March 21, 2008	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 12, 1429

LONDON, March 20: The 748-member House of Lords in the United Kingdom is likely to be replaced by about 400, mostly elected, senators.

A committee headed by Justice Minister Jack Straw is working for a consensus among the country’s parties to replace the house comprising peers by about 350 elected plus some nominated members.

The senators will be paid annual salaries which will probably be less than the MPs’ £62,000. The lords are only paid expenses of up to £82.5 a day. Three or four senators will represent each of 80 to 100 constituencies.

Existing life peers will be gradually replaced as one-third of the senators are elected every four or five years. Each senator will serve for 12-15 years.According to media reports, much of the secret discussions revolve around the way in which the senators will be elected. It has been agreed that the ‘senate’ will be either 80 or 100 per cent elected.

Elections to the house will probably be held at the same time as general, European or Welsh and Scottish polls. The system may be based on a list or single transferrable vote.

All three parties are likely to put a commitment to an elected chamber in their manifestoes.

However, it is unclear what would happen to the Lords Spiritual — the 26 Church of England archbishops and bishops who sit in the chamber.