UK Parliament

	The House of Lords is the second chamber of the U.K. Houses of Parliament. Members of the House of Lords (known as 'peers') consist of Lords Spiritual (senior bishops) and Lords Temporal (lay peers). Law Lords (senior judges) also sit as Lords Temporal. Members of the House of Lords are not elected. Originally, they were drawn from the various groups of senior and influential nobility in Britain, who advised the monarch throughout the country's early history. Following the House of Lords Act 1999 only 92 hereditary peers remain in the House. The majority of members are now life peers. There are 670 peers in total in March 2000. Further information - Illustrated Brief Guide and HL Briefing Papers (House of Lords Information Office) The House of Lords Bill - Lords Amendments (House of Commons Library Research Paper 99/88 in pdf format) Role of the House of Lords Organisation of the House of Lords Composition of the House of Lords Lords Spiritual Lords Temporal The Woolsack