The House of Lords

The Lords Chamber, the masterpiece of the rebuilt Palace, was first occupied in 1847. It is 24 m long, 14 m wide and 14 m high (80 ft x 46 ft x 46 ft). At its southern end is the Throne, from which the Queen reads her speech at the opening of Parliament. In front of the Throne is the red cushion known as the Woolsack. The Woolsack is a seat stuffed with wool on which the Lord Chancellor sits. It was introduced by King Edward III (1327-77) and originally stuffed with English wool as a reminder of England's traditional source of wealth - the wool trade - and as a sign of prosperity. Today the Woolsack is stuffed with wool from several countries of the Commonwealth, to symbolize unity. In front of this are two similar woolsacks used by judges at the opening of Parliament, and the Table of the House at which the Clerks sit.

The Lords' benches, upholstered in red leather, are arranged on both sides of the House, in five rows divided into three blocks. The Government benches are on the right of the Throne and the Opposition benches on the left. Facing the Woolsack below the Table are the cross benches, used by members who do not belong to any political party.

The House of Lords is the second chamber of the U.K. Houses of Parliament. Members of the House of Lords (known as 'peers') consist of Lords Spiritual (senior bishops and the two archbishops) and Lords Temporal (lay peers). Law Lords (senior judges) also sit as Lords Temporal. The number of spiritual peers is now reduced to 26. They include the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the Bishops of Durham, London and Winchester, and the 21 next most senior Church of England Bishops.

Members of the House of Lords are not elected. Following the House of Lords Act 1999 there are only 92 peers who sit by virtue of hereditary peerage. The majority of members are now L ife Peers and the Government has been consulting on proposals for further reform of the Lords. Some Lords are former Members of the House of Commons who have been elevated to the Lords in recognition of distinguished service in politics or because one of the political parties wishes to have them in the House. People who have especially distinguished themselves in other parts of public life, such as industry, the trade unions, education, science, the arts and local government, are often brought into the House of Lords as life peers. In 1958 the Life Peerages Act was passed, which entitled the Queen to give non-hereditary titles or life peerages to both men and women. One of the life peers is Sean Connery, another is Margaret Thatcher.

There were 700 peers in total in February 2002. The composition of the House of Lords is different from that of the House of Commons. There was traditionally a large number of Conservative peers in the Lords but this is no longer the case since the majority of hereditary peers were excluded from membership of the House following the House of Lords Act 1999.

About two thirds of the Lords align themselves with a political party. A distinctive feature of the House of Lords is the presence of crossbench peers who are not affiliated to any party group.

In general, the functions of the House of Lords are similar to those of the House of Commons in legislating, debating and questioning the executive. There are two important exceptions: members of the Lords do not represent constituencies, and are not involved in matters of taxation and finance. The role of the Lords is generally recognized to be complementary to that of the Commons and it acts as a revising chamber for many of the more important and controversial bills. All bills go through both Houses before becoming Acts, and may start in either House. The House of Commons can present a bill (except one to prolong the life of Parliament) for Royal Assent after one year and in a new session even if the Lords have not given their agreement.

The House of Lords is also the final court of appeal for civil cases in the United Kingdom and for criminal cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Only the Lords of Appeal (Law Lords) - of whom there are 12 employed full-time - take part in judicial proceedings.

Sean Connery as a Life Peer

The House of Commons

The Commons Chamber is 21 m long, 14 m wide and 14 m high (68 ft x 46 ft x 46 ft). The Speaker's Chair stands on steps at the north end. In front of this is the Table of the House at which the Clerk of the House and his assistants sit. At the head of the Table, whenever the House is sitting, rests the Mace. This symbolises the royal authority by which the House meets. It dates from the reign of Charles II.

The benches for MPs, upholstered in green leather, run the length of the Chamber on both sides, facing each other across a broad gangway known as the 'floor of the House'. To the Speaker's right are the benches used by the Government and its supporters, and to the left are those occupied by the Opposition and members of other parties.

The Division lobbies into which MPs pass to record their votes are on the eastern and western side of the Chamber. MPs voting for a motion (the "Ayes") pass into the lobby on the right of the Speaker, and those voting against (the "Noes") enter the lobby to the left.

The floor of the House is overlooked by a series of galleries running round all four sides. The gallery above and behind the Speaker's Chair is known as the Press Gallery and is reserved for the official reporters who record for Hansard the official record of parliamentary proceedings, and representatives of the media. Opposite the Speaker's Chair is the Strangers' Gallery. This is open to the public and seats about 200.

The House of Commons is the centre of parliamentary power. It is directly responsible to the electorate, and from the 20th century the House of Lords has recognised the supremacy of the elected chamber. The House of Commons is traditionally regarded as the lower house, but it is the main parliamentary arena for the political battle. As with the House of Lords, the House of Commons debates new legislation as part of the process of making an Act of Parliament. The House also scrutinises the work of the Government - it does that by various means, including questioning ministers in the Chamber during Question time.

The party that wins the majority of Commons seats in a general election is called on to form the next government. General elections are held at least every five years. Not all Parliaments run for the whole five years, and a general election may be held before this period is up. In the event of a small majority the election may well take place much earlier. In between general elections, by-elections are held as necessary to elect a new Member of Parliament to an individual constituency. An Electoral Commission was established in November 2000 as an independent body to oversee new controls on donations to and campaign spending by political parties and others. It also has a permit to keep under review electoral law and practice and to promote public awareness of the electoral process. The House of Commons currently has 659 Members of Parliament (MPs), each representing an individual constituency. Of the 659 seats, 529 are for England, 40 for Wales, 72 for Scotland and 18 for Northern Ireland.

General elections are elections of the whole House of Commons at one time: one Member of Parliament for each constituency in the United Kingdom. Each MP is elected from the various candidates through secret ballot by a simple majority system in which each elector can cast one vote. The candidates may be from one of the three major political parties, from a minor party or from any other organisation that has paid the deposit to stand. A candidate need not represent a party or group and may stand as an independent candidate. The 2001 Parliament has one independent MP - Mr Richard Taylor (Wyre Forest). Most voting takes place in polling stations, but any citizen eligible to vote in Great Britain can apply on demand to vote by post. At present, British citizens living abroad can vote by post, as long as they have been living abroad for less than 20 years; from 1st April 2002 the limit will be 15 years.