House of Lords Act 1999 (Amendment) Bill [HL]

A Bill to amend the House of Lords Act 1999 to remove the by-election system for the election of hereditary peers.

Originating House

House of Lords

Parliament last updated

2 May 2017

In Plain English

AI-generated

May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.

This Bill would remove the by-election system used to fill vacancies among hereditary peers in the Lords (the 90 ‘excepted’ hereditary peers) as set out in the House of Lords Act 1999, and replace it with new rules defined by Standing Orders. It also opens up a wide range of possible methods and conditions for filling those vacancies, with substantial debate among peers about who should vote, who should stand, and how to ensure representation or other safeguards. The Committee-stage amendments show competing ideas, from maintaining some form of election to replacing it with appointments or Commission-led selection, and from targeting gender or age criteria to broadening or narrowing the electorate.

Key Points

Core aim: end the current by-election mechanism for the 90 excepted hereditary peers and set a new method for filling vacancies, to be set by Standing Orders (and potentially the House of Lords Appointments Commission).
Significant debate on how vacancies should be filled: who is eligible to vote, who can stand, and what the electorate looks like (including possible open eligibility to all hereditary peers vs. party/group-based voting).
Potential safeguards and constraints proposed in various amendments include gender and age representation targets, regional balance, and carve-outs for certain offices (e.g., Earl Marshal, Lord Great Chamberlain) or Deputy Speaker roles.
Some amendments proposed shifting to a Commission-led or nomination/selection process rather than by-election, and others sought to delay or condition when changes take effect (e.g., requiring votes in Parliament or among peers).
Many amendments were withdrawn or not decisively decided at this stage, reflecting ongoing negotiation and lack of a final settled policy.

Progress

The Bill is at Committee stage in the Lords (as of December 2016). A large number of amendments (40 of 61) were tabled, with several withdrawn and others not yet decided, indicating active debate but no final policy settled.

Who is affected?

The 90 hereditary peers covered by the current by-election arrangement (the ‘excepted’ hereditary peers).Other hereditary peers who could be affected by any change in who is eligible to vote or stand.Political parties and groupings in the House of Lords (e.g., Conservatives, Labour and others) and how they are represented in the Lords under any new rules.Administrative and procedural bodies and staff, including the Clerk of the Parliaments and the framework of Standing Orders (potential involvement of the House of Lords Appointments Commission).Offices and roles that might be carved out from any new system (e.g., Earl Marshal, Lord Great Chamberlain, Deputy Speaker) and other offices the House may require.

Generated 21 February 2026

Bill Stages

1st readingLords

24 May 2016

2nd readingLords

9 Sept 2016

Committee stageLords

9 Dec 2016

Report stageLords

3rd readingLords

1st readingCommons

2nd readingCommons

Committee stageCommons

Report stageCommons

3rd readingCommons

Royal Assent

Amendments (61)

55 no decision2 pending2 not moved2 withdrawn

Showing agreed, defeated, and withdrawn amendments.

Updates & Documents

News (1)

News - House of Lords Act 1999 (Amendment)

1 Jan 1970

Line by line examination of the Bill took place during committee stage on 9 December. Amendments discussed covered clause 1 of the Bill.

Report stage – further line by line examination of the Bill - is yet to be scheduled.

The 2016-2017 session of Parliament has prorogued and this Bill will make no further progress.