The House of Lords was born in the XIII century as an assembly of nobles and great feudatories, who had the task to express the necessary consent to return executive the decrees of the Sovereign in fiscal matter. Really the role of the Crown is essentially formal now, while that of the Lords has been progressively reduced. The British Parliament, according to the constitutional tradition, is composed of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Sovereign: from this derived the expression “King in Parliament”. The House of Commons counts 651Members of Parliament, elected for five years by universal suffrage.

For long centuries it was largely more important then the House of Commons, but after the introduction of the universal suffrage it has a marginal role in the British parliamentary life: the office of Lord is only honorary now and many are the proposals for its suppression. Since the beginning the House of Lords has been a non-elective assembly, formed by hereditary members and, beginning from 1958, also by members appointed for life by the Sovereign on proposal of Government. The actual composition counts only 92 seats attributed to the hereditary Lords, whom we have to join the Law Lords (high judges who perform the task of Court of Appeal due to the House) and Lords Spiritual (bishops). In the future a part of members should be elected by people.

On the basis of the constitutional principles, the legislative power is represented by the “Crown of Parliament”. The bill must be approved by the three organs which compose the Parliament: Sovereign House of Lords House of Commons After the approvation from the House of Commons, the bills have to be debated by the House of Lords, which can delay but not prevent the approval of it.