Arrangement of Business

My Lords, on my appointment as Government Chief Whip and Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms in July 2024, I wanted to ensure that noble Lords and the staff of the House are given as much notice as possible of recess dates. Today is a good time to update the House on the planned dates for the Whitsun and Summer Recesses in 2027. There is no need to write these dates down as my office has arranged for notices to be placed in the Royal Gallery and the Printed Paper Office. Your Lordships will also shortly receive an email from me direct to your parliamentary email accounts. Subject to the usual caveat of the progress of business of the House, the current plan for the adjournment of the House is as follows. For the Whitsun Recess, the House will rise at the conclusion of business on Thursday 27 May and return on Monday 7 June. For the Summer Recess, the House will rise at the conclusion of business on Wednesday 28 July and return on Monday 6 September. I have included several additional sitting Fridays in the early parts of next year which are also set out in the notice. I hope that noble Lords find this helpful when planning summer holidays with family and friends. Finally, I place on record my thanks to the staff across the House for their continued professionalism, dedication and support in all the different roles that they undertake for us. I know that this view is shared by all Members across the House.