Wednesday 20 April 2011

BBC News: House of Lords full, peers warn David Cameron

BBC News today has the story of "appointments gone mad":
David Cameron has been told by a cross-party group of senior peers that the House of Lords is "full" and he must stop creating new members.

The prime minister has created more peers more quickly than any of his post-war predecessors, having ennobled 117 people in less than a year. The House of Lords now has 792 members who are entitled to attend and vote. The peers warn that this number is "unsustainable" and is damaging the effectiveness of the Lords.

The warning comes in a report from the independent Constitution Unit at University College London and has been endorsed by 13 peers from all parties.
Read on: the report discusses the physical pressures of new appointments, as well as a perceived change in the ethos and culture of 'the other place'—suggestions for improvement in the current system are also made. As the report quietly points out:
A committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is expected to publish a draft bill on proposed reform of the Lords in the next few months but any changes agreed are unlikely to come into effect for some time.

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