House of Lords too full, report warns

David Cameron, who has created more peers more quickly than any postwar PM, told increase threatens upper chamber’s ability to do job David Cameron has been told he could “unwittingly destroy” the House of Lords because the rate of new peers appointed to the upper chamber is threatening its ability to do its job, a report has warned . The warning on the volume of House of Lords appointments and their impact on a functional parliament has been raised by the independent Constitution Unit at University College London. The unit’s report, entitled House Full, reports “huge concern” among peers. Cameron has created more peers more quickly since becoming prime minister than any of his postwar predecessors, having ennobled 117 people in less than a year. The Lords now has 792 members who are entitled to attend and vote. Written with the support of 18 senior parliamentarians and independent experts, the report said the arrival of so many new peers in such a short space of time has had a “negative impact” on the culture of the upper chamber which, in the past, has seen new members added more gradually. It warned that the Lords is now overcrowded, with members competing for seats in the chamber and office space outside, creating a “fractious” atmosphere because many peers feel frustrated at their inability to take part in debates. The report said the rapid influx of new peers – which includes many former MPs – has had a negative impact on the Lords’ non-partisan ethos and courteous atmosphere. It warned that any further increase “risks the House being unable to do its job” and called for an “immediate moratorium” on appointments, to be lifted only when the figure drops below a suggested cap of 750. It noted that, although a draft Lords reform bill is expected shortly after 5 May, it will be four years before reform happens if the legislation makes its way through parliament. The report also called for peers to be allowed to retire and for future appointments to be put on a “more transparent and sustainable basis”, with the independent House of Lords Appointments Commission determining how many vacancies exists. The report is endorsed by the former cabinet secretary Lord Butler, the former Speaker Baroness Boothroyd, the convenor of the independent crossbenchers, Baroness De Souza, the former Labour leader of the Lords Baroness Jay, the former Tory Cabinet ministers Lord Forsyth and Lord Mackay of Clashfern, the former Labour cabinet minister Lord Adonis, the former Liberal leader Lord Steel of Aikwood and the former Master of the Rolls Lord Woolf. The Constitution Unit deputy director, Meg Russell, said: “It is unusual for a group of such senior figures to come together on a cross-party basis to call for change, but there is huge concern in the House of Lords about this issue. “The fear is that David Cameron may unwittingly destroy the Lords through this volume of appointments. “We await Lords reform, but in the meantime we must maintain a functional parliament. The risk is that reform fails – as it often has before – but that, meanwhile, the Lords has become bloated and dysfunctional”. House of Lords David Cameron Hélène Mulholland guardian.co.uk

Posted by on April 20, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.