The House of Lords is the upper house of the British Parliament - a unique institution in its archaism. It consists of secular and spiritual lords, called peers. The number of members of the chamber is not established by law (in 1994 it included 1259 peers).
Meetings of Parliament are held in the Palace of Westminster, built specifically for this purpose, although it is officially called royal (it is only formally at the disposal of the Houses of Lords and Commons). The decoration of the House of Lords is rather restrained, reminiscent of a medieval chapel with openwork carvings of panels.
Most of the seats belong to peers by inheritance, they have titles of nobility not lower than barons. Hereditary peers are eligible to sit in Parliament when they reach the age of 21.
Some of the Lords have the status of lifelong, who received such a right under the Life Peerage Act of 1958 (gives such a right to women, including the famous Baroness Margaret Thatcher). There are also two categories of lords by office: 26 spiritual, 12 judicial (“ordinary lords forAppeals”) who are appointed by the Queen to exercise the judicial powers of the Chamber.
They do not have a title of nobility and are not peers. The House of Lords does not provide for the entry into its composition of foreigners, bankrupt peers, as well as those convicted of treason.
The Speaker of the House - the Lord Chancellor - is endowed with functions in the legislative, judicial and executive branches of government. He presides over debates, is a member of the cabinet of government, and is head of the legal service. This is the highest civilian of the country, he has advantages (after members of the royal family) over other subjects, with the exception of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
From the very beginning of its existence, the House of Lords of Great Britain consisted only of representatives of the landed aristocracy. At present, this situation remains to a greater extent. Civil servants are second in number. The third group of peers are heads of companies. The peculiarity of the Chamber is that its composition before voting is an unpredictable and uncertain value.
The House of Lords is known for its colorful landmark - a wool sack. This is a pouffe upholstered in red cloth, on which the Lord Chancellor sits during meetings. The tradition was introduced about six centuries ago by Edward III in order to remind everyone of the importance of this product for the Kingdom.
The House of Lords is small in size, about 30x15 meters. Right and left of the famous"vulsaka" (a bag of wool) are red sofas, rising in tiers.
Before 1911, the Lords had the right to reject any bill that was passed by the House of Commons. But now they have retained only the right of a suspensive veto - a delay, the term of which for different projects can vary from a year to a month. The official record of the parliamentary session is called "hansard".
English lords do not receive a salary, with the exception of judges, the speaker and those who are also members of the cabinet. However, they are en titled to reimbursement of expenses for the time spent in meetings. On average, the content of one lord per year costs 149 thousand pounds.
