Page "Lord Speaker" Paragraph 5

The role has less power than the Speaker of the House of Commons.

The House of Lords is largely self-governing, and its presiding officer has traditionally taken a less active role in debates than the Speaker of the House of Commons.

For example, unlike the Speaker, the Lord Speaker does not call the House to order, determine who is to speak when two individuals rise at the same time, rule on points of order, discipline members who violate the rules of the House, or select amendments to bills — all these functions are performed by the House of Lords as a whole.

Furthermore, whilst speeches in the House of Commons are addressed directly to the Speaker, those in the House of Lords are addressed to the House as a whole ; i. e., speeches begin " My Lords " instead of " Mr Speaker ".

In practice, the only task of the Lord Speaker in the Chamber is to formally put the question before a vote, to announce the result of any vote, and to make certain announcements to the House ( e. g., announcing the death of a member ).

Furthermore, the Lord Speaker may end the adjournment of the House ( or " recall " the House ) during a public emergency.