WE WERE privileged to have a visitor from the House of Lords at Penair School.
Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde came to speak to the School Council and some other students about how the House of Lords works.
Baroness Dean came to be a member of the House of Lords as a result of her work with trade unions. She is a member of the Labour Party and she was appointed a life peer in 1993 and then a member of the Privy Council in 1998.
She gave us an in-depth talk about the sort of discussions that take place in the Lords and how issues are raised. It gave us all an idea about how Parliament works from the perspective of the upper house.
Anna Penhaligon, a Year 9 student, said: "It was a really insightful experience and she explained things very clearly."
The Baroness explained how the membership of the House of Lords is made up. There are some hereditary peers who inherited their place and others who have their place as a result of their role or position, for example bishops.
The rest are awarded life peerages on account of their achievement, experience or knowledge. Baroness Dean was awarded her position due to her extensive work with and knowledge of trade unions.
After her talk, we were given time to ask the Baroness questions. She answered our questions on the political make-up of the House of Lords and the lengths of debate. After questions we had lunch with the Baroness. This was an opportunity to speak to her more informally.
I was able to ask her views on welfare reforms and other issues currently in the news.
Gordon Lamb, Penair's head boy and an associate member of the School Council, said: "I really enjoyed the talk and I now have a better understanding of how the House of Lords works."
We were all very grateful to Baroness Dean for spending the morning with us and found the experience very informative.
