The Comparative Powers of the Commons and Lords, and Lords Reform
Although the House of Commons and House of Lords are both part of Parliament, their formal powers are not equal.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Learn the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 precisely: what each covers, and the exact time limits each imposes on the Lords.
- Learn the Salisbury Convention's exact scope, that it applies to manifesto bills at second and third reading, so you do not overstate what it covers.
- Learn the powers the Lords still has despite the Parliament Acts, especially over secondary legislation, since these are often overlooked.
- For an evaluation of Lords reform or the comparative power of the two Houses, plan three two-sided paragraphs weighing the case for change against the case for the current model.
- Give each paragraph a clear judgement before moving on; a paragraph that only lists the Lords' democratic deficit, or only its expertise, with no counterpoint, is capped in the middle band.
- Build a thesis-led introduction and a conclusion that weighs the three judgements to reach an overall, supported answer.
- Keep the House of Lords Act 1999 and House of Lords Reform Act 2014 as your core factual anchors for any question on what has already changed, and the 2012 House of Lords Reform Bill's failure as evidence of how difficult further reform has proved.
Worked example
'The Parliament Acts have made the House of Lords powerless.' Evaluate this statement. Plan the essay: a thesis, three two-sided paragraphs and a conclusion.
- Underline the claim: 'powerless' is a strong word - the essay needs to test whether the Lords retains any real power despite the Parliament Acts.
- Choose three comparisons: (1) money bills, (2) ordinary public bills, (3) secondary legislation.
- Paragraph 1: the Parliament Act 1911 lets the Commons pass a money bill without Lords consent after one month, giving the Lords no real power over the government's core financial legislation, weighed against the counterpoint that in practice the Lords rarely even attempts to block money bills, so this power is more theoretical backup than a regularly used constraint, then a judgement.
- Paragraph 2: the Parliament Act 1949 limits the Lords' delay of most other public bills to around 13 months across two sessions, weighed against the counterpoint that a 13-month delay can still be politically significant, and the Lords more often uses genuine amendment and ping-pong than outright blocking, then a judgement.
- Paragraph 3: the Parliament Acts do not cover secondary legislation at all, weighed against the counterpoint that the Lords rarely uses this power, given the political convention against regularly overturning statutory instruments, so the formal power exists but self-restraint limits its use, then a judgement.
- Write a thesis and a conclusion on whether 'powerless' is accurate, weighing formal legal limits against how the Lords actually behaves in practice.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1What does the Parliament Act 1911 allow the House of Commons to do regarding money bills?Show answer
Answer: Pass a money bill into law without the consent of the House of Lords, after a delay of one month, once it has passed the Commons.
Q2How long can the House of Lords delay most other public bills under the Parliament Act 1949?Show answer
Answer: Around 13 months, across two parliamentary sessions, after which the Commons can pass the bill without Lords consent.
Q3What is the Salisbury Convention?Show answer
Answer: The convention that the House of Lords does not vote down, at second or third reading, a government bill that implements a commitment made in its election manifesto.
Q4Can the House of Lords block secondary legislation (statutory instruments) outright?Show answer
Answer: Yes; the Parliament Acts do not apply to statutory instruments, so the Lords can, and occasionally does, reject them entirely, as it did with certain tax credit cuts regulations in 2015.
Q5What did the House of Lords Act 1999 change about the Lords' membership?Show answer
Answer: It removed the automatic right of hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords, retaining only 92 of them by agreement, while life peers continued to be appointed.
Q6What did the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 introduce?Show answer
Answer: The ability for peers to retire permanently from the House, and provisions for peers to be expelled for persistent non-attendance or a serious criminal conviction.
Q7Give one argument for retaining an appointed, rather than elected, House of Lords.Show answer
Answer: An appointed chamber can bring specialist professional expertise into detailed legislative scrutiny without members needing to prioritise re-election.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a A Level Politics exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Explain TWO reasons the House of Commons is considered the dominant chamber of the UK Parliament.
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Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 8 available
'The House of Lords should be replaced by a wholly or mainly elected second chamber.' Evaluate this statement.
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See real A Level Politics past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
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