Joint Committee on House of Lords Reform - First Report
Here you can browse the report which was ordered by the House of Lords and the House of Commons to be printed 9 December 2002.
CONTENTS
Terms of Reference
FIRST REPORT
SUMMARY
Background
Place of the second chamber in Parliament
Powers of the second chamber
The nature of a reformed second chamber
Composition of a reformed second chamber
The options
The next stage
PART 1: INTRODUCTION
The opportunity
Background
Structure of Report
PART 2: ROLES, CONVENTIONS, FUNCTIONS AND
POWERS
Role in relation to the Commons
The Existing Conventions
Other Roles
Constitutional long stop
Role in relation to the public: a new legitimacy
Role in relation to the regions and nations:
representing the United Kingdom
Functions
Legislative functions
Pre-legislative scrutiny
Secondary legislation
Scrutiny of policy
Judicial function
Powers
Parliament Acts
PART 3: WHAT SORT OF MEMBERSHIP?
Legitimacy
Representativeness
No domination by any one party
Independence
The independent members
Independence among party members
Implications for a reformed House of Lords
Expertise
Conclusion
PART 4: WHAT SORT OF COMPOSITION?
Number of members
Tenure
Appointment and election
An appointments commission
Methods of election
Transitional arrangements
Other matters
Law lords and bishops
Financial consequences
The name of the House and its link with the
peerage
PART 5: THE OPTIONS
Option 1 * A fully appointed House
Option 2 * A fully elected House
Option 3 * 80 per cent appointed/20 per cent
elected
Option 4 * 80 per cent elected/20 per cent
appointed
Option 5 - 60 per cent appointed/40 per cent
elected
Option 6 * 60 per cent elected/40 per cent
appointed
Option 7 * 50 per cent elected/50 per cent
appointed
Independent members and the appointment process
How shall the Houses decide?
SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
APPENDIX 1: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Balances in the Constitution
Parliament Act 1911
Further Attempts at Reform: 1917-1918
Conference of 1948 and Parliament Act 1949
Life Peerages Act 1958 and Peerage Act 1963
Crossman Reform 1968
House of Lords Act 1999
APPENDIX 2: ANALYSIS OF THE COMPOSITION OF
THE HOUSE OF LORDS AT 9 DECEMBER 2002
By Party Strength
By Type
APPENDIX 3: MEMORANDUM FROM THE PRESIDING
OFFICERS OF THE DEVOLVED ASSEMBLIES
PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMITTEE RELATING TO
THE REPORT SESSION 2001-02
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