Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Selsdon (Conservative). It was answered on Wednesday, 21 July 2010.

House of Lords: Reform

Question: My Lords, I am most grateful to the noble Lord, but perhaps I can inform him a bit better, having been here 10 years longer than he said. My noble friend will, of course, know that the House of Lords Library and the SSRB have declared that a Member of the House of Lords does not have a role or a job to do. The only people who do are Ministers and office holders, who are remunerated. The rest of us are holders of a dignity. Could my noble friend describe to me what a working Peer is? I would like to be one but, if I have to stand upon my dignity, I am concerned that there will be nowhere to sit down when the new Peers arrive.

Answer: First, I have checked and, yes, the noble Lord has been here for 47 years, which may explain why I am in the Ministry of Justice and not in the Treasury. This definition of dignity, which is the last refuge of— I am thinking of those wishing to talk to the Inland Revenue. I go back to what I said. It is very interesting and like Attlee's definition of an elephant: when you see a working Peer, you recognise one. I recognise a lot around this House.

Secondary information