I had a quick look at the statistics for the blog early this morning. By that stage, as is usual, it had only attracted a small number of visitors. By chance, I looked again at lunchtime and the line on the graph had suddenly shot up, way beyond the normal daily traffic. I kept checking –…
How many hereditary peers sit in Parliament? If you think the answer is 92 – the number prescribed by the House of Lords Act 1999 – you would be wrong. There are indeed 92 hereditary peers who sit in the Lords by virtue of the 1999 Act. However, there are other hereditary peers who also sit. …
I spent most of today chairing an interview panel for posts at the History of Parliament. I am a Trustee of the History. It is one of the largest and most comprehensive research projects in British history, presently employing 25 research staff. It began formally in 1951 and has published eight sets of volumes covering…
Lord Tyler’s post touches upon a question variously raised in class discussions on the Lords: why do members need to have expertise in a particular field when you can call experts to give evidence? There are several fairly straightforward reasons. They apply with particular force to committee work but are relevant also to debate in the chamber.…
Baroness Murphy’s post reminds me of a question frequently raised in discussions about the Lords. Can peers vote in parliamentary elections? The answer is no. Or rather, members of the House of Lords cannot vote in parliamentary elections. Prior to 1999 it was held in common law that it was the status of being a…
