As part of the Government initiative “Learn with the Lords”, Lord Shipley visited Newcastle College on Friday 3 February to deliver a presentation about the role, membership and functions of the House of Lords to first and second-year students studying Policing, Law and Criminology.
During the two-hour visit, around 100 learners were able to ask Lord Shipley questions about the part he plays in Government.
Lord Shipley says: “I'm proud to be part of the Learn with the Lords outreach team who visit colleges and schools to explain the House of Lords; why it is the way it is, its powers, how it works, how it relates to the House of Commons, and broadly speaking, to spread an understanding of Parliament and how our democracy works.
“I hope that these sessions will help students to have a better understanding of the way in which the unwritten British constitution actually works, the nature of our democracy, and then how all of that applies to a specific bill.”
First year student Ayse Hepozel said: “The most interesting part for me was learning how the House of Lords plays a crucial part in the passing of a bill as they scrutinise what the House of Commons lay down.”
Second year student Charlie Hopper added: “Something I didn’t know, and that I found really interesting, was that 92 of the members of the House of Lords were appointed as hereditary peers, just because of who their family is, and that only 27% of them are women.”