ABSTRACT
Prior to the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the office of Speaker of the House of Lords was fulfilled by the Lord Chancellor, appointed by the Crown on the advice of the Prime Minister. With effect from July 2006, the speakership was taken over by the Lord Speaker of the House of Lords, elected by members of that House. The Lord Speaker is elected for a five-year term and may not serve for more than two terms. The functions of the Lord Speaker are:
• to offer procedural advice to the House; • to chair the Committee of the Whole House; • to act as an ambassador for the House of Lords both in the United Kingdom and
abroad;
• to ensure the security of the House. The Lord Speaker, unlike the Speaker in the House of Commons, does not fulfil the function of ensuring order in the House or calling members to speak. Furthermore, whereas the Speaker of the House of Commons plays a role in the legislative process and may rule that certain proposed amendments cannot be debated (perhaps on grounds of relevance), the Lord Speaker does not exercise this function and the House of Lords may decide to debate any and all amendments to Bills.
