parlament3

("peers") are not elected. They are holders of an inherited aristocratic title. The House of Lords is therefore a relic of earlier times. The House of Lords has morę than 1,000 mem-bers, but only about 250 take an active part in the work of the House. The House of Lords has little real power nowadays. The power to refuse a proposal for a law (which has been agreed by the Commons) is limited.

The modern House of Lords is a forum for public discussions. The division of Parliament into two House s dat es back as 700 years. Today the elected House of Commons has real political power, although mem-bers of the House of Lords occupy impor-tant posts.

EXERCISES

I. Answer the ąuestions.

1.    What is the official name of the Houses of Parliament?

2.    Who is the second important person in the Kingdom after the Prime Minister?

3.    When was a woman appointed Speaker for the first time?

Who has morę real power: the House of Lords or the House of Commons?

4.