The House of Lords Retirement and Participation Committee has today published its report, setting out a practical solution for introducing a retirement age and a participation requirement for members of the House of Lords.
The Committee suggests a maximum retirement age of 80 could be phased in over five years to avoid a “cliff edge” loss of experienced members on a single day, and that all members should be required to attend at least 20 percent of sittings of the House, averaged over two sessions.
The Committee’s report respects the Government’s manifesto commitment, while also ensuring the continued effective functioning of the House – examining and recommending changes to legislation, holding the government to account and raising issues for debate.
The Committee’s key findings include:
Retirement age:
The Committee recommends that any maximum retirement age should apply to all members without exception, and that any requirement to retire by the age of 80 should be phased in for all existing members over a period of five years, beginning on 8 July 2029. The effective maximum retirement age on 8 July 2029 would be 85, with the threshold lowering annually by one year, until it reaches 80 in July 2034.
8 July 2029 was chosen as the start date because it is the last possible sitting day of the current Parliament – since the repeal of the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act 2011 there is no certainty about the length of a Parliament other than the maximum limit of five years.
The recommendation to phase in retirement over a period of five years would avoid a significant loss of experience in the House on a single day that might occur if all members over the age of 80 were required to retire immediately.
This could be agreed by a resolution of the House as an alternative to legislation. New members joining the House would be required to give a written undertaking that they will retire no later than their 80th birthday.
Participation requirement :
Any system for measuring participation might prove overly complex and difficult to implement. However, there is one issue that should be addressed. The current minimum attendance requirement of once per session is too low and reform is necessary.
The Committee recommends that members should be required to attend a minimum of 20 percent of sitting days averaged over two sessions of Parliament. Any member who fails to meet this threshold should cease to be a member of the House.
Setting a requirement at 20 percent of sittings strikes a balance between enabling members to remain actively engaged in their professional careers – thereby keeping their expertise current which benefits the House – while ensuring that they contribute meaningfully to the work of the House.
The Committee recognises that short-term absences may arise without notice in cases of emergency or on compassionate grounds. Such circumstances should be taken into account to ensure that members are not inappropriately penalised for failing to meet the attendance threshold.
Chair’s comment: Baroness Taylor of Bolton, Chair of the Retirement and Participation Committee said:
“The Government’s manifesto contained a commitment to introduce a retirement age and a participation requirement for members of the House of Lords. Our job was to consider the impacts of a retirement age and a participation requirement and assess how they could be implemented in a way that supports the House in its core functions of examining legislation, holding the government of the day to account and raising issues for debate.
“We are suggesting a practical solution which respects the Government’s manifesto commitment, while also ensuring the continued effective functioning of the House.
“To avoid the loss of a large group of experienced members on a single day we recommend that any requirement to retire by 80 should be phased in over five years – starting with those aged 85, and reducing each year until it reaches 80. This would allow the House to manage changes to its membership, avoiding a “cliff-edge” of departures which could affect the capacity of the House to fulfil its functions.
“We think the requirement for members to attend at least 20 percent of sittings strikes the right balance. It means members can continue to keep their expertise current by actively engaging in their outside careers, and in turn use their expertise to make a meaningful contribution to the business of the House and raise the quality of debate.
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