The House of Lords has an important role in scrutinising and improving draft legislation. The Government is committed to ensuring that the House of Lords continues to fulfil its constitutional role as a revising and scrutinising chamber which respects the primacy of the House of Commons.

As a revising chamber, comprised of peers with a wide variety of experience, the House of Lords plays an important role in Parliament. Our political system has benefited from the expertise of peers who have been able to scrutinise and improve legislation.

Reforms to the House of Lords include allowing peers to retire and the expulsion of peers due to poor conduct. The Government was elected on a manifesto commitment to look at the broader aspects of our constitution, including the role of the House of Lords and the relationship between the Government, Parliament and the courts.  This is something I will continue to follow closely.

I believe the current system strikes the right balance between ensuring our parliamentary democracy is representative and the best value for the country, as well as a system which welcomes the expertise and wisdom of peers from all areas of public life.