Members of Parliament

The House of Commons is made up of 659 Members or MPs of which 40 represent constituencies in Wales. The MPs are elected at General Elections which are held at least every five years.   MPs may also be elected at by-elections which are held in individual constituency’s between elections as necessary.  Details of current MPs and the 2005 General Election results can be obtained by accessing the Associated Links on the right hand side of the page.

The House of Lords

There were a total of 731 peers in the House of Lords as of 1st July 2005.  They consist of lay peers (Lords Temporal) and senior bishops (Lords Spiritual). There are also senior judges (Law Lords) who sit as Lords Temporal.  Peers are not elected.  Of the current peers 92 are hereditary peers, while the majority are appointed as life peers.  A Directory of Peers and an Introduction to Parliament giving further details of the make up and role of each House can be accessed via the Associated Link on the right hand side.