause to require the exercise of planning functions to have regard to the desirability of preserving gardens and urban green spaces, and to ensure that housing targets do not override the protection or preservation of gardens	-7
29	18/11/08	Planning Bill	To delay Community Infrastructure Levy legislation for 60 days and to give both Houses of Parliament the power to approve the regulations rather than just the House of Commons	-3

2006-2007

The UK government was defeated 45 times in the House of Lords during the parliamentary session of 2006-07. Below is an overview of these defeats, listed in chronological order. Click within the grid for more detail about a particular defeat.

Defeat no	Date	Bill	Subject	Majority
1	10/01/2007	Mental Health Bill [HL]	To insert a clause stating that before being subjected to compulsory treatment it should be a requirement that a patient's mental disorder means their 'ability to make decisions about the provision of medical treatment is significantly impaired'.	-106
2	05/02/2007	Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill	To extend the provisions of the bill so that it is applicable to those who are held in police custody.	-96
3	19/02/2007	Mental Health Bill [HL]	To insert provisions to ensure that a person shall not be considered to have a mental disorder on the grounds of substance abuse, sexual identity or orientation, commission or likely commission of illegal or disorderly acts or cultural/religious beliefs.	-88
4	19/02/2007	Mental Health Bill [HL]	To require that individuals suffering from a mental health disorder cannot be compulsorily detained unless the action is "likely to alleviate or prevent a deterioration in his condition".	-71
5	19/02/2007	Mental Health Bill [HL]	To insert a clause 'Renewal of Detention' to ensure that in the renewal of detention or community orders, a fully qualified medical practitioner is involved in the decision-making process.	-39
6	26/02/2007	Mental Health Bill [HL]	To insert a new clause 'Children and Young People' requiring that a clinician with specialist training in child/adolescent mental health shall assess the needs of the child.	-75
7	26/02/2007	Mental Health Bill [HL]	To require that under community treatment orders, if the responsible clinician is not a medical practitioner then they will ensure that the patient is examined by a registed medical practitioner.	-33
8	27/02/2007	Further Education and Training Bill [HL]	To delete a clause allowing the Learning and Skills Council in England and Wales to intervene in the running of further education institutions.	-52
9	19/03/2007	Welfare Reform Bill	To require the Secretary of State to lay an independent report before Parliament on the operation of the new assessments of capacity to work annually for the first five years after these sections come into effect.	-14
10	20/03/2007	Fraud (Trials Without a Jury) Bill	To postpone the second reading of the bill until six months' time.	-73
11	28/03/2007	Gambling (Geographical Distribution of Casino Premises Licenses) Order	To not approve the order, which proposed to site a regional "supercasino" in Manchester, plus eight large and eight small casinos at other locations.	-3
12	16/04/2007	Legal Services Bill [HL]	To require that the appointment of the Chairman of the Legal Services board is made with the concurrence of the Lord Chief Justice, rather than by the Secretary of State alone	-41
13	18/04/2007	Legal Services Bill [HL]	To raise the threshold for when the Legal Services Board can take action against approved regulators.	-52
14	18/04/2007	Legal Services Bill [HL]	To require that any statement of policy issued by the Legal Services Board must respect that the primary responsibility for regulation lies with the approved regulators.	-39
15	24/04/2007	Statistics and Registration Service Bill	To replace the Treasury's role in relation to the Statistics Board with that of the Cabinet Office.	-56
16	25/04/2007	Serious Crime Bill [HL]	To insert a new clause: 'Involvement in Serious Crime: Evidence' allowing the admissibility of intercept evidence in court.	-62
17	30/04/2007	Serious Crime Bill [HL]	To insert a new clause: 'Other measures to disrupt serious crime'. If a police officer has reason to believe that a person or persons are carrying firearms he may arrange for the area to be sealed off and searched (people and vehicles).	-47
18	02/05/2007	Statistics and Registration Service Bill	To require that the Statistics Board monitors the arrangements for the release of government statistics.	-63
19	08/05/2007	Legal Services Bill [HL]	To not require that an authorised person under the Bill pay the Office of Legal Complaints for the costs of handling a complaint when the complaint is unfounded and the person has handled the matter properly.	-56
20	08/04/2007	Legal Services Bill [HL]	To insert a new clause: 'Handling of Complaints by approved Regulator' to allow for the delegation of complaints handling to an approved regulator by a direction of the Legal Services Board.	-50
21	15/05/2007	Legal Services Bill [HL]	To require that an investigation takes place into the impact (on justice) of alternative business structures.	-68
22	22/05/2007	Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill	To insist on previous amendment to extend the provisions of the bill so that it is applicable to those who are held in police custody.	-91
23	23/05/2007	Offender Management Bill	To require that contracted-out providers of probation services ensure that there is no conflict of interest between the services they provide and their own financial interests, particularly with respect to advice given to the courts.	-20
24	05/06/2007	Offender Management Bill	To require that the establishment of probation trusts cannot be made unless a draft resolution is approved by each House.	-14
25	05/06/2007	Offender Management Bill	To require that probation trusts' membership must include "a magistrate for the area in which the probation trust carries out its functions" and a local councillor for the same area.	-4
26	06/06/2007	Pensions Bill	To insert a new clause 'Minimum Retirement Income': this will allow the minimum retirement income to be set by the Chancellor, but only after consultation with "appropriate" people and before 31st January of the tax year to which it applies.	-5
27	06/06/2007	Pensions Bill	To insert a new clause: 'Financial Assistance Scheme: Scheme Manager' which will set up a 'lifeboat' fund to enable the financial assistance scheme to compensate pensioners whose retirement savings are lost through occupational schemes.	-55
28	11/06/2007	Offender Management Bill	To insert a new clause 'Procedure for Orders Under Section 12' which would require the Secretary of State to publish a report before contracting offender management tasks.	-50
29	19/06/2007	Greater London Authority Bill	To limit the mayor of London to two terms of office.	-18
30	19/06/2007	Greater London Authority Bill	To require that any amendment to the Mayor's budget would not need a 2/3 majority (simple majority instead).	-7
31	25/06/2007	Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill	To insist for a second time on a previous amendment to extend the provisions of the bill so that it is applicable to those who are held in police custody.	-38
32	27/06/2007	Offender Management Bill	To remove the power to make arrangements for the provision of probation services from the Secretary of State and give it to local probation boards and probation trusts.	-42
33	03/07/2007	Offender Management Bill	To require that within 6 months of the Bill's commencement, the Secretary of State will lay a report before both Houses reviewing proposals from the 2003 'Managing Offenders' report before exercising powers.	-55
34	04/07/2007	Pensions Bill	To require that from 1st November 2007 or the commencement of the bill (whichever comes first) men and women can buy an extra nine 'qualifying years' for their state pension.	-93
35	09/07/2007	Statistics and Registration Services Bill	To insist on previous amendment to replace the Treasury's role in relation to the Statistics Board with that of the Cabinet Office but with a commitment to consult the board on the prerelease of statistics	-30
36	09/07/2007	Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill	To insist for a third time on previous amendment to extend the provisions of the bill so that it is applicable to those who are held in police custody.	-38
37	11/07/2007	Pensions Bill	To add a clause specifying that the Act will be subject to post-legislative scrutiny four years after it is passed.	-3
38	17/07/2007	Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill	To insist for a fourth time on previous amendment to extend the provisions of the bill so that it is applicable to those who are held in police custody.	-29
39	18/07/2007	Home Information Pack (No. 2) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/1667) and the Housing Act 2004 (Commencement No. 8) (England and Wales) Order 2007	To call on the government to annul these two Orders on Home Information Packs (non-fatal motion).	-26
40	24/07/2007	Pensions Bill	To insist to add a clause specifying that the Act will be subject to post-legislative scrutiny four years after it is passed.	-43
41	25/07/2007	Further Education and Training Bill [HL]	To insist to delete a clause allowing the Learning and Skills Council in England and Wales to intervene in the running of further education institutions.	-2
42	10/10/2007	Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill	To remove a provision allowing for an "elected executive" in local government in England, comprising an elected leader and two or more other persons elected to the executive.	-43
43	17/10/2007	Legal Services Bill [HL]	To specify that an exemption for legal services provided by trade unions is limited to matters directly related to employment in a workplace where the union is represented.	-37
44	17/10/2007	Legal Services Bill [HL]	To insist to raise the threshold for when the Legal Services Board can take action against approved regulators.	-42
45	17/10/2007	Legal Services Bill [HL]	To insist to require that the appointment of the Chairman of the Legal Services board is made with the concurrence of the Lord Chief Justice, rather than by the Secretary of State alone.	-23

2005-2006

The UK government was defeated 61 times in the House of Lords during the parliamentary session of 2005-06. Below is an overview of these defeats, listed in chronological order. Click within the grid for more detail about a particular defeat.

Defeat no	Date	Bill	Subject	Majority
1	12/10/2005	Charities Bill	To ensure the independence of the Charity Commission so that terms and conditions of staff, do not require the approval of the Secretary of State.	-32
2	17/10/2005	Criminal Defence Service Bill [HL]	To remove exemptions from receiving legal aid.	-8
3	25/10/2005	Racial and Religious Hatred Bill	To restrict the grounds on which incitement to religious hatred could be applied.	-149
4	09/11/2005	Equality Bill [HL]	To remove a clause stipulating that harrasment occurs where an individual's dignity is violated or if a hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive atmosphere is created on the grounds of religion or belief.	-90
5	14/11/2005	Licensing Act 2003, Order 2005	To ask the government to remove the order so that it may be considered instead on 30 June 2006 allowing more time to address public concerns about its effects.	-33
6	16/11/2005	Identity Cards Bill	To require that only people or organisations "who reasonably require proof" should be entitled to ask for verification of identity.	-14
7	22/11/2005	Road Safety Bill [HL]	To insert a clause enabling local authorities to ringfence the spending of money received from speeding fines on local road safety measures.	-41
8	22/11/2005	Road Safety Bill [HL]	To insert a clause requiring the government to ensure that new heavy goods vehicles should be fitted with retroreflective tape.	-17
9	29/11/2005	Road Safety Bill [HL]	To remove a clause requiring the compulsory surrender of old form driving licenses.	-8
10	29/11/2005	Road Safety Bill [HL]	To insert a clause ensuring that where there is a proposed development to alter/introduce level crossings, that the local planning authority is required to consult with the Secretary of State, rail safety authority and operator of the network.	-29
11	10/01/2006	Road Safety Bill [HL]	To remove provision criminalising 'careless driving'.	-6
12	16/01/2006	Identity Cards Bill	To require that the bill cannot come into effect until a report has been conducted into the costs and benefits of the scheme.	-81
13	16/01/2006	Identity Cards Bill	To ensure that the same characteristics of security and reliability for the ascertainment and verification of registrable facts should apply to the recording and storage of the registrable facts.	-62
14	16/01/2006	Identity Cards Bill	To require that one of the criteria defining the "public interest" (justifying the national identity register) is to prevent illegal and fraudulent acts.	-53
15	17/01/2006	Terrorism Bill	To amend government proposals criminalising the distribution of terrorist publications so that the individual commits an offence if he/she "directly or indirectly" encourages acts of terrorism.	-100
16	17/01/2006	Terrorism Bill	To omit a clause criminalising the "glorification" of terrorism.	-126
17	23/01/2006	Identity Cards Bill	To require that an individual "may" not "must" apply to enter onto the National Register and obtain an ID card when applying/renewing a passport.	-44
18	23/01/2006	Identity Cards Bill	To omit the "Power of Secretary of State to require Registration" clause from the Bill so that in order to make the scheme compulsory, primary legislation would need to be introduced.	-58
19	30/01/2006	Identity Cards Bill	To require that the Information Commissioner is appointed by the crown "on the recommendation of the Secretary of State" as opposed to the Secretary of State alone.	-17
20	30/01/2006	Identity Cards Bill	To require that the Information Commissioner reports directly to Parliament rather than the Secretary of State.	-6
21	01/02/2006	Terrorism Bill	To require judicial oversight in issuing notices ordering internet service providers to remove offending material ("unlawfully terrorism-related") within 2 days.	-1
22	15/02/2006	NHS Redress Bill [HL]	To confine redress investigations to "investigation of the facts of cases and not to consider the issues of liability in tort".	-1
23	28/02/2006	Terrorism Bill	To remove all references to "glorification" from the Bill.	-4
24	06/03/2006	Identity Cards Bill	To insist to require that an individual "may" not "must" apply to enter onto the National Register and obtain an ID card when applying for or renewing a passport.	-61
25	07/03/2006	Compensation Bill [HL]	To insert a clause stipulating that "an apology, an offer of treatment or other redress" will not intrinsically amount to an admission of negligence or breach of statutory duty.	-13
26	08/03/2006	Civil Aviation Bill	To ensure that large aerodrome operators shall (not "may") have a duty to monitor noise and to fix charges in respect of aircraft which exceed noise limits.	-13
27	08/03/2006	Civil Aviation Bill	To ensure that night aircraft noise is controlled by a combination of a movements limit and a noise quota system (rather than only the latter).	-40
28	15/03/2006	Identity Cards Bill	To insist for the second time to require that an individual "may" not "must" apply to enter onto the National Register and obtain an ID card when applying for or renewing a passport.	-35
29	20/03/2006	Identity Cards Bill	To insist for the third time to require that an individual "may" not "must" apply to enter onto the National Register and obtain an ID card when applying for or renewing a passport but only until 2011.	-36
30	28/03/2006	Identity Cards Bill	To require that until 2010, anyone applying for a passport, can opt to have their name entered in the register and obtain an ID card unless they state that they do not wish to apply.	-28
31	19/04/2006	Government of Wales Bill	To remove subsections preventing constituency members from standing in regional lists and vice-versa.	-19
32	24/04/2006	National Lottery Bill	To remove the power of the Secretary of State to "prescribe" how the whole of the 50% of lottery distribution (going to the Big Lottery Fund) should be spent.	-2
33	09/05/2006	Company Law Reform Bill [HL]	To require all companies trading on a regulated market to give members the right to receive information such as annual/interim accounts, notice of meetings and the ability to exercise a vote on the shares they own.	-7
34	10/05/2006	Company Law Reform Bill [HL]	To require that an independent examiner, rather than an accountant, fulfil the audit requirements.	-22
35*	10/05/2006	Company Law Reform Bill [HL]	To require that an independent commissioner decides if it is in the public interest that certain information may be disclosed.	-6
36	17/05/2006	Violent Crime Reduction Bill	To require that a local authority may not make an order designating a locality as an alcohol disorder zone if an action plan is being put into effect.	-4
37	23/05/2006	Company Law Reform Bill [HL]	To require that the Freedom of Information Act applies to the Independent Supervisor, who supervises the performance of each Auditor General in his/her capacity as a statutory auditor.	-22
38	23/05/2006	Company Law Reform Bill [HL]	To omit a clause allowing the public disclosure of information on the exercise of voting rights within a company.	-6
39	07/06/2006	Electoral Administration Bill	To insert a clause requiring a signature and date of birth to be included in all voters' registration and not only in that of postal voters.	-23
40	20/06/2006	Electoral Administration Bill	To insist on previous amendment to insert a clause requiring a signature and date of birth to be included in all voters' registration, but substituting "chief electoral officer" for "electoral registration officer".	-9
41	20/06/2006	Police and Justice Bill	To insert a clause ensuring that the Secretary of State cannot merge police forces without the consent of the relevant police authorities.	-68
42	27/06/2006	Government of Wales Bill	To require that the 4 Assembly members to sit on the Assembly Commission do not belong to the same political party.	-61
43	27/06/2006	Government of Wales Bill	To require that standing orders apportioning members to committees and sub-committees, must have regard to "the balance of political parties represented in the Assembly".	-50
44	27/06/2006	Government of Wales Bill	To rename the Audit Committee the "Accounts Committee".	-28
45	28/06/2006	Civil Aviation Bill	To insist on previous amendment to ensure that large aerodrome operators shall (not "may") have a duty to monitor noise and to fix charges in respect of aircraft which exceed noise limits.	-28
46	28/06/2006	Civil Aviation Bill	To insist on previous amendment to ensure that night aircraft noise is controlled by a combination of a movements limit and a noise quota system (not just the latter).	-57
47	11/07/2006	Police and Justice Bill	To remove the US from being granted a lower threshold of evidence in order to extradite until the Treaty has been ratified.	-102
48	11/07/2006	Police and Justice Bill	To insert that the 'forum rules' (from the 1957 European Convention on Terrorism) are incorporated: judges shall not order the extradition of a person if an act was partly committed in the UK unless in the interests of justice.	-83
49	13/07/2006	Government of Wales Bill	To require that Orders in Council can only have retrospective effect where it is "not to the detriment of those who have either benefited from or acted in reliance upon the state of the law before the retrospective Order is made".	-4
50	13/07/2006	Government of Wales Bill	To remove a subsection allowing the Secretary of State to veto the Assembly's request for a referendum.	-37
51	13/07/2006	Northern Ireland (Misc. Provisions) Bill	To remove a clause that would allow the acceptance of political donations from anybody holding Irish citizenship (outside of Northern Ireland).	-37
52	13/07/2006	Northern Ireland (Misc. Provisions)	To insert a clause introducing new scrutiny measures for Orders in Council: a draft must be laid before each House of Parliament for approval and may suggest and make amendments.	-35
53	09/10/2006	Police and Justice Bill	To remove clauses giving the Secretary of State the power to direct if a police force is failing (given the absence of any objective judgment of failure).	-19
54	10/10/2006	Police and Justice Bill	To delete a clause that reforms conditional cautions to allow punishments, including fines, to be part of the conditions.	-61
55	10/10/2006	Police and Justice Bill	To insist that the Freedom of Information Act should apply to the new oversight bodies created under the bill.	-113
56	25/10/2006	NHS Redress Bill [HL]	To require that investigations under the redress scheme must be conducted "in accordance with natural justice [so] the person overseeing the investigation is independent of the body … underinvestigation" and to insist that it be "confined to the facts".	-16
57	01/11/2006	Police and Justice Bill	To insist to remove the US from being granted a lower threshold of evidence in order to extradite until the Treaty has been ratified.	-37
58	01/11/2006	Police and Justice Bill	To insist to insert that the 'forum rules' (from the 1957 European Convention on Terrorism) are incorporated: judges shall not order the extradition of a person if an act was partly committed in the UK unless in the interests of justice.	-33
59	01/11/2006	Road Safety Bill [HL]	To insist to insert a clause at the beginning of the bill enabling local authorities to ringfence the spending of money (received from speeding fines) on local road safety measures.	-28
60	01/11/2006	Road Safety Bill [HL]	To insist to insert a clause requiring the government to ensure that new heavy goods vehicles should be fitted with retro-reflective tape but that the government should make regulations by 31st December 2007.	-16
61	01/11/2006	Road Safety Bill [HL]	To insist to remove provision criminalising 'careless driving'.	-15
62	02/11/2006	Companies Bill [HL]	To insist that the Freedom of Information Act should apply to the new oversight bodies created under the bill.	-12

NEWS

Lords Defeat Poses Challenge to Cameron on Peerage Appointments Constitution Unit blog (Feb 13)
The difficulty of Lords reform: Meg Russell appears on Newsnight (Apr 12)
Press release: Lords reform referendum unavoidable, says Constitution Unit (Apr 12)
Another voter registration retreat in the offing? politics.co.uk (Feb 12)
The Perils of Lords reform: interview with Mark Harper and Meg Russell politics.co.uk (Jan 12)
Meg Russell interview on the accelerating pace of Lords reform for the ESRC's annual magazine, Britain in 2012
Meg Russell’s oral evidence to the Joint Committee on the Draft House of Lords Reform Bill (Oct 11)