Member

Through that simple device, we could reduce the size of the House of Lords to about 600. We could do it immediately, and we could ensure that all the people who should not be there, who were appointed for the wrong reasons, would leave the place. We could do that very simply and easily. We could do it by consensus, and we could also beef up the House of Lords Appointments Commission. At present it can reject someone on grounds of propriety, but it cannot do so on grounds of suitability. Beefing up its powers would ensure that only the very best people were appointed to the House of Lords, those with experience who could make a proper contribution. Let me add, just to please my friend the hon. Member for Perth and Kinross-shire (Pete Wishart), that there is no question of appointing donors and cronies to the other place.