(b) Revision of legislation.

The House of Lords is a retsre

chamber. It revises and improves Bills on their way to the rC
assent. It can consider legislation in more leisured and less partisan
fashion because the Lords are unfettered by constituency or party
pressure or the harsh timetable of the Commons. The House thus
ensures that the legislation is properly drafted and gives the
government an opportunity to respond to criticism and propose
changes accordingly. Any peer may propose amendments to a bill
but most successful amendments emanate from the government
itself. The government is increasingly using the House for introducing
its own amendments and improvements on bills already passed by
Parliament : The House of Lords 179

the Commons. During the 1987-88 session the Lords made

amendments to legislation originating in the Commons all but one
percent of which were subsequently agreed by that body.
lc) Scrutiny of the executive. The House of Lords provides a
administration. This it does
cocond forum for scrutinising policy and
means of the same instruments as the Commons, namely questions
by Select Committees.
and
effectiveness of the Lords, as a scrutinising chamber is
The questions are frequently
however limited on two counts. First, oral
junior ministers; "responsible" ministers
answered by Whips or "questions'" of limited use in ensuring
remain absent. This makes departmental select
Lords has no
accountability. Second, the of
committees like that of the Commons to ensure ongoing scrutiny
executive.
the activities of the committees, the European Communities
However, its two select Committee have earned
Technology
Committee and Science and of their investigation. The Lords
depth
praise for the expertise and hoc committees on specific topics and
also set up a number of ad expert opinion.
take particular care to consult