One of the jobs of The House of Lords is to review and
revise Bills received from the Commons. The Lords'
stages allow the legislation to be seen through a fresh set
of eyes - and the Lords often make Amendments of
their own. The Bill passes through an identical set of
stages in the Lords, though there are a number of
important procedural differences at each stage.
If the Lords make no changes to a Bill, it can go straight to the
Queen for her approval. If changes are made, it is carried back to the Commons by the Lords' senior Clerk, the Clerk of the Parliaments, for the Commons to consider the Lords' amendments. Some Bills may start in the House of Lords before being passed on to the House of Commons.