House of Lords Appointments Commission Debate
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Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
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House of Lords Appointments Commission
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean Excerpts(11 months, 4 weeks ago)
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Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Con)
On this occasion I am very glad to agree with my noble friend.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean (Lab)
My Lords, does the Minister accept that the situation of hereditary Peers is sexually discriminatory? Titles still go first to a son, and if there is no son they go to a collateral branch. That is in itself sexually discriminatory and I cannot see how she can possibly argue against that.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Con)
I return to the point that the hereditary element, which plays a great part in this House—we should not decry that—has a by-election process that was part of a House of Lords reform package. There will no doubt be reform in the future, and the nature of hereditary Peers may or may not be considered. We had one Private Member’s Bill last Session on this very issue, but I see it as a slightly separate point from the work of HOLAC.