House of Lords: Writs of Summons

HL Deb 30 April 2001 vol 625 cc72-4WA

Lord Northbrook

asked the Chairman of Committees:

Whether Writs of Summons to Members of the House of Lords are the personal property of each individual Peer; and, if so, whether they should be returned to them after submission (together with previous Writs) if the Peer so requests. [HL1894]

The Chairman of Committees (Lord Tordoff)

Until the 1951–52 Session, Writs of Summons were not returned to Lords. Since then, Writs have been returned to Lords who request them during the Parliament to which they relate. When the Writs are "spent" (i.e. at the end of each Parliament) those remaining are preserved amongst the archives of the House, together with other surviving Writs dating back to 1559.

In May 2000 the Administration and Works Sub-Committee reaffirmed that "spent" Writs should be considered part of the Parliamentary Archive, and should not be returned to Lords on request.