The House of Lords
The Bill
Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same.
A Bill to end membership of the House of Lords by virtue of a hereditary peerage; to make related provision about disqualifications for voting at elections to, and for membership of, the House of Commons; and for connected purposes.
Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-
Exclusion of hereditary peers.
1. No-one shall be a member of the House of Lords by virtue of a hereditary peerage.
Removal of disqualifications in relation to the House of Commons.
2. The holder of a hereditary peerage shall not be disqualified by virtue of that peerage for-
(a) voting at elections to the House of Commons, or
(b) being, or being elected as, a member of that House
Repeals
3. The enactments mentioned in the Schedule are repealed to the extent specified there.
Commencement and transitional provision.
4. - (1) This Act (apart from subsections (3) and (4) below) shall come into force at the end of the Session of Parliament in which it is passed.
(2) Accordingly, any writ of summons issued for the present Parliament in right of a hereditary peerage shall not have effect after that Session.
(3) The Secretary of State may by order make such transitional provision about the entitlement of holders of hereditary peerages to vote at elections to the House of Commons or the European Parliament as he considers appropriate.
(4) An order under this section-
(a) may modify the effect of any enactment or any provision made under an enactment, and
(b) shall be made by statutory instrument which shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.
Interpretation and short title
5. (1) In this Act "hereditary peerage" includes the principality of Wales and the earldom of Chester.
(2) This Act may be cited as the House of Lords Act 1999.
