This Library Note considers the current role of the Bishops in the House of Lords, and religious representation in the House generally in the context of the Government’s proposals for reform.
House of Lords: Religious Representation (824 KB , PDF)
The membership of the House of Lords includes twenty six Church of England Bishops and Archbishops on an ex officio basis, their right to sit and vote in the House established by ancient usage and by statute. This Library Note provides background information on the role of Bishops in the second chamber, and in the context of the Government’s proposals for reform of the House, it examines arguments made both in favour and against their continued membership. The Note then considers further issues arising from the Government’s proposals, as well as arguments made regarding the formal representation of other denominations or faiths in Parliament.
House of Lords: Religious Representation (824 KB , PDF)
This House of Lords data dashboard allows for the examination of member activity over the 2019–24 parliament. This includes attendance data, participation in votes and debates, tabling of written questions, and committee and official roles. It has been produced in the context of the proposals by the new Labour government to reform the House of Lords. The data can be filtered by age and peerage type.
The House of Lords Conduct Committee is currently reviewing the House of Lords code of conduct for members, with written submissions due to close on 31 October 2024. Before this, the House of Lords is scheduled to hold a debate on the review.
When the House of Lords Act 1999 was passed, it removed automatic seats for hereditary peers in the House of Lords. However, 92 places for hereditary peers were kept as part of a compromise agreement. Numerous pieces of legislation have since been introduced with the intent of removing or reducing the numbers of hereditary peers in the House, although none became law. This briefing highlights the government and private members' bills that were debated in Parliament.
