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House of Lords (Alternative Second Chamber) Bill [HL]

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A bill to Establish a framework for the Secretary of State to consult stakeholders on the replacement of the House of Lords with an alternative second chamber.

B e it enacted the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1 Consultation on an alternative second chamber

(1) The Secretary of State must carry out a consultation about proposals for replacing the House of Lords with an alternative second chamber.
(2) The Secretary of State must, in particular, consult—
(a) the Scottish Ministers, the Welsh Ministers and a Northern Ireland department;
(b) such persons appearing to the Secretary of State to represent the interests of local government in England as the Secretary of State considers appropriate;
(c) such persons appearing to the Secretary of State to have expertise in constitutional law or constitutional reform as the Secretary of State considers appropriate;
(d) the Equality and Human Rights Commission;
(e) such other persons as the Secretary of State considers appropriate.
(3) The consultation must include a process of public consultation, which—
(a) must be carried out in such manner as the Secretary of State considers appropriate (which might, but would not necessarily, include the use of voluntary facilitated citizens’ assemblies), and
(b) must include a webpage for the receipt of submissions from members of the public.
(4) The consultation period must start within six months of the day on which this Act is passed, and must last not less than 12 weeks.
(5) The Secretary of State must publish a document setting out—
(a) the proposals on which views are sought,
(b) the manner in which those proposals would, in the view of the Secretary of State, be representative of the regions and nations of the United Kingdom,
(c) such information as the Secretary of State considers appropriate to enable consultees to make informed responses, and
(d) how, and by when, responses may be made.
(6) As soon as reasonably practicable after the day on which the consultation period ends and within six months of that day, the Secretary of State must publish a summary of responses received and a statement of the Secretary of State’s response to those representations.
(7) The Secretary of State must lay before Parliament a report containing the documents published under subsections (5) and (6).
(8) In this section alternative second chamber means a second chamber of Parliament which is not the House of Lords.

2 Extent, commencement and short title

(1) This Act extends to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
(2) This Act comes into force on the day on which it is passed.
(3) This Act may be cited as the House of Lords (Alternative Second Chamber) Act 2026.