APPOINTMENT OF PEOPLE'S PEERS

EDM number 603 in 2000-01, proposed by Gordon Prentice on 25/04/2001.

That this House recognises the Government's belief that the appointment of 15 new 'non-party political' people's peers will increase the extent to which the House of Lords is representative of the United Kingdom as a whole; notes that the House of Lords Appointments Commission set out on four regional roadshows costing ú12,000 to encourage putative people's peers to apply; further notes that 3,141 applicants were subsequently considered for appointment - including 17 whose main homes were outside the United Kingdom, but regrets that the 3,126 rejected applicants were not given reasons for their rejection even if requested; believes that copies of all applications for a seat in the legislature of the United Kingdom as a people's peer should be lodged in the Library; is astonished that non-party political people's peers will, after enoblement, have a free choice as to whether to take a party whip; concludes that in a modern democracy the election of legislators is preferable to appointment; and calls for a directly-elected House of Lords of no more than 100 members.

This motion has been signed by a total of 20 MPs.