HOUSE OF LORDS - United Kingdom Parliament

ooks and newspapers (except for papers specifically related to
the debate);
unopened correspondence;
briefcases and ministerial boxes. 1
4.16 Exhibits should not be taken into the Chamber or produced in
debate, whether to illustrate a speech or for any other purpose.
4.17 Unless they are disabled, members of the House must speak
standing, except by permission of the House. 2
4.18 Male members of the House must speak “uncovered” (without a
hat), except by permission of the House. Women members may wear
hats without seeking permission. 3
4.19 Bishops wear robes of rochet and chimere in the Chamber. They
are expected to wear robes whenever possible in the division lobby. 4
4.20 Lords Spiritual must speak from the Bishops’ benches, and no Lord
Temporal may speak from there. 5
4.21 No-one may speak from the gangways in the House.
4.22 Members address their speech to the House in general and not to
any individual. 6 Thus the expressions used are: “Your Lordships”, “Your
Lordships’ House” and “the noble Lord”, and not “you”.
Relevance
4.23 Debate must be relevant to the Question before the House; and
where more than one Question has been put, for example on an
amendment, the debate must be relevant to the last Question proposed
until it has been disposed of. 7
4.24 A member may speak on any motion before the House, or upon
a question of order arising out of the debate.
1 Procedure 1st Rpt 1969–70.
2 SO 26.
3 Procedure 1st Rpt 1965–66, SO 26.
4 Procedure 3rd Rpt 1990–91.
5 See paragraph 1.55.
6 SO 27.
7 SO 28.
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