House of Lords

===Qualifications===
{{See also|Women in the House of Lords}}
Several different qualifications apply for membership of the House of Lords. No person may sit in the House of Lords if under the age of 21.<ref name="standing_orders1">{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldstords/ldstords.htm|title=The Standing Orders of the House of Lords relating to Public Business|access-date=19 August 2010|date=8 April 2010|publisher=[[Parliament of the United Kingdom]]}}</ref> Furthermore, only United Kingdom, [[Irish nationality law|Irish]] and [[Commonwealth citizen|Commonwealth]] citizens may sit in the House of Lords.<ref>{{cite legislation UK |type=act |year=1981 |chapter=61 |schedule=7 |act=British Nationality Act 1981 |access-date=4 June 2017}}</ref> The nationality restrictions were previously more stringent: under the [[Act of Settlement 1701]], and prior to the [[British Nationality Act 1948]], only natural-born subjects qualified.<ref>{{cite web |title=1701 Act of Settlement |url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/parliamentaryauthority/revolution/collections1/parliamentary-collections/act-of-settlement/|publisher=[[Parliament of the United Kingdom]]}}</ref>

Additionally, some bankruptcy-related restrictions apply to members of the Upper House. Subjects of a Bankruptcy Restrictions Order (applicable in England and Wales only), adjudged bankrupt (in Northern Ireland), or a sequestered estate (in Scotland) are not eligible to sit in the House of Lords. Individuals convicted of [[high treason]] are prohibited from sitting in the House of Lords until completion of their full term of imprisonment. An exception applies, however, if the individual convicted of high treason receives a full pardon. An individual serving a prison sentence for an offence other than high treason is ''not'' automatically disqualified.

Women were excluded from the House of Lords until the Life Peerages Act 1958,<ref>{{cite legislation UK | type = act| year = 1958| chapter = 21| act = Life Peerages Act 1958}}</ref> passed to address the declining number of active members, made possible the creation of peerages for life. Women were immediately eligible and four were among the first life peers appointed. However, female hereditary peers continued to be excluded until the passage of the Peerage Act 1963.<ref>{{cite legislation UK | type = act| year = 1963| chapter = 48| act = Peerage Act 1963}}</ref> Since the passage of the House of Lords Act 1999,<ref>{{cite legislation UK | type = act| year = 1999| chapter = 34| act = House of Lords Act 1999}}</ref> female hereditary peers remain eligible for election to the Upper House; until her resignation on 1 May 2020, there was one ([[Margaret of Mar, 31st Countess of Mar]]) among the 90 hereditary peers who continue to sit. After Barbara Wootton became one of the first four life peers appointed under the Life Peerages Act 1958, she requested that she not be referred to as "peeress", believing that the term failed to distinguish female peers from the mere wives of peers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Peeresses or women peers?|url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/houseoflords/house-of-lords-reform/from-the-collections/from-the-parliamentary-collections-lords-reform/accomodating-women-peers/peeressesorwomenpeers/|access-date=6 August 2021|publisher=[[Parliament of the United Kingdom]]}}</ref>

====Cash for peerages====
The [[Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925]]<ref>{{cite legislation UK | type = act| year = 1925| chapter = 72| act = Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925}}</ref> made it illegal for a peerage, or other honour, to be bought or sold. Nonetheless, there have been repeated allegations that life peerages (and thus membership of the House of Lords) have been made available to major political donors in exchange for donations. The most prominent example, the [[Cash for Honours|Cash for Honours scandal]] in 2006, saw a police investigation, with no charges being brought. A 2015 study found that of 303 people nominated for peerages in the period 2005–2014, a total of 211 were former senior figures within politics (including former MPs), or were non-political appointments. Of the remaining 92 political appointments from outside public life, 27 had made significant donations to political parties. The authors concluded firstly that nominees from outside public life were much more likely to have made large gifts than peers nominated after prior political or public service. They also found that significant donors to parties were far more likely to be nominated for peerages than other party members.<ref>Mell, Radford and Thevoz. [http://www.economics.ox.ac.uk/Department-of-Economics-Discussion-Paper-Series/is-there-a-market-for-peerages-can-donations-buy-you-a-british-peerage-a-study-in-the-link-between-party-political-funding-and-peerage-nominations-2005 "Is There a Market for Peerages? Can Donations Buy You a British Peerage? A Study in the Link Between Party Political Funding and Peerage Nominations, 2005–14"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226113629/https://www.economics.ox.ac.uk/department-of-economics-discussion-paper-series/is-there-a-market-for-peerages-can-donations-buy-you-a-british-peerage-a-study-in-the-link-between-party-political-funding-and-peerage-nominations-2005 |date=26 December 2018}}. University of Oxford, pp. 8, 13, 17, 22; Radford, Mell and Thevoz, [https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1057/s41293-019-00109-4?author_access_token=eD-gUcX8cIBPRSZFBSgD1lxOt48VBPO10Uv7D6sAgHs0ICHQ6nY973f5GBcBCfumHYlg_B1c1MXaCfXDIyGZLQCvWKKGxp5zqp2sh6dJsVYGQZcTKrrYWqjdJsMpqVGlBErzo4bhSTlw9gJT9OAncA%3D%3D {{"'}}Lordy Me!' Can donations buy you a British peerage? A study in the link between party political funding and peerage nominations, 2005–2014"], ''[[British Politics (journal)|British Politics]]'' – first published online, 14 March 2019.</ref>