A further 28 Irish members to represent the peerage of Ireland were added in 1801 to the first Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The Church of Ireland did obtain representation in the House of Lords after the union of Ireland and Great Britain in 1801. Of the Church of Ireland's ecclesiastics, four (one archbishop and three bishops) were to sit at any one time, with the members rotating at the end of every parliamentary session (which normally lasted about one year).
A similar provision was enacted when Ireland merged with Great Britain in 1801 to form the United Kingdom; the Irish peers were allowed to elect 28 representatives, who were to retain office for life.
Impeachments, however, are to all intents and purposes obsolete; the last impeachment was that of Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, in 1806. Similarly, the House of Lords was once the court that tried peers charged with high treason or felony.
The House of Lords in British politics and society, 1815–1911 (Longman, 1992). ==External links== Official House of Lords publications website Archives of the House of Lords British House of Lords people from www.C-SPAN.org United Kingdom
Some aristocrats were patrons of numerous "pocket boroughs", and therefore controlled a considerable part of the membership of the House of Commons. When the House of Commons passed a Reform Bill to correct some of these anomalies in 1831, the House of Lords rejected the proposal.
Particularly notable in the development of the Lower House's superiority was the Reform Bill of 1832.
The popular cause of reform, however, was not abandoned by the ministry, despite a second rejection of the bill in 1832.
In 1642, during the few Lords' gatherings convened during English Interregnum which saw periodic war, the Lords Spiritual were excluded altogether, but they returned under the Clergy Act 1661. The number of Lords Spiritual was further restricted by the Bishopric of Manchester Act 1847, and by later Acts.
Archbishops and bishops of Welsh sees in the Church of England originally sat in the House of Lords (after 1847, only if their seniority within the church entitled them to), but the Church in Wales ceased to be a part of the Church of England in 1920 and was simultaneously disestablished in Wales.
A vital reform was effected by the Lords themselves in 1868, when they changed their standing orders to abolish proxy voting, preventing Lords from voting without taking the trouble to attend.
The Church of Ireland, however, was disestablished in 1871, and thereafter ceased to be represented by Lords Spiritual.
The Journals of the House of Lords record only four instances on which the House has ordered the Standing Order to be read since the procedure was invented in 1871. For more serious problems with an individual Lord, the option is available to move "That the noble Lord be no longer heard".
The bulk of the House's judicial business was conducted by the twelve Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, who were specifically appointed for this purpose under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876. The judicial functions could also be exercised by Lords of Appeal (other members of the House who happened to have held high judicial office).
Lords of Appeal in Ordinary were first appointed under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876.
The Journals identify eleven occasions on which this motion has been moved since 1884; four were eventually withdrawn, one was voted down, and six were passed. ===Leave of absence=== In 1958, to counter criticism that some peers only appeared at major decisions in the House and thereby particular votes were swayed, the Standing Orders of the House of Lords were enhanced.
In particular, all prime ministers since 1902 have been members of the lower house.
Over the course of the century the powers of the upper house were further reduced stepwise, culminating in the 20th century with the Parliament Act 1911; the Commons gradually became the stronger House of Parliament. ===20th century=== The status of the House of Lords returned to the forefront of debate after the election of a Liberal Government in 1906.
In 1909 the Chancellor of the Exchequer, David Lloyd George, introduced into the House of Commons the "People's Budget", which proposed a land tax targeting wealthy landowners.
The popular measure, however, was defeated in the heavily Conservative House of Lords. Having made the powers of the House of Lords a primary campaign issue, the Liberals were narrowly re-elected in January 1910.
After a further general election in December 1910, and with a reluctant promise by King George V to create sufficient new Liberal peers to overcome Lords' opposition to the measure if necessary, the Asquith Government secured the passage of a bill to curtail the powers of the House of Lords.
Over the course of the century the powers of the upper house were further reduced stepwise, culminating in the 20th century with the Parliament Act 1911; the Commons gradually became the stronger House of Parliament. ===20th century=== The status of the House of Lords returned to the forefront of debate after the election of a Liberal Government in 1906.
The Parliament Act 1911 effectively abolished the power of the House of Lords to reject legislation, or to amend it in a way unacceptable to the House of Commons: most bills could be delayed for no more than three parliamentary sessions or two calendar years.
The House of Lords 1911–2011: a century of non-reform (Bloomsbury, 2014). Close, David H.
"The Collapse of Resistance to Democracy: Conservatives, Adult Suffrage, and Second Chamber Reform, 1911–1928." Historical Journal 20.4 (1977): 893–918.
House of Lords reform since 1911: Must the Lords go? (Springer, 2011). Jones, Clyve, and David L.
After a campaign stretching back in some cases to the 1920s, another twelve women who held hereditary peerages in their own right were admitted by the Peerage Act 1963. ====New Labour Era==== The Labour Party included in its 1997 general election manifesto a commitment to remove the hereditary peerage from the House of Lords.
Archbishops and bishops of Welsh sees in the Church of England originally sat in the House of Lords (after 1847, only if their seniority within the church entitled them to), but the Church in Wales ceased to be a part of the Church of England in 1920 and was simultaneously disestablished in Wales.
Elections for Irish representatives ended in 1922, when most of Ireland became an independent state; elections for Scottish representatives ended with the passage of the Peerage Act 1963, under which all Scottish peers obtained seats in the Upper House. In 1999, the Labour government brought forward the House of Lords Act removing the right of several hundred hereditary peers to sit in the House.
One of these was Irene Curzon, 2nd Baroness Ravensdale, who had inherited her father's peerage in 1925 and was made a life peer to enable her to sit.
Since the passage of the House of Lords Act 1999, hereditary peeresses remain eligible for election to the Upper House; until her resignation on 1 May 2020, there was one (Margaret of Mar, 31st Countess of Mar) among the 90 hereditary peers who continue to sit. ====Cash for Peerages==== The Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925 made it illegal for a peerage, or other honour, to be bought or sold.
An illustrative dramatisation circa 1928 of a trial of a peer (the fictional Duke of Denver) on a charge of murder (a felony) is portrayed in the 1972 BBC Television adaption of Dorothy L.
The last such trial in the House was of Edward Russell, 26th Baron de Clifford, in 1935.
In 1948, the right of peers to be tried in such special courts was abolished; now, they are tried in the regular courts.
The nationality restrictions were previously more stringent: under the Act of Settlement 1701, and prior to the British Nationality Act 1948, only natural-born subjects qualified. Additionally, some bankruptcy-related restrictions apply to members of the Upper House.
The Parliament Act 1949 reduced the delaying power of the House of Lords further to two sessions or one year.
From about 850 peers in 1951/52, the size further rose with the increasing numbers of life peers after the Life Peerages Act 1958 and the inclusion of all Scottish peers and the first female peers in the Peerage Act 1963.
In 1958 the predominantly hereditary nature of the House of Lords was changed by the Life Peerages Act 1958, which authorised the creation of life baronies, with no numerical limits.
In 1990 he wrote a further booklet for the Monday Club entitled The Preservation of the House of Lords. ===Lords reform=== ====First admission of women==== There were no women sitting in the House of Lords until 1958, when a small number came into the chamber as a result of the Life Peerages Act 1958.
From about 850 peers in 1951/52, the size further rose with the increasing numbers of life peers after the Life Peerages Act 1958 and the inclusion of all Scottish peers and the first female peers in the Peerage Act 1963.
Life peerages rank only as barons or baronesses, and are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958.
Note that an individual serving a prison sentence for an offence other than high treason is not automatically disqualified. Women were excluded from the House of Lords until the Life Peerages Act 1958, passed to address the declining number of active members, made possible the creation of peerages for life.
The Journals identify eleven occasions on which this motion has been moved since 1884; four were eventually withdrawn, one was voted down, and six were passed. ===Leave of absence=== In 1958, to counter criticism that some peers only appeared at major decisions in the House and thereby particular votes were swayed, the Standing Orders of the House of Lords were enhanced.
After a campaign stretching back in some cases to the 1920s, another twelve women who held hereditary peerages in their own right were admitted by the Peerage Act 1963. ====New Labour Era==== The Labour Party included in its 1997 general election manifesto a commitment to remove the hereditary peerage from the House of Lords.
From about 850 peers in 1951/52, the size further rose with the increasing numbers of life peers after the Life Peerages Act 1958 and the inclusion of all Scottish peers and the first female peers in the Peerage Act 1963.
Elections for Irish representatives ended in 1922, when most of Ireland became an independent state; elections for Scottish representatives ended with the passage of the Peerage Act 1963, under which all Scottish peers obtained seats in the Upper House. In 1999, the Labour government brought forward the House of Lords Act removing the right of several hundred hereditary peers to sit in the House.
However, hereditary peeresses continued to be excluded until the passage of the Peerage Act 1963.
The Peerage Act 1963 permitted a person to disclaim their newly inherited peerage (within certain time limits); this meant that such a person could effectively renounce their membership of the Lords.
In 1968 the Labour Government of Harold Wilson attempted to reform the House of Lords by introducing a system under which hereditary peers would be allowed to remain in the House and take part in debate, but would be unable to vote.
An illustrative dramatisation circa 1928 of a trial of a peer (the fictional Duke of Denver) on a charge of murder (a felony) is portrayed in the 1972 BBC Television adaption of Dorothy L.
The jurisdiction of the Privy Council in the United Kingdom, however, is relatively restricted; it encompasses appeals from ecclesiastical courts, disputes under the House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975, and a few other minor matters.
In December 1979 the Conservative Monday Club published his extensive paper entitled Lords Reform – Why tamper with the House of Lords? and in July 1980 The Monarchist carried another article by Sudeley entitled Why Reform or Abolish the House of Lords?.
This plan, however, was defeated in the House of Commons by a coalition of traditionalist Conservatives (such as Enoch Powell), and Labour members who continued to advocate the outright abolition of the Upper House (such as Michael Foot). When Michael Foot became leader of the Labour Party in 1980, abolition of the House of Lords became a part of the party's agenda; under his successor, Neil Kinnock, however, a reformed Upper House was proposed instead.
In the meantime, the creation of hereditary peerages (except for members of the Royal Family) has been arrested, with the exception of three creations during the administration of the Conservative Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s. Whilst some hereditary peers were at best apathetic, the Labour Party's clear commitments were not lost on Merlin Hanbury-Tracy, 7th Baron Sudeley, who for decades was considered an expert on the House of Lords.
In December 1979 the Conservative Monday Club published his extensive paper entitled Lords Reform – Why tamper with the House of Lords? and in July 1980 The Monarchist carried another article by Sudeley entitled Why Reform or Abolish the House of Lords?.
Peers, Politics and Power: House of Lords, 1603–1911 (A&C Black, 1986). Mell, Andrew; Radford, Simon; Thevoz, Seth Alexander (2015).
In 1990 he wrote a further booklet for the Monday Club entitled The Preservation of the House of Lords. ===Lords reform=== ====First admission of women==== There were no women sitting in the House of Lords until 1958, when a small number came into the chamber as a result of the Life Peerages Act 1958.
The House of Lords in British politics and society, 1815–1911 (Longman, 1992). ==External links== Official House of Lords publications website Archives of the House of Lords British House of Lords people from www.C-SPAN.org United Kingdom
After a campaign stretching back in some cases to the 1920s, another twelve women who held hereditary peerages in their own right were admitted by the Peerage Act 1963. ====New Labour Era==== The Labour Party included in its 1997 general election manifesto a commitment to remove the hereditary peerage from the House of Lords.
Their subsequent election victory in 1997 under Tony Blair led to the denouement of the traditional House of Lords.
The Conservative Party, which had, prior to 1997, opposed any tampering with the House of Lords, favoured an 80% elected Second Chamber, while the Liberal Democrats called for a fully elected Senate.
Most Lords Temporal are life peers, appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister or House of Lords Appointments Commission, but they also include [peer]s. Membership was once an entitlement of all hereditary peers, other than those in the peerage of Ireland, but the House of Lords Act 1999 restricted it to 92 hereditary peers.
Thus all but 92 hereditary peers were expelled under the House of Lords Act 1999 (see below for its provisions), making the House of Lords predominantly an appointed house. Since 1999, however, no further reform has taken place.
(During Tony Blair's first year, he was defeated 38 times in the Lords—but that was before the major reform with the House of Lords Act 1999) Secondly, as to the composition of the Lords, Meg Russell suggests that the composition must be distinct from the Commons, otherwise it would render the Lords useless.
From 1999 to 2010 the Attorney General for England and Wales was a member of the House of Lords; the most recent was Patricia Scotland. The House of Lords remains a source for junior ministers and members of government.
Elections for Irish representatives ended in 1922, when most of Ireland became an independent state; elections for Scottish representatives ended with the passage of the Peerage Act 1963, under which all Scottish peers obtained seats in the Upper House. In 1999, the Labour government brought forward the House of Lords Act removing the right of several hundred hereditary peers to sit in the House.
Since the passage of the House of Lords Act 1999, hereditary peeresses remain eligible for election to the Upper House; until her resignation on 1 May 2020, there was one (Margaret of Mar, 31st Countess of Mar) among the 90 hereditary peers who continue to sit. ====Cash for Peerages==== The Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925 made it illegal for a peerage, or other honour, to be bought or sold.
Moreover, some non-party life peers (the number being determined by the Prime Minister) are nominated by the independent House of Lords Appointments Commission. In 2000 the government announced that it would set up an Independent Appointments Commission, under Lord Stevenson of Coddenham, to select fifteen so-called "people's peers" for life peerages.
A parliamentary Joint Committee was established in 2001 to resolve the issue, but it reached no conclusion and instead gave Parliament seven options to choose from (fully appointed, 20% elected, 40% elected, 50% elected, 60% elected, 80%, and fully elected).
However, when the choices were announced in April 2001, from a list of 3,000 applicants, the choices were treated with criticism in the media, as all were distinguished in their field, and none were "ordinary people" as some had originally hoped. ===Qualifications=== Several different qualifications apply for membership of the House of Lords.
In a confusing series of votes in February 2003, all of these options were defeated, although the 80% elected option fell by just three votes in the Commons.
Hitherto, the Lord Chancellor was part of all three branches of government: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. The overlap of the legislative and executive roles is a characteristic of the Westminster system, as the entire cabinet consists of members of the House of Commons or the House of Lords; however, in June 2003, the Blair Government announced its intention to abolish the post of Lord Chancellor because of the office's mixed executive and judicial responsibilities.
They often speak in debates; in 2004 Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, opened a debate into sentencing legislation.
Socialist MPs favouring outright abolition voted against all the options. In 2005, a cross-party group of senior MPs (Kenneth Clarke, Paul Tyler, Tony Wright, George Young and Robin Cook) published a report proposing that 70% of members of the House of Lords should be elected—each member for a single long term—by the single transferable vote system.
A cross-party campaign initiative called "Elect the Lords" was set up to make the case for a predominantly elected Second Chamber in the run up to the 2005 general election. At the 2005 election, the Labour Party proposed further reform of the Lords, but without specific details.
Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey mystery Clouds of Witness. The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 resulted in the creation of a separate Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, to which the judicial function of the House of Lords, and some of the judicial functions of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, were transferred.
Former Lord Chancellors and holders of other high judicial office could also sit as Law Lords under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act, although in practice this right was only rarely exercised. Under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary when the Act came into effect in 2009 became judges of the new Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and were then barred from sitting or voting in the House of Lords until they had retired as judges.
A 2015 study found that of 303 people nominated for peerages in the period 2005–14, a total of 211 were former senior figures within politics (including former MPs), or were non-political appointments.
With the passage of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the post of Lord Speaker was created, a position to which a peer is elected by the House and subsequently appointed by the Crown.
The abolition of the office was rejected by the House of Lords, and the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 was thus amended to preserve the office of Lord Chancellor.
"‘Lordy Me!’ Can donations buy you a British peerage? A study in the link between party political funding and peerage nominations, 2005–2014", British Politics – Russell, Meg.
During 2006, a cross-party committee discussed Lords reform, with the aim of reaching a consensus: its findings were published in early 2007. On 7 March 2007, members of the House of Commons voted ten times on a variety of alternative compositions for the upper chamber.
The most prominent case, the 2006 Cash for Honours scandal, saw a police investigation, with no charges being brought.
The first Lord Speaker, elected on 4 May 2006, was Baroness Hayman, a former Labour peer.
During 2006, a cross-party committee discussed Lords reform, with the aim of reaching a consensus: its findings were published in early 2007. On 7 March 2007, members of the House of Commons voted ten times on a variety of alternative compositions for the upper chamber.
The House of Lords, soon after, rejected this proposal and voted for an entirely appointed House of Lords. In July 2008, Jack Straw, the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor, introduced a white paper to the House of Commons proposing to replace the House of Lords with an 80–100% elected chamber, with one third being elected at each general election, for a term of approximately 12–15 years.
In addition to its role as the upper house, until the establishment of the Supreme Court in 2009, the House of Lords, through the Law Lords, acted as the final court of appeal in the United Kingdom judicial system.
Most notably, until 2009 the House of Lords served as the court of last resort for most instances of UK law.
Since 1 October 2009 this role is now held by the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. The Lords' judicial functions originated from the ancient role of the Curia Regis as a body that addressed the petitions of the King's subjects.
Issues related to devolution were transferred from the Privy Council to the Supreme Court in 2009. The twelve Law Lords did not all hear every case; rather, after World War II cases were heard by panels known as Appellate Committees, each of which normally consisted of five members (selected by the Senior Lord).
Former Lord Chancellors and holders of other high judicial office could also sit as Law Lords under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act, although in practice this right was only rarely exercised. Under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary when the Act came into effect in 2009 became judges of the new Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and were then barred from sitting or voting in the House of Lords until they had retired as judges.
When a cash for influence scandal was referred to the Committee of Privileges in January 2009, the Leader of the House of Lords also asked the Privileges Committee to report on what sanctions the House had against its members.
She writes, "In general legitimacy comes with election." ====2010–present==== The Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition agreed, after the 2010 general election, to outline clearly a provision for a wholly or mainly elected second chamber, elected by proportional representation.
These proposals sparked a debate on 29 June 2010.
He had created 117 new peers since becoming prime minister in May 2010, a faster rate of elevation than any PM in British history.
From 1999 to 2010 the Attorney General for England and Wales was a member of the House of Lords; the most recent was Patricia Scotland. The House of Lords remains a source for junior ministers and members of government.
During the granted time a peer is expected not to visit the House's meetings until either its expiration or termination, announced at least a month prior to their return. ===Attendance allowance=== Via a new financial support system introduced in 2010, members of the House of Lords can opt to receive an attendance allowance per sitting day of currently £313 (as of 2019; initially it was £300 in 2010), plus limited travel expenses.
Peers can choose to receive a reduced attendance allowance of £157 per day instead, or none at all. Prior to 2010, peers from outside London could claim an overnight allowance of £174. ==Committees== Unlike in the House of Commons, when the term committee is used to describe a stage of a bill, this committee does not take the form of a public bill committee, but what is described as Committee of the Whole House.
As an interim measure, appointment of new peers would reflect the shares of the vote secured by the political parties in the last general election. Detailed proposals for Lords reform, including a draft House of Lords Reform Bill, were published on 17 May 2011.
In 2011, Baroness D'Souza was elected as the second Lord Speaker, replacing Hayman in September 2011.
House of Lords reform since 1911: Must the Lords go? (Springer, 2011). Jones, Clyve, and David L.
However, this Bill was abandoned by the Government on 6 August 2012, following opposition from within the Conservative Party. =====House of Lords Reform Act 2014===== A private members bill to introduce some reforms was introduced by Dan Byles in 2013.
However, this Bill was abandoned by the Government on 6 August 2012, following opposition from within the Conservative Party. =====House of Lords Reform Act 2014===== A private members bill to introduce some reforms was introduced by Dan Byles in 2013.
The contemporary House of Lords: Westminster bicameralism revived (Oxford UP, 2013). Smith, Ernest Anthony.
Since the resignation of the Countess of Mar in May 2020 (who had been the only female hereditary peer since 2014), none of these 92 is female.
However, this Bill was abandoned by the Government on 6 August 2012, following opposition from within the Conservative Party. =====House of Lords Reform Act 2014===== A private members bill to introduce some reforms was introduced by Dan Byles in 2013.
The House of Lords Reform Act 2014 received the Royal Assent in 2014.
The expansion occurred while his government had tried (in vain) to reduce the size of the House of Commons by 50 members, from 650 to 600. In August 2014, despite there being a seating capacity of only around 230 to 400 on the benches in the Lords chamber, the House had 774 active members (plus 54 who were not entitled to attend or vote, having been suspended or granted leave of absence).
In August 2014, former Speaker of the House of Commons Baroness Betty Boothroyd requested that "older peers should retire gracefully" to ease the overcrowding in the House of Lords.
She made her remarks days before a new batch of peers were due to be created and several months after the passage of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014, enabling peers to retire or resign their seats in the House, which had previously been impossible. In August 2015, following the creation of a further 45 peers in the Dissolution Honours, the total number of eligible members of the Lords increased to 826.
Following a change to the law in 2014 to allow women to be ordained archbishops and bishops, the Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 was passed, which provides that whenever a vacancy arises among the Lords Spiritual during the ten years following the Act coming into force, the vacancy has to be filled by a woman, if one is eligible.
This might be done in order to remain or become qualified to sit in the House of Commons, as in the case of Tony Benn (formerly the second Viscount Stansgate), who had campaigned for such a change. The House of Lords Reform Act 2014 made provision for members' resignation from the House, removal for non-attendance, and automatic expulsion upon conviction for a serious criminal offence (if resulting in a jail sentence of at least one year).
Section 3 of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 now provides that any member of the House of Lords convicted of a crime and sentenced to imprisonment for more than one year loses their seat.
The House of Lords 1911–2011: a century of non-reform (Bloomsbury, 2014). Close, David H.
She made her remarks days before a new batch of peers were due to be created and several months after the passage of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014, enabling peers to retire or resign their seats in the House, which had previously been impossible. In August 2015, following the creation of a further 45 peers in the Dissolution Honours, the total number of eligible members of the Lords increased to 826.
Following a change to the law in 2014 to allow women to be ordained archbishops and bishops, the Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 was passed, which provides that whenever a vacancy arises among the Lords Spiritual during the ten years following the Act coming into force, the vacancy has to be filled by a woman, if one is eligible.
A 2015 study found that of 303 people nominated for peerages in the period 2005–14, a total of 211 were former senior figures within politics (including former MPs), or were non-political appointments.
In June 2015, under the House of Lords (Expulsion and Suspension) Act 2015, the House's Standing Orders may provide for the expulsion or suspension of a member upon a resolution of the House. In November 2020, Lord Ahmed retired from the House of Lords, having seen a Lords Conduct Committee report recommending he be expelled.
The House of Lords (Expulsion and Suspension) Act 2015 allows the House to set up procedures to suspend, and to expel, its members. ====Regulation of behaviour in the chamber==== There are two motions which have grown up through custom and practice and which govern questionable conduct within the House.
D'Souza was in turn succeeded by Lord Fowler in September 2016, who served as Lord Speaker till his resignation in April 2021.
In December 2017, the Lords debated and broadly approved its report, which proposed a cap on membership at 600 peers, with a fifteen-year term limit for new peers and a "two-out, one-in" limit on new appointments.
As of 2019, five women bishops sit as Lords Spiritual, four of them due to this act. In 2019, a seven-month enquiry by Naomi Ellenbogen QC found that one in five staff of the house had experienced bullying or harassment which they did not report for fear of reprisals.
Six closure motions were passed on 4 April 2019 to significant media attention as part of consideration of a private member's bill concerning the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union. Once all speeches on a motion have concluded, or Closure invoked, the motion may be put to a vote.
During the granted time a peer is expected not to visit the House's meetings until either its expiration or termination, announced at least a month prior to their return. ===Attendance allowance=== Via a new financial support system introduced in 2010, members of the House of Lords can opt to receive an attendance allowance per sitting day of currently £313 (as of 2019; initially it was £300 in 2010), plus limited travel expenses.
Since the resignation of the Countess of Mar in May 2020 (who had been the only female hereditary peer since 2014), none of these 92 is female.
This was proceeded by several cases, including Liberal Democrat Lord Lester, of lords who used their position to sexually harass or abuse women. ==== Proposed move ==== On 19 January 2020, it was announced that House of Lords may be moved from London to a city in Northern England, likely York, or Birmingham, in the Midlands, in an attempt to "reconnect" the area.
Since the passage of the House of Lords Act 1999, hereditary peeresses remain eligible for election to the Upper House; until her resignation on 1 May 2020, there was one (Margaret of Mar, 31st Countess of Mar) among the 90 hereditary peers who continue to sit. ====Cash for Peerages==== The Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925 made it illegal for a peerage, or other honour, to be bought or sold.
In June 2015, under the House of Lords (Expulsion and Suspension) Act 2015, the House's Standing Orders may provide for the expulsion or suspension of a member upon a resolution of the House. In November 2020, Lord Ahmed retired from the House of Lords, having seen a Lords Conduct Committee report recommending he be expelled.
One of the Domestic Committees is the Committee of Selection, which is responsible for assigning members to many of the House's other committees. ==Current composition== There are currently sitting members of the House of Lords, of which 682 are life peers (as of 8 December 2020).
Reform of the House of Lords (Manchester UP, 2020). Radford, Simon; Mell, Andrew; Thevoz, Seth Alexander (2019).
D'Souza was in turn succeeded by Lord Fowler in September 2016, who served as Lord Speaker till his resignation in April 2021.
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