Overview

This bill aims to amend the House of Lords Act 1999, eliminating the by-election system for hereditary peers. Instead of holding by-elections to fill vacancies, the existing hereditary peers will retain their seats.

Description

The bill makes several key changes to the 1999 Act:

• Removal of By-elections: It removes the process of holding by-elections to fill vacancies created by the death or resignation of hereditary peers.
• Grandfather Clause: Hereditary peers who were members of the House of Lords on the day before the new amendment is passed will retain their seats.
• Amendment of Section 1: The bill amends Section 1 of the 1999 Act to exclude hereditary peers except those who were members prior to its enactment.
• Amendment of Section 2 and other sections: The bill removes Section 2 (the exception to Section 1) and makes consequential changes to Sections 3 and 5 to reflect the removal of by-elections. This ensures consistency across the act and reflects the changes made by the bill.

Government Spending

The bill is not expected to have a significant impact on government spending as it primarily concerns the composition of the House of Lords, not direct financial allocations. No figures regarding government spending are provided in the bill's text.

Groups Affected

• Hereditary Peers: Those who were members of the House of Lords before the bill's passage will retain their seats; those who would have been eligible for election under the previous system will no longer be eligible. This is likely to be the most significantly affected group.
• House of Lords: The composition of the House of Lords will be altered as the by-election system is removed.
• The UK public: This amendment indirectly affects the UK public as it alters the makeup of the House of Lords and may affect legislation passed by Parliament.

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