TUESDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2003

BY ELECTION ARRANGEMENTS FOR VACANCY AMONG ELECTED HEREDITARY PEERS

The by-election process to fill the vacancy arising from the death of the Viscount of Oxfuird begins today. Voting will take place on Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 March 2003. The result will be announced to the House on Thursday 27 March 2003.

Lord Oxfuird was one of the 15 hereditary peers elected by the whole house in 1999 to serve as a Deputy Speaker. His successor will be elected by the whole House. In 1999 the Procedure Committee recommended that any peer elected at a by-election in this category should not be expected to serve as a Deputy Speaker.

TIMETABLE

By Friday 7 March Candidature to be registered (this will also be the cut-off date for joining the Register of Hereditary Peers for this by-election)

Tuesday 11 March List of candidates circulated to Members of the House.

Tuesday 25 and Voting takes place. Wednesday 25 March

Thursday 27 March Count takes place.

The Clerk of the Parliaments will report the result of the by-election to the House.

VOTING

Every Member of the House who has taken the Oath and is not on Leave of Absence is entitled to vote in this by-election without the need to register as a voter. The alternative voting system will be used.

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NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. The 1999 Act, removed the automatic right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords. As part of an agreement between Viscount Cranborne (then Leader of the Conservative Opposition) and the Lord Chancellor, 92 hereditary peers (approximately 10% of all hereditary peers) were allowed to remain, pending the implementation of further reform. The 92 were made up as follows: 15 Office Holders; 42 Conservatives; 28 Crossbenchers; 2 Labour; 3 Liberal Democrats. The remaining two were Royal Office Holders - The (The ) and the (The Marquess of Cholmondeley).

2. Between November 1999 and November 2002 vacancies through death were filled by the runners up on the list of those elected (Lord Cobbold and Lord Chorley filled the places vacated on the deaths of Baroness Wharton and the Earl of Carnarvon).

3. Provision was made under House of Lords Standing Orders for by- elections to be held when a died after the end of the first session of this Parliament.

4. A register of hereditary peers who wish to stand for election as members of the House of Lords is maintained by the Clerk of the Parliaments, who is head of the House of Lords Administration.

5. The Alternative Vote System will be used. Voters place the figure 1 in the box next to the name of the candidate they most strongly support, the figure 2 against the next most favoured candidate, and so on. Voters may express as many or as few preferences as they wish. In order to be elected, the successful candidate must receive at least as many votes as all the other candidates put together. In the event of this not happening after first preference votes have been allocated, the votes of the candidates receiving the lowest number of first preference votes will be shared out according to the second preference marked on them. This will be repeated until one candidate has at least half of the total valid vote.

FURTHER INFORMATION FROM:

Mary Morgan Tel: 020 7219 3327/0671 David Beamish Tel: 020 7219 3187 Anna Murphy Tel: 020 7219 5307

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