I READ Scott Marmion’s letter (March 4) and note his enthusiasm for the House of Lords and his praise for one of its members, the Archbishop of York.

He rightly acknowledges the need for reform, indeed the Lords themselves are currently looking into how the House might be reduced in size.

The UK Parliament automatically awards 26 seats in the House of Lords to bishops of the Church of England. These bishops are able to (and do) vote on legislation, make interventions, and lead prayers at the start of each day’s business.

And the UK is the only democratic country in the world to give seats in its legislature to religious representatives as of right.

This is not just a harmless legacy of a medieval constitution but a present example of discrimination, religious privilege and undemocratic politics.

According to the British Humanist Association, surveys have shown that of all the groups that could be appointed to the House of Lords, religious leaders, including those of the Church of England, are far and away the least favoured group.

With just 1.5 per cent of the population attending a Church of England church in an average week, it is completely out of step that 26 clergymen from this one denomination are given automatic rights to sit in the House – something that is the case with Christian leaders in no other country in the world.

Given that the size of the House of Lords as a whole is now being looked at, it seems that an easy way to reduce the size would be to remove the bishops.

John Forrester, Beagle Ridge Drive, York