§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any European or Commonwealth states have legislative chambers that are wholly unelected. [HL4620]
§ The Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor (Lord Falconer of Thoroton)Canada's second Chamber is appointed, as are the second Chambers in a number of other Commonwealth countries. The Government are committed to putting the appointed House of Lords on a stable footing for the medium term, in the absence of any consensus for further reform. A new independent statutory appointments commission was announced in the consultation paperNext steps for the House of Lords, published on 18 September.