Senior Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords

The Senior Deputy Speaker is an officer of the House of Lords whose main role is to preside over the House when it is in committee (i.e., considering a bill at committee stage), either in the Lords Chamber or in Grand Committee, which is when committee stage is taken away from the floor to free up debating time in the main Chamber. The Senior Deputy Speaker deputises for the Lord Speaker, and like the Lord Speaker withdraws from political party membership. Additionally, the Senior Deputy Speaker chairs various select committees of the House, and has a role in the administration of the House. The current incumbent, John Gardiner, Lord Gardiner of Kimble, took the office on 11 May 2021. Up until September 2016 the position was known as Chairman of Committees. The Senior Deputy Speaker is assisted by a panel of Deputy Chairmen of Committees. In addition to taking the chair in Committee of the Whole House and Grand Committee, Deputy Chairmen are appointed from time-to-time to serve with the Chairman of Committees on unopposed bill committees, which scrutinise private bills against which no petitions have been lodged. Deputy Chairmen are, by practice, Deputy Speakers. In March 2020, the Lord Speaker, Lord Fowler, announced that, due to the coronavirus pandemic, he would be withdrawing from Westminster and leaving woolsack duties to his deputies. On Monday 23 March the house agreed to a motion that, until 21 July, any member could perform the deputy speakers' functions.