New peers 'delayed after lobbying scandal', Lord Speaker suggests Peers have been complaining for years that the house is too full, but the Government is shortly due to announce its recommendations for even more lords. The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats want new peers to stop it being so dominated by Labour members. However, Baroness D'Souza said the chamber is so full that its numbers are "second only to the Chinese Politburo." "The House does not need to be as large as it is," she said. She also suggested that peerages are handed out as favours to wealth party donors, rather than always on merit. "One of the things I've always been very keen on is there should be some kind of separation between conferring a peerage, which is an honour, but that shouldn't necessarily guarantee you a seat in the legislature," she said. There are many people who are given peerages in this day and age whose contribution has been perhaps mainly financial to the party, twas ever thus. That doesn't necessarily mean they have a great deal to offer in terms of the legislative process. They may do, they may not. She said party leaders should give out honours to whoever they like, but those conferring a seat in the House of Lords should be limited to people who have expertise and experience. Despite calling for sweeping reforms, the Baroness said the idea of an elected House of Lords is a long way off. She said the Lords has improved its reputation by challenging the Government on welfare reform, legal aid, changes to the NHS and detention of terror suspects, but scandals made it more "difficult for us to hold our heads up." She said a stronger code of conduct, governing principles of behaviour in public life, could be brought in for lords, which would be