Deputy PM announce House of Lords reform proposals

Lib Dem Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announce on Tuesday proposals for the reform of the House of Lords to make it a largely elected chamber.

Comprehensive proposals for a smaller, reformed House of Lords, to which members are elected, are published today by the Government.

The proposals, contained in the draft House of Lords Reform Bill and accompanying White Paper, set out in detail options for how a reformed House could look. The draft Bill sets out firm proposals, while the White Paper considers alternative options on which the Government remains open-minded.

The Government is committed to a wholly or mainly elected chamber and both options are reflected in what is published today.

The draft Bill illustrates how a reformed House of Lords with 80 per cent of elected members could look, with the remaining 20 per cent appointed independently to sit as cross-benchers. Alongside this, the White Paper sets out the case for a 100 per cent elected chamber.

Key proposals contained in the draft House of Lords Reform Bill include:

• a reformed House with 300 members, each eligible for a single term of three parliaments
• elections using the single transferable vote (STV), electing a third of members each time with elections normally taking place at the same time as General Elections
• multi-member electoral districts, to be drawn up independently based on national and county boundaries
• a continuation of the presence of Bishops of the Church of England in the House of Lords, reducing their number from 26 to 12
• a transition staggered over the course of three electoral cyclesThe White Paper sets out three different options for the transition period and acknowledges that the case can be made for other proportional representation systems including the open list. The draft Bill and White Paper are clear the powers of the reformed House of Lords will remain the same, with it continuing to provide scrutiny and expertise, complementing the work of the Commons.

It is the Government's intention that the first elections take place in 2015. The draft Bill and White Paper will now be considered by a Joint Committee, composed of 13 peers and 13 MPs, before legislation is introduced next year.