Member News
The House of Lords should allow members to retire permanently, it has been suggested.
The Lords Leaders Group on Members Leaving the House called for the change in its report.
They recommend that the current Leave of Absence arrangements should be strengthened to encourage members unable to play a full part in the work of the House to step down from active membership.
Peers are granted the right to sit in the House of Lords for life by virtue of their Writ of Summons which is granted by the Monarch.
They cannot retire but can apply for Leave of Absence indicating they do not intend to attend Parliament.
The group has recommended that peers should be able to take permanent voluntary retirement.
Lord Strathclyde, Leader of the House of Lords, welcomed the report.
"Members of the House of Lords take their duty to the House and to its business very seriously," he said.
"But we must recognise also that sometimes circumstances may prevent peers from being able to exercise those duties.
"Therefore having mechanisms in place which allow them to stand back from the work of the House in a proper and orderly manner would be welcome.
"I am pleased that the group also agree with me that any mechanisms to allow Members to leave the House must not create extra costs for the taxpayer.
"That is an important principle that must be maintained throughout the process."
The group made the following recommendations:
* At the start of each session of Parliament the Clerk of the Parliaments should write to members who have attended the House on 3 or fewer occasions in the previous session inviting them to take a Leave of Absence.
* Members who fail to respond to this letter should automatically be granted a Leave of Absence.
* The period of notice required to terminate a Leave of Absence and return to active membership of the House of Lords should be increased from one to three months.
* The requirement for legislation to override a member's Writ of Summons should not delay the early implementation of such a scheme.
* The departure of members permanently retiring from the House following distinguished service should be marked in some way; perhaps by a ceremony in the chamber.
* Leaders of the party groups in the Lords and the convenor of the crossbench peers should take an enabling role in offering advice to those contemplating retirement.
At present 20 peers are on leave of absence, three are suspended, 15 are disqualified as senior members of the judiciary and one is disqualified as an MEP.
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