Youths take over House of Lords
More than 200 young people from schools and colleges across England and Wales are taking part in a debate in the Lords chamber.
The 15 to 18 year olds were warmly welcomed by Baroness Hayman, the Lord Speaker.
She said today's debate is the fourth time the House of Lords chamber has been opened up to young people.
Hayman told the assembled youth that the skills of debating are useful in all walks of life.
As peers including Lord Puttnam, Baroness D'Souza, Lord Morris of Handsworth, Lady Massey and Baroness Scotland looked on, the debate was opened by a pupil from Kingsford Community School in Newham, east London.
The subject is: Elect, Select or Reject: The Future of the House of Lords.
There will be proposals for a fully-elected chamber, a fully-appointed Lords, a hybrid and total abolition of the upper House.
As with the youth parliament, the striking thing about those in the chamber for today's debate is how diverse they are, with many more women and ethnic minorities than the Lords or Commons.
The debate is now well underway and will be available on YouTube next week.
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