The 1999 House of Lords Act unseated all but 92 peers who inherited their right to sit in the Upper House. Some of these are office-holders in the House, while the majority were chosen in a series of elections held by each party grouping in the Lords.
If a remaining hereditary peer dies, the right to a seat is given to the next party candidate in the election. If an office-holder dies, an election is held among all the removed hereditaries.
At the time of writing, the Government has announced that it intends to bring forward legislation to remove the remaining hereditary peers from the House of Lords.
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