The Government of the UK: House of Lords Quiz

Answer: Simon de Montfort

After his accession to the English throne, William the Conqueror instituted the Curia Regis, an advisory council of Earls, Barons, Bishops and Abbots. John I was forced to sign The Magna Carta, among whose provisions required that the King summon the council to approve new taxation.

Henry the Third's proclivity to appoint foreigners as ministers and custodians of English castles fueled the ire of the nobles and led directly to the Barons imposing The Provisions of Oxford upon the King. These provisions established a Baronial council with the authority to make the appointments the King previously made. Every three years the larger body, the Parliament, was to scrutinize the actions of the council. Significantly, during the ensuing civil war, Simon de Montfort extended representation in Parliament to groups beyond the nobility.

Answer: 26

As of 2005, twenty-six Lords Spiritual were seated in the House of Lords: the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the Bishops of Durham, London and Winchester, and the 21 next most senior Church of England. The full official name of the House of Lords is "The Right Honourable The Lords Spiritual and Temporal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament Assembled."

Answer: Hereditary Peerage

The number of members of the House of Lords has varied dramatically through the centuries. The low point was reached when Cromwell abolished the house in the 17th century, reducing the number to zero. By the 1950s, the House, which had once numbered about fifty swelled to over nine hundred.

Hereditary peerage traditionally determined the membership of the House of Lords. In 1958, the Life Peerages Act allowed the Monarch to appoint non-hereditary peerages, providing a fresh source of House members. Although the House of Lords Act 1999 (Note: Parliamentary acts do not place "of" in front of the year) states in Section 1 that "No-one shall be a member of the House of Lords by virtue of a hereditary peerage", Section 2 goes on to detail more than ninety exceptions. Still, the composition of the House of Lords was radically changed in the 20th century and the number of hereditary peers now number less than 20%. More radical reform has been proposed in the 21st century: direct election. In 2003 a proposal to elect 80% of the House of Lords was defeated in the House of Commons by only three votes.

Answer: Financial legislation

One of the most definitive conflicts between Lords and Commons took place in the early 20th century. In 1909 the House of Lords rejected Lloyd George's "People's Budget", which included substantial taxes on wealthy landowners. This resulted ultimately in the passage of the Parliament Act 1911 that provided that the House of Lords could delay money bills for no longer than one month.

Other bills could be delayed for two years but could be passed after that time without the consent of the House of Lords.

The House of Lords retains the authority to amend legislation, initiate legislation and question the executive.

Answer: Final court of appeal for civil cases in the United Kingdom and for criminal cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 replaces the Law Lords with a UK Supreme Court. The role of the Lord Chancellor was a bone of contention between Lords and Commons. Ultimately a compromise was worked out that gives the Lord Chancellor a reduced role in the judiciary and allows the Lord Chancellor to be either a member of the House of Lords or of the House of Commons.

Answer: A bill to prolong the lifetime of a Parliament

The UK Parliament can be dissolved by the Monarch. This would generally occur after a no confidence vote or on the request of the Prime Minister. Parliament is dissolved in any case after five years unless prolonged by a vote of both houses. In the case of a bill for extending Parliament, the House of Lords retains its veto power.

The Parliament Act 1911 was viewed as a stopgap measure. Although some of its provisions were modified in the Parliament Act 1949, the House of Lords retains its veto power with respect to bills to prolong the lifetime of Parliament.

Answer: Both of these

Except in the case of a bill to extend Parliament, the House of Commons can pass legislation over the objection of the upper house. However, the bill must be passed in two sessions and at least a year must elapse from the first second reading to final enactment. This provision encourages compromise while ensuring that the directly elected House of Commons holds ultimate power.

Answer: Fox hunting

Between 1949 and 2005 four bills passed into law without the approval of the House of Lords: The War Crimes Act 1991, The European Parliamentary Elections Act 1999, The Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000, and The Hunting Act 2004. The Hunting Act, which bans most types of hunting with animals, received Royal Assent in November 2004 and went into effect in February of 2005.

Although 57% of respondents to a 2002 Daily Telegraph poll agreed that "hunting with dogs is never acceptable", opposition to the ban remained strong and active following its passage.

Answer: 1958

In 1958, the Monarch was empowered to create life peerages, which would expire at the time of death and not be hereditary. A woman appointed to a life peerage could serve in the House of Lords under this act, but hereditary peeresses were still excluded.

The first women to serve in the House of Lords were Baroness Swanbourough, Lady Reading and Baroness Barbara Wooton. In 1963 hereditary peeresses were admitted to the House in their own right. Baroness Janet Young became the first female leader of the House of Lords in 1981.

In 2003 Dame Brenda Hale became the first Law Lord.

Answer: The Woolsack

Since the 14th century the Lord Chancellor, while presiding over the House of Lords, has seated himself on a red cushion stuffed with wool. The wool was originally chosen as a symbol of English prosperity from the wool trade. In more modern times the wool was taken from a number of Commonwealth countries and symbolizes unity. Should the Lord Chancellor wish to engage in debate, he must first rise from the Woolsack to indicate that he is no longer functioning as the presiding officer of the chamber.