§ 44. Mr. Sheldonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will lay before the House the full calculations made by Her Majesty's Government and used as a basis for the proposal concerning the size of the Chamber of the House of Lords, the maximum age of retirement and the minimum attendance requirement.
§ Mr. CallaghanThe proposals to which my hon. Friend refers were based on the Government's judgment of what would be an appropriate size for the voting House and an appropriate attendance requirement for the exercise of voting rights. They took into account the details of attendance in the House of Lords which are published in the Journals of that House. The age of retirement was set at a level which will give a sufficient turnover in membership to accommodate the new creations needed on a change of Government, and which will also correspond approximately with the age at which persons retire from other occupations, for example bishops and law lords. The Government's conclusions correspond with those of the Inter-Party Conference.