House of Lords written statement – made at on 26 January 2006.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton
Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor
I am pleased to announce that Her Majesty the Queen has appointed Sir John Brigstocke KCB as the first Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman.
Sir John Brigstocke has a distinguished record of achievement in the Royal Navy. The appointment is for a period of five years in the first instance, and will expire in January 2011.
His appointment marks a further significant step in ensuring the integrity and transparency of the new framework for judicial appointments and the judicial system as a whole.
The house of Lords is the upper chamber of the Houses of Parliament. It is filled with Lords (I.E. Lords, Dukes, Baron/esses, Earls, Marquis/esses, Viscounts, Count/esses, etc.) The Lords consider proposals from the EU or from the commons. They can then reject a bill, accept it, or make amendments. If a bill is rejected, the commons can send it back to the lords for re-discussion. The Lords cannot stop a bill for longer than one parliamentary session. If a bill is accepted, it is forwarded to the Queen, who will then sign it and make it law. If a bill is amended, the amended bill is sent back to the House of Commons for discussion.
The Lords are not elected; they are appointed. Lords can take a "whip", that is to say, they can choose a party to represent. Currently, most Peers are Conservative.
