This report details the response of the Public Administration Select Committee to the Government's proposals for the reform of the House of Lords (contained in the White Paper (Cm. 5291, ISBN 0101529120) published in November 2001). The Committee argues that the White Paper is fundamentally misconceived in its determination to ensure the pre-eminence of the House of Commons, as this is not in any doubt. The real task is to increase the effectiveness of Parliament as a whole (i.e. both chambers) in holding the Government to account for its actions and policies, and this should be the focus of any reforms. The House of Lords should continue to be a revising, scrutinising and deliberative assembly, but its performance of all these functions should be strengthened. Recommendations include: 1) 60 per cent of members should be elected (compared to the 20 per cent proposed by the Government), 20 per cent should be nominated by the political parties and 20 per cent independent members; 2) the size of the second chamber should eventually be reduced to 350 members; and 3) the next step should be the production of a draft Bill for consideration by a joint committee of both Houses as soon as possible.