The
House of Lords is the second chamber of the U.K.
Houses of Parliament. Members of the House of Lords
(known as 'peers') consist of Lords Spiritual (senior
bishops) and Lords Temporal (lay peers). Law Lords
(senior judges) also sit as Lords Temporal. Members
of the House of Lords are not elected. Originally,
they were drawn from the various groups of senior
and influential nobility in Britain, who advised
the monarch throughout the country's early history.
Role of the House of Lords
In general, the functions of the House of Lords
are similar to those of the House of Commons in
legislating, debating and questioning the executive.
There are two important exceptions: members of the
Lords do not represent constituencies, and are not
involved in matters of taxation and finance. The
role of the Lords is generally recognised to be
complementary to that of the Commons and it acts
as a revising chamber for many of the more important
and controversial bills.
All bills go through both Houses before becoming
Acts, and may start in either House. Normally, the
consent of the Lords is required before Acts of
Parliament can be passed, and the Lords can amend
all legislation, with the exception of bills to
raise taxation, long seen as the responsibility
of the Commons. Amendments have to be agreed to
by both Houses. The House of Lords is as active
as the Commons in amending bills, and spends two-thirds
of its time revising legislation.
Following the Lords' rejection of the Liberal Government's
budget of 1909, the Parliament Act of 1911 ended
their power to reject legislation. A power of delay
was substituted, which was further curtailed by
the Parliament Act of 1949. The House of Commons
can present a bill (except one to prolong the life
of Parliament) for Royal Assent after one year and
in a new session even if the Lords have not given
their agreement. There is also a convention (known
as the 'Salisbury' convention) that the Government's
manifesto commitments, in the form of Government
Bills, are not voted down by the House of Lords
at second reading.
The House of Lords is also the final court of appeal
for civil cases in the United Kingdom and for criminal
cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Only
the Lords of Appeal (Law Lords) - of whom there
are 12 employed full-time - take part in judicial
proceedings.
Organisation of the House of Lords
The Speaker of the House of Lords is the Lord Chancellor.
The Lord Chancellor's powers as Speaker are very
limited compared with those of the Speaker of the
House of Commons, since the Lords themselves control
the proceedings under the guidance of the Leader
of the House. Lords business is expected to be conducted
in an orderly and polite fashion without the need
for an active Speaker. The Lord Chancellor sits
on a special seat called the Woolsack except when
the House is in committee, but does not call upon
members to speak and has no powers to call the House
to order.
There are also a number of other office holders
in the House of Lords. These include government
ministers and whips, the Leader and Chief Whip of
the main opposition party, and two Chairmen of Committees.
The Leader of the House occupies a special position
in the House of Lords: as well as leading the party
in government he has a responsibility to the House
as a whole. It is to him, and not the Lord Chancellor,
that members turn for advice and leadership on points
of order and procedure.
These office holders and officers, together with
the Law Lords, receive salaries. All other members
of the House of Lords are unpaid, but they are entitled
to reimbursement of their expenses, within maximum
limits for each day on which they attend the House.
The Clerk of the Parliaments, a role like that of
a chief executive, is head of the administration.
The Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod has ceremonial
and royal duties and is in charge of security, access
and domestic matters.
Members of the House of Lords are not elected and,
with the exception of bishops who leave the House
on retirement, they retain their seats for life.
Sitting Hours and Attendance
The
hours of business in the House of Lords chamber
are generally:
-
Mondays,
Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 2:30pm
-
Thursdays
from 3:00pm
-
some
Fridays, from 11:00am
The
House usually sits until 10:00 - 11:00pm, occasionally
much later and sometimes all night. Attendance
averages at about 350-450 peers each day.
Select
Committee work takes place outside the chamber
in the mornings and the afternoons.
Like
the Commons, the Lords have breaks at Christmas,
Easter, late Spring Bank Holiday and in the summer.
They usually sit on about 160 days a year. |
