Britain: An official handbook > 1993

BRITAIN 1993: AN OFFICIAL HANDBOOK
sit in the House but gain the right to vote
and stand as candidates at parliamentary
elections.
Peerages, both hereditary and life, are
created by the Sovereign on the advice of the
Prime Minister. They are usually granted in
recognition of service in politics or other
walks of life or because one of the political
parties wishes to have the recipient in the
House of Lords. The House also provides a
place in Parliament for people who offer
useful advice, but do not wish to be involved
in party politics.
In mid-1992 there were 1,211 members of
the House of Lords, including the two
archbishops and 24 bishops. The Lords
Temporal consisted of 758 hereditary peers
who had succeeded to their titles, 19
hereditary peers who have had their titles
conferred on them (including the Prince of
Wales), and 408 life peers, of whom 20 were
‘law lords’. Of the total, 80 peers did not
receive a writ of summons and some 99
peers were on leave of absence from the
House.8 Holders of Irish peerages are not
entitled to membership of the House of
Lords, but some peers of Ireland sit in the
House of Lords as holders of English,
Scottish, Great Britain or United Kingdom
peerages.
Not all peers with a right to sit in the
House of Lords attend the sittings. Peers
who attend the House (the average daily
attendance is some 320) receive no salary for
their parliamentary work, but can claim for
expenses incurred in attending the House
(for which there are maximum daily rates)
and certain travelling expenses.
Officers of the House of Lords
The House is presided over by the Lord
Chancellor, who takes his place on the
woolsack9 as ex-officio Speaker of the
House. In his absence his place is taken by a
8 Some hereditary peers do not establish their claim to succeed
and so do not receive a writ of summons entitling them to sit in
the House. Lords may apply for leave of absence for the
duration, or for the remainder of a Parliament.
9 The woolsack is a seat in the form of a large cushion stuffed
with wool from several Commonwealth countries; it is a tradition
dating from the medieval period, when wool was the chief source
of the country’s wealth.
deputy speaker, a deputy chairman or, if
neither is present, by a speaker chosen by
the Lords present. The first of the deputy
speakers is the Chairman of Committees,
who is appointed at the beginning of each
session and normally chairs most
committees. The Chairman and the
Principal Deputy Chairman of Committees
are Lords, but receive salaries as officers of
the House.
The permanent officers of the House
include the Clerk of the Parliaments, who is
responsible for the records of proceedings
and for making known to the public Acts of
Parliament. He is the accounting officer for
money voted to the House, and is in charge
of the administrative staff of the House,
known as the Parliament Office. The
Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, who is
also Serjeant-at-Arms in attendance upon the
Lord Chancellor, is responsible for security,
accommodation and services in the House of
Lords’ part of the Palace of Westminster.
The Yeoman Usher is Deputy Serjeant-at-
Arms and assists Black Rod in his duties.
The House of Commons
The House of Commons is elected by
universal adult suffrage (see p 35) and
consists of 651 Members of Parliament
(MPs). At present there are 60 women, three
Asian and three black MPs. Of the 651 seats,
524 are for England, 38 for Wales, 72 for
Scotland, and 17 for Northern Ireland.
General elections are held after a
Parliament has been dissolved and a new one
summoned by the Queen. When an MP dies
or resigns,10 or is given a peerage, a by-
election takes place. Members are paid an
annual salary of £30,854 (from January 1992)
and an office costs allowance of up to
£39,960. There are also a number of other
allowances, including travel allowances, a
supplement for London members and, for
provincial members, subsistence allowances
and allowances for second homes. (For
ministers’ salaries see p 45.)
10 An MP who wishes to resign from the House can only do so
by applying for an office under the Crown as Crown Steward or
Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds, or Steward of the Manor of
Northstead.
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