A strong case can be made for replacing the existing unelected House of Lords by an upper chamber with a membership determined by the votes of the people. But the value of the work done by the Lords today should not be underestimated. That was the theme of a letter by Alistair Lexden published in The Aberdeen Press and Journal on 23 March, in reply to an article by a prominent member of the Scottish National Party, which is totally opposed to the existence of the Lords.
SIR, - Campbell Gunn makes some serious points in his critique of the unelected Lords(Press and Journal, March 19) and while there may be support for an elected upper house as part of a new federal structure for the UK as a whole, Mr Gunn should acknowledge the value of the work done by the Lords currently.
The legislation that Parliament passes gets the line by line scrutiny that is essential in the Lords, not the Commons which lacks the time(and sometimes, it should be said, the inclination) to do that vital job. In my comparatively short time in the Lords, I have been repeatedly struck by the strength of the arguments made by the experts in technology, education, health, security, broadcasting—all the main subjects of the day(especially Europe!)—who are particularly well represented in our 180-strong group of independents or cross-benchers who help give the Lords its special character of calm, measured debate not found elsewhere in our institutions.
Each year, some 2,000 amendments are made to improve draft laws, thanks to Lords. It is on that unglamorous but crucially important work that we spend the bulk of our time. So let’s debate the case for fundamental constitutional change, a question on which the Commons has not managed yet to agree, despite several attempts. But don’t knock us too hard. As a scrutinising and revising chamber, the Lords plays a significant role.
Alistair Lexden
Deputy Speaker
House of Lords
