December 2015 Background Sheet 2: Contacting Members of the House of Lords How to contact Peers who are interested in health and development. Although a Peer does not represent constituents like an MP does, they do have a legislative function and are often actively engaged on a range of social issues, including health and development. This month we want you to write to Members of the House of Lords and call on them to write a letter to Grant Shapps, Minister of State for the Department for International Development, and urge him to endorse the Global Plan to End TB. Read on to find more information on what Peers do, which ones you should contact, and the best methods to communicate with them. What is a Peer and what do they do? Unlike MPs, which are voted in by the public, Peers What is the best way to communicate with them? either inherit their status or are appointed because of their expertise in a particular field. For example, Lord The majority of Peers don’t have email address, so it best to contact them with an old-fashioned letter. If you Sugar was chosen by Gordon Brown’s Labour Government because of experience in business and are able to find an email address for them, feel free to contact them via email as well. Upon receiving your entrepreneurship. letter, they may wish to continue communicating with Once appointed, Peers attend the House of Lords to your by email, so remember to include it at the top of debate new laws proposed by MPs, and make your letter, alongside your address. All letters to peers suggestions about changes to those laws. When both should be sent to the following address: Houses agree on the law, it goes to the Queen for Royal [Peer’s Name], House of Lords, London, SW1A 0PW. Assent. How to address a Lord Which peers should I contact? Different Members of the House of Lords have Whilst Peers don’t represent constituents in the same different styles of title, as you can see from the way that MPs do, they do identify themselves with names on this Background Sheet, with different ways to address them. regions of the UK that they are particularly interested in. This is usually where they are from or where they are Once you have chosen which Peer you will write currently living. To help you find the Lords that are to, please use this list on the House of Lords interested in your area, we have prepared a list that Information Office page to find their correct form of breaks down into 11 regions across the UK: London, the address. North East, the North West, North East, East Anglia, South East, South West, the Midlands, Scotland, Wales List of Peers and Northern Ireland. Every Peer we have included in the list has expressed an interest in health or London development, or discussed these kinds of issues in Groups: Central London debates in the House of Lords in the past. It is up to you if you want to contact, one, five or even all of the Peers Viscount Colville of Culross in your area. You can find out more information about Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon the Peers on this list and how they have voted in the Baroness Coussins past on They Work for You or by looking at their profile Baroness Hamwee on parliament.uk. Baroness Healy of Primrose Hill Lord Paddick Lord Marlesford DL Lord Pannick QC Lord Rogers of Riverside CH Lord Tope CBE Scotland London continued... Groups: Edinburgh, Glasgow and Linlithgow Lord Turnbull KCB CVO Rt Hon Baroness Kramer Rt Hon Lord Hardie Viscount Craigavon Lord Stevenson of Balmacara Lord Taylor of Goss Moor Lord Wilson of Tillyorn KT GCMG Lord Horam Rt Hon Lord Robertson of Port Ellen KT GCMG Lord Hughes of Woodside Lord Aberdare His Grace Duke of Montrose Rt Hon Lord Paul North West Midlands Groups: Manchester, Liverpool and Macclesfield Groups: Birmingham, Leister and Leamington Spa. Rt Rev Lord Bishop of Peterborough Baroness Berridge Rt Hon Lord Bates Lord Ahmed Lord Fox Lord Alton of Liverpool Baroness Heyhoe Flint OBE Baroness Williams of Trafford Lord Cormack Lord Turnberg Baroness Kennedy of Cradley Rt Hon Baroness Hughes of Stretford General Lord Ramsbotham GCB CBE North East South West Groups: Leeds and Sheffield Groups: Bristol, Poole and Bath. Baroness Harris of Richmond DL Rt Hon Baroness Corston Lord Greaves Lord Berkeley OBE Rt Rev Lord Eames OM Baroness Bakewell DBE Rt Hon Lord Bates Lord Hylton Lord Beecham Lord Cotter Rt Hon Lord Williamson of Horton GCMG CB Wales Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer Rt Hon Baroness Butler-Sloss GBE Groups: Cardiff and Swansea Earl of Sandwich Lord German OBE South East Lord Rowe-Beddoe Groups: Brighton, Hastings, Reading and Oxford Northern Island Rt Hon Lord Astor of Helver DL Rt Rev Lord Eames OBE Baroness Deech DBE Baroness Jones of Whitchurch East Anglia Groups: Norwich Baroness Rawlings Rt Rev Lord Bishop of Norwich .