§ Lord Craig of Radleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Jay of Paddington on 13 March (WA 195), whether the non-political persons recommended for peerages by the interim Appointments Commission will sit in the House as Life peers for life. [HL1598]
§ The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Jay of Paddington)The Government have said that they accept the principles underlying the main elements of the Royal Commission's report. However, at this stage, the Government do not want to comment upon the detail of the report. Answering this question would be a direct response to Recommendation 103:
"Life peers created between the publication of this report and the enactment of legislation necessary to implement the second stage of Lords reform should be deemed to have been appointed to the reformed second chamber for a period totalling 15 years from the award of their life peerage"
Instead, the Government want to build upon the consensus established by the unanimous report and intend to consult widely and listen carefully to discussion and debate on the Commission's recommendations before coming to their own conclusions.