<P> Women were excluded from the House of Lords until the Life Peerages Act 1958, 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, hereditary peeresses continued to be excluded until the passage of the Peerage Act 1963 . Since the passage of the House of Lords Act 1999, hereditary peeresses remain eligible for election to the Upper House; there is one (Countess of Mar) among the 90 hereditary peers who continue to sit . </P> <P> The Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925 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 case, the 2006 Cash for Honours scandal, saw a police investigation, with no charges being brought . A 2015 study found that of 303 people nominated for peerages in the period 2005--14, 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 . </P> <P> Traditionally there was no mechanism by which members could resign or be removed from the House of Lords (compare the situation as regards resignation from the House of Commons). The Peerage Act 1963 permitted a person to disclaim their newly inherited peerage (within certain time limits); this meant that such a person could effectively renounce their membership of the Lords . This might be done in order to remain or become qualified to sit in the House of Commons, as in the case of Tony Benn (formerly the second Viscount Stansgate), who had campaigned for such a change . </P> <P> The House of Lords Reform Act 2014 made provision for members' resignation from the House, removal for non-attendance, and automatic expulsion upon conviction for a serious criminal offence (if resulting in a jail sentence of at least one year). In June 2015, under the House of Lords (Expulsion and Suspension) Act 2015, the House's Standing Orders may provide for the expulsion or suspension of a member upon a resolution of the House . </P>

Who is entitled to sit in the house of lords