House of Lords Act 1999 (1999 c. 34)

1 Exclusion of hereditary peers.

No-one shall be a member of the House of Lords by virtue of a hereditary peerage.

2 Exception from section 1.

[F1] S. 2 omitted (29.4.2026) by virtue of House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026 (c. 12), ss. 1, 5(4)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3 Removal of disqualifications in relation to the House of Commons.

(1) The holder of a hereditary peerage shall not be disqualified by virtue of that peerage for—

(a) voting at elections to the House of Commons, or

(b) being, or being elected as, a member of that House.

(2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 Amendments and repeals.

(1) The enactments mentioned in Schedule 1 are amended as specified there.

(2) The enactments mentioned in Schedule 2 are repealed to the extent specified there.

5 Commencement and transitional provision.

(1) Sections 1 to 4 (including Schedules 1 and 2) shall come into force at the end of the Session of Parliament in which this Act is passed.

(2) Accordingly, any writ of summons issued for the present Parliament in right of a hereditary peerage shall not have effect after that Session unless it has been issued to a person who, at the end of the Session, is excepted from section 1 by virtue of section 2.

(3) The Secretary of State may by order make such transitional provision about the entitlement of holders of hereditary peerages to vote at elections to the House of Commons or the European Parliament as he considers appropriate.

(4) An order under this section—

(a) may modify the effect of any enactment or any provision made under an enactment, and

(b) shall be made by statutory instrument which shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.

6 Interpretation and short title.

(1) In this Act “hereditary peerage” includes the principality of Wales and the earldom of Chester.

(2) This Act may be cited as the House of Lords Act 1999.

SCHEDULES

SCHEDULE 1 Amendments

Peerage Act 1963 (c.48)

1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Recess Elections Act 1975 (c.66)

2 In section 1 of the Recess Elections Act 1975 (issue of warrants for making out writs to replace members of the House of Commons whose seats have become vacant), in—

(a) subsection (1)(a), and

(b) paragraph (a) of the definition of “certificate of vacancy” in subsection (2),

for the words “become a peer” there shall be substituted the words “ become disqualified as a peer for membership of the House of Commons ”.

3 In Schedule 1 to that Act (certificate of vacancy), for the words “has become a peer of Parliament” there shall be substituted the words “ has become disqualified as a peer for membership of the House of Commons ”.

SCHEDULE 2 Repeals

Chapter	Short title	Extent of repeal
1963 c. 48.	The Peerage Act 1963.	In section 1(3), paragraph (b) and the word “and” immediately preceding it.
		Section 2.
		In section 3, in subsection (1)(b), the words from “(including” to “that House)” and, in subsection (2), the words from “and” to the end of the subsection.
		Section 5.