Law and Rights
One of the Bills not referred to in The Queen's Speech was the House of Lords Reform Bill. This is a private member's bill introduced by Lord Steel of Aikwood.
It will create a Commission to consider individuals for Life Peerages. Names could be put forward to the Commission who will assess them against criteria which will include "conspicuous merit" and "willingness and capacity" to contribute to the Lords but the Commission will be able to propose additional criteria. In making any proposal for additional criteria they will have to consider the "diversity of the population of the U.K". Any criteria must be "laid before" Parliament and could be annulled by a resolution of each House. Surely, an affirmative vote ought to be required to bring them into force? The Commission will present names to the Prime Minister who is then the only person who may recommend names to the Crown. Whether the P.M. will have any say (e.g. veto) over the names is unclear on the face of the Bill.
The Commission will have 9 members who will be nominated jointly by the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Lord Speaker of the House of Lords. There will have to be 4 members independent of political parties and there must be 4 Privy Councillors. The Bill provides for some disqualification from being a Commissioner - e.g. having made a donation to a political party within the last 2 years.
The new Commission procedure appears to remove the right of a Prime Minister to simply nominate someone for a peerage. Prime Ministers have frequently nominated new peers - e.g. upon dissolution of parliament. [See the latest list].
The Bill provides for the final phasing out of the hereditary peers who were allowed to remain under the House of Lords Act 1999. As each dies, he or she will not be replaced.
A further long overdue reform is that a peer could lose membership of the House of Lords if found guilty of and imprisoned for more than one year for a criminal offence. [The wording of the Bill on this is matter ought to clarify whether suspended sentences of imprisonment are included]. Whether Lord Steel's bill will reach the statute book must be doubtful given that the new government are setting up a committee to examine reform of the House of Lords (including election) and tasking the committee to prepare proposals by the end of 2010.
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Law and Rights
The House of Lords Bill
It will create a Commission to consider individuals for Life Peerages. Names could be put forward to the Commission who will assess them against criteria which will include "conspicuous merit" and "willingness and capacity" to contribute to the Lords but the Commission will be able to propose additional criteria. In making any proposal for additional criteria they will have to consider the "diversity of the population of the U.K". Any criteria must be "laid before" Parliament and could be annulled by a resolution of each House. Surely, an affirmative vote ought to be required to bring them into force? The Commission will present names to the Prime Minister who is then the only person who may recommend names to the Crown. Whether the P.M. will have any say (e.g. veto) over the names is unclear on the face of the Bill.
The Commission will have 9 members who will be nominated jointly by the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Lord Speaker of the House of Lords. There will have to be 4 members independent of political parties and there must be 4 Privy Councillors. The Bill provides for some disqualification from being a Commissioner - e.g. having made a donation to a political party within the last 2 years.
The new Commission procedure appears to remove the right of a Prime Minister to simply nominate someone for a peerage. Prime Ministers have frequently nominated new peers - e.g. upon dissolution of parliament. [See the latest list].
The Bill provides for the final phasing out of the hereditary peers who were allowed to remain under the House of Lords Act 1999. As each dies, he or she will not be replaced.
A further long overdue reform is that a peer could lose membership of the House of Lords if found guilty of and imprisoned for more than one year for a criminal offence. [The wording of the Bill on this is matter ought to clarify whether suspended sentences of imprisonment are included]. Whether Lord Steel's bill will reach the statute book must be doubtful given that the new government are setting up a committee to examine reform of the House of Lords (including election) and tasking the committee to prepare proposals by the end of 2010.
- House Of Lords Reform Act 2014
Legislative activity continues apace with 24 "Public General" Acts so far this year and some 1340 Statutory Instruments. There are numerous bills before Parliament, some of which will eventually emerge as law. One new Act, of which little seems...
- Queen's Speech 9th May 2012
Updated 11th May and 12th May The Queen delivered the Queen's Speech in the House of Lords. Details of the speech are available via the No.10 Downing Street website. 19 Bills are referred to in the Speech and these include a Crime and Courts...
- Plantagenet Palliser - After 100 Years, Will Lords Reform Arrive?
See the draft Bill together with Explanatory Notes. It was the author Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) who invented the fictitious character Plantagenet Palliser who became Duke of Omnium and, even though he had to sit in the House of Lords, Prime Minister...
- House Of Lords Reform
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- New Year 2011 - What Lies Ahead And A Toast To Health And Peace
2011 is with us. What will it bring? One of the fascinations of law is that we do not entirely know but the year began in very difficult economic circumstances. Sound management of the economy is now crucial and it is interesting that,...