How far has the House of Lords been reformed since 1997 Flashcards
(29 cards)
how does someone become a peer?
you can become a peer by:
1. being appointed by the PM
2. inheriting it
3. being a bishop
what are some qualities of peers
- don’t serve a constituency
- meant to be unbiased
- paid by the taxpayer
- unelected
how many bishops are there in the HoL
26 bishops
roughly how many life peers are there
900
roughly how many hereditary peers are there
90
when was the House of Lords Act passed
1999
what is the House of Lords Act 1999
- removed all but 92 hereditary peers from the HoL
- first major reform of the HoL in the 20th century
when was the Wakeham Commission released
2000
what is the Wakeham Commission 2000
The Royal Commission on the Reform of the House of Lords, chaired by Lord Wakeham, published its report recommending a partly elected House of Lords. However nothing was actioned
how much reform did the Wakeham Commission 2000 bring
very minor reform
when did Jack Straw propose a mixture of elected and appointed peers
2007
describe when in 2007: Commons leader Jack Straw outlines proposals for a mixture of elected and appointed peers
MPs back two separate plans - one for a fully elected second chamber and another for one which is 80% elected.
Both fails to become law, as they were rejected in the Lords
how much reform did Jack Straw achieve in 2007
very little reform
when was the judicial function of the House of Lords is passed to the newly created Supreme Court
2009
how much reform did the judicial function of the House of Lords being passed to the newly created Supreme Court create
- It took power away from the HoL
- However the sitting law lords became the first judges and they are still unelected
- There was some reform in this happening
when was the House of Lords Reform Act passed
2014
what was the House of Lords Reform Act 2014
- this act was aimed at halting the increase in the number of those eligible for sitting and voting in the HoL
- it gave peers the right to retire or resign their seat
- it also allowed for peers to be removed for serious criminal offenses or non-attendance
by 2016 how many peers had resigned after the House of Lords Reform Act 2014
54
how much reform did the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 create
a lot of reform
what did the Burns Report 2017 recommend
the report recommended capping the size of the HoL to 600 peers
when was the Burns Report published
2017
how did the Burns Report 2017 recommend capping the HoL
- It said to achieve this, there should be a two-out-one-in policy for appointments
- It also recommended that appointment should only be made by Prime Ministers when there are vacancies
how much reform did the Burns Report 2017
not much
when was The Brown Commission Report released
2022
