This Library Note provides a short overview of the role and functions of some of the key office holders in the House of Lords.
Principal Office Holders in the House of Lords (430 KB , PDF)
This Library Note provides a short overview of the role and functions of some of the key office holders in the House of Lords: the Lord Speaker, Deputy Speakers and Deputy Chairmen, Chairman and Principal Deputy Chairman of Committees, Leader and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords, Leader of the Opposition, Convenor of the Crossbench Peers, Chief Whip, Opposition Chief Whip, Lord Great Chamberlain and Earl Marshal. It also details the proposals made over recent years for reforms to some of these roles.
Principal Office Holders in the House of Lords (430 KB , PDF)
The House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC) vets nominations to the House and recommends non-party political members. While its advice is usually followed, it is not a statutory body and the prime minister can choose to disregard its advice. This briefing provides an overview of the role and powers of the commission and summarises recent debates concerning its reform.
This page provides interactive data on the creation of life peerages in the House of Lords.
In 2024 the restoration and renewal programme announced it would be developing three options to preserve the Palace of Westminster. Details should be presented to Parliament in 2025. Members will then decide whether the programme should temporarily relocate both Houses of Parliament, keep the Commons Chamber onsite while temporarily relocating the Lords, or conduct a rolling programme of works “to deliver enhanced maintenance and improvement”. Surveying, design and remediation work was also progressed in 2024.
