HM Appointments and Honours Commission
| Commission overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 1, 1980 |
| Jurisdiction | United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | Buckingham Palace, London |
| Employees | 10 |
| Annual budget | £1,000 |
| Commission executives | |
| Website | gov |
HM Appointments and Honours Commission (Her Majesty's Appointments and Honours Commission, or HMHAC) is an independent commission tasked with regulating and overseeing the appointment of peers to the House of Lords, the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Formed in 1980 as a result of the passage of the House of Lords Reforms Act 1980, the commission acts as an independent body that nominates a new peer in the event of a vacancy in the House of Lords. This function was previously exercised by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom before concerns over political patronage resulted in the creation of an independent commission in order to mitigate the consequences of political appointments.
In addition to nominating a peer for admission into the House of Lords, the commission is also responsible for redistributing the seats at the end of a parliamentary term each decade according to the results of the latest general election. In total, it consists of ten members, five of whom are nominated by the major political parties, while the remaining five are nominated by crossbenchers and political independents. All members serve a non-renewable ten-year term and are led by a president.