Lord Speaker

The Lord Speaker has been the Speaker of the British House of Lords since 2006 .

History of office

Unlike in the House of Commons , the elected House of Lords his spokesman ( Speaker ) is not itself instead was ex officio the. Lord Chancellor , the Chairman; the last until 2006 was Lord Falconer of Thoroton . The Lord Chancellor was not only the Speaker of the House of Lords but also a member of the Cabinet. His department was called the Constitutional Affairs Department. In addition, the Lord Chancellor was the Head of Justice of England and Wales and the President of the Supreme Court of England and Wales. The Lord Chancellor was thus part of all three state powers: the legislature , the executive and the judiciary .

Baron Fowler has been the incumbent Lord Speaker since 2016

In June 2003, the Blair government announced its intention to abolish the office of Lord Chancellor, as the various powers are mixed in his office. However, the abolition was rejected in the House of Lords. The constitutional reform act passed in 2005 receives the office of Lord Chancellor, albeit with modified tasks. The record no longer guarantees the incumbent that he is the chairman of the House of Lords. Instead, the Lords are allowed to elect their own Speaker of Parliament. The first Lord Speaker was Helene Hayman, Baroness Hayman .

Official activity

When the Lord Speaker presides over the House of Lords, he wears a ceremonial black and gold robe. He or his deputy sits on the wool sack . This is a large red sack stuffed with wool and located at the head of the Lords Chamber. Unlike the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Chairman of the House of Lords has few powers. He acts as the organ of proclamation of the will of the House of Lords. For example, he announces the results of votes. However, he may not determine which lords are given the right to speak or call individual members to order if they violate the rules of the House of Lords. These measures can only be taken by the House of Lords itself. Unlike the lower house speakers, who are politically obliged to be neutral, the Lord Chancellor and his deputies are allowed to speak on behalf of their respective parties.

The term of office of the Lord Speaker is five years and begins on September 1 of the election year. A Lord Speaker may serve a maximum of two terms of office.

List of public officials

Surname	Year of taking office	Political party
Helene Hayman	2006	Labor Party
Frances D'Souza	2011	independent
Norman Fowler	2016	Conservative party

Individual evidence

1. ^ Role of the Lord Speaker. parliament.uk, accessed January 7, 2012 .