The House of Lords is needed to protect democracy – now more than ever

The Lords is a place where contentious matters can be debated and result in legislative changes. In recent years, peers have tackled assisted dying for the terminally ill, stem cell research and female genital mutilation

Governments think they know what is best for their citizens – a certainty based on a combination of factors, including being privy to a large amount of information that is not available to the public. Yet even democratically elected governments are not always immune from party political tactics.

That is why the House of Lords, far from being an out-of-date and out-of-touch institution, is more important now than ever – especially in the run-up to a general election and with Brexit looming on the horizon.

I’d advocate for a ruthless weeding out of those who contribute little or nothing to proceedings

That is not to say that the unelected second chamber is perfect, and I am passionate about its reform. I’d advocate for a number of changes, including a cap on the size of the chamber and a significant reduction in the number of peers appointed, as well as a ruthless weeding out of those who contribute little or nothing to proceedings. As indicated by the Burns Report, which also called for a smaller House of Lords, these “passengers” do little for the Lords’ reputation.

There should also be a proper and consistent vetting system in place to rule out overt appointments of party donors and a publicly available register of all party donations

At its best, the House of Lords carries out meticulous revision and scrutiny of all legislation – often in long and tedious committee work, going over each line of draft bills – most peers work hard and are kept informed by a host of NGOs, single focus groups and other experts. Amendments are tabled, changes are made.

The Lords tackles a wide variety of social issues – including mental health, green issues, and education – and leans towards the protection of civil liberties – from fairer pensions to limiting the powers of the police to detain suspects.

The chamber is also a place where contentious matters can result in legislative changes. In recent years, peers have debated assisted dying for the terminally ill, stem cell research and female genital mutilation. Our committee reports are widely respected because of their apolitical and cutting-edge content.

Should the House of Lords be abolished, we would need to establish something similar so that clear legislation could still reach the statute books

Parliament and politicians are held in low regard, below the media and estate agents. Is this fair?

Now is an important time for as much oversight and process as we can muster. MPs elected in next month’s general election will be representatives of the people, not delegates, and their task as an elected body is to protect and support constituents by insisting on policies that genuinely benefit society, especially the less advantaged sectors.

Yet it is said that parliament and politicians are held in low regard, below the media and estate agents. Is this fair?

Yes and no. There are so many decent, upstanding and courageous politicians, whose voices are too often drowned out by the behaviour of those who do not maintain standards of political and public probity. The “wrong” voices are disgracefully amplified by anonymous social media accounts.

Whatever the behaviour of certain individuals, the fact is that parliament and its decisions are, and must remain, supreme. The alternative is a creeping autocracy.

The House of Lords is a necessary revising chamber that calmly dissects and improves draft legislation. Whether we should be called Lords and Ladies, on the other hand, is another matter.

Baroness D’Souza is a former Lord Speaker and a crossbench member of the House of Lords

Parliament Week, involving over 11,000 activities across the UK to foster closer engagement between the public and their UK parliament, runs until 8 November