House of Lords (Bastara)
House of Lords הויז פון הארן | |
|---|---|
| 1st Parliament | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
| Founded | 9 June 2023 |
| Leadership | |
Lords Speaker | Vacant |
House Leader | Vacant |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 1 |
Length of term | Life Tenure |
| Elections | |
| Appointment | |
| Meeting place | |
| Doiwood | |
| Constitution | |
| Constitution of Bastara | |
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of Bastara.
Membership of the house is not achieved by election, but via appointment for life. Membership can also be voluntarily resigned or ended by expulsion.
As the upper house of Parliament, the House of Lords has many similar functions to the House of Commons.For example it scrutinises legislation, holds the government accountable, and considers and reports upon public policy. Peers may also seek to introduce legislation or propose amendments to bills currently passing through.
Members can be selected for ministerial positions, but are normally appointed as junior ministers. The House of Lords does not control the term of the prime minister or of the government - only the House of Commons may vote to require the prime minister to resign or call an election.
The house does not have a defined number of seats - constitutional convention having a number of seats equivalent to the number of senior religious and noble titles established.
The King's Speech is delivered in the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament.
History
The house was founded on 9 June 2023. Like the House of Commons and Parliament as institutions were established by the Bastaran constitution.
Functions
Legislative Functions
All bills, with the exception of money bills, have to pass in the House of Lords as well as the House of Commons before they can be given to the monarch for royal assent and become law.
The House of Lords debates legislation, and has the power to amend or reject bills. They also have the unique ability to delay the reviewal of proposed legislation by up to a year, which is a power that the House of Commons is not granted.
Bills can also originate in the House of Lords provided they are reviewed and passed before both houses before they become law.
Relationship with Government
The House of Lords has a role scrutinising the government. Non-government lords are able to scrutinise government bills and actions. However, unlike the Commons, the Lords can't bring down a government as the government does not rely on the confidence of the House of Lords so the house cannot withdraw confidence or supply.
Membership
Lords Spiritual
Members of the house who sit as members by virtue of their religious office are known as Lords Spiritual. Jewish ministers are prioritised in the awarding of Lords Spiritual seats, with the Chief Rabbi of Bastara being guaranteed a seat, due to Judaism being the national religion.
Lords Spiritual's seats are reliant on the holders term of office in their religious office.
Lords Temporal
Lords Temporal are members of the house who have noble titles are are appointed to the house for holding such. Peers may have life or hereditary peerages, but house seats are not hereditary.
Qualifications
To be eligible to sit in the house of lords a few requirements need to be met, including:
- 17.5 Years of Age
- be a Bastaran Citizen
- Hold a Religious or Noble Title
- be not Convicted of a Crime Under Bastaran Law
Expulsion
Members are permitted to resign their seat in the house should they so desire. However, the house can choose to strip a member of their seat in the house and expel them.
For the house to expel a member it requires a two thirds majority vote or petitioning the monarch to dismiss the member.
Officers
The House of Lords is permitted to elect one of its own members to become the Speaker of the House. Candidates for the house speakership needs a simple majority to be the elected candidate who's then subject to reviewal, confirmation and official appointment as speaker. The house speaker serves at the house's pleasure and is the house's presiding officer. The house speaker can also chair Lords committees.
The Leader of the House of Lords also has an officer role in the house. The leader of the house is a member of the Government of Bastara and is responsible for organising and managing government business in the house.