Following the Lords' rejection of the Liberal Government's budget of 1909, ended their power to reject legislation. A power of delay was substituted, which was further curtailed by the . The House of Commons can present a bill (except one to prolong the life of Parliament) for Royal Assent after one year and in a new session even if the Lords have not given their agreement. There is also a convention (known as the 'Salisbury' convention) that the Government's manifesto commitments, in the form of Government Bills, are not voted down by the House of Lords at second reading.
The House of Lords is also the final court of appeal for civil cases in the United Kingdom and for criminal cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Only the Lords of Appeal (Law Lords) - of whom there are 12 employed full-time - take part in judicial proceedings.
Organisation of the House of Lords
The Speaker of the House of Lords is the Lord Chancellor. The Lord Chancellor's powers as Speaker are very limited compared with those of the Speaker of the House of Commons, since the Lords themselves control the proceedings under the guidance of the Leader of the House. Lords business is expected to be conducted in an orderly and polite fashion without the need for an active Speaker. The Lord Chancellor sits on a special seat called the except when the House is in committee, but does not call upon members to speak and has no powers to call the House to order.
There are also a number of other office holders in the House of Lords. These include government ministers and whips, the Leader and Chief Whip of the main opposition party, and two Chairmen of Committees. The Leader of the House occupies a special position in the House of Lords: as well as leading the party in government he has a responsibility to the House as a whole. It is to him, and not the Lord Chancellor, that members turn for advice and leadership on points of order and procedure.
These office holders and officers, together with the Law Lords, receive salaries. All other members of the House of Lords are unpaid, but they are entitled to of their expenses, within maximum limits for each day on which they attend the House. The Clerk of the Parliaments, a role like that of a chief executive, is head of the administration. The Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod has ceremonial and royal duties and is in charge of security, access and domestic matters.
Members of the House of Lords are not elected and, with the exception of bishops who leave the House on retirement, they retain their seats for life.
Sitting Hours and Attendance
The hours of business in the House of Lords chamber are generally:
Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 2:30pm
Thursdays from 3:00pm
some Fridays, from 11:00am
The House usually sits until 10:00 - 11:00pm, occasionally much later and sometimes all night.
Attendance averages at about 350-450 peers each day.
Select Committee work takes place outside the chamber in the mornings and the afternoons.
Like the Commons, the Lords have breaks at Christmas, Easter, late Spring Bank Holiday and in the summer. They usually sit on about 160 days a year.
Peers Reimbursements and Allowances
Peers are not paid, i.e. they do not receive a salary except for a small number of members who are salaried by virtue of the office they hold.
Peers can be reimbursed for travel, subsistence and secretarial costs which they may incur in connection with their parliamentary duties in attending either a sitting of the House or a meeting of a Committee of the House.
The allowances are based on recommendations of the Senior Salaries Review Body (The daily maxima are:
- £122.00 overnight accommodation, £61.00 for day subsistence an
- £51.00 for secretarial assistance).
Peers’ expenses amount to 31% of the annual running costs of the House of Lords.
In addition, the two opposition parties and the Convenor of the Cross-bench Peers receive financial assistance for their parliamentary business -
- £390,555 a year for the Conservatives,
- £195,000 a year for the Liberal Democrats and
-
£35,000 a year to the Convenor of the Cross-bench Peers