London, Dec.29: The tradition of giving the title "Lady" to the wives of men who are appointed life peers could end soon, as the House of Lords is considering reforms that include this clause.

According to The Telegraph, Baroness Hayman, the Lord Speaker, has called for a debate on whether titles should only be given to those who are honoured.

Under current rules, wives of life peers are automatically allowed to use the courtesy title Lady before their surname.

Any change could also look at the right of the wife of a man given a knighthood to use the title.

Now Lady Hayman, whose role makes her an ambassador for the work of the Lords, has suggested that the age-old traditions should be changed.

In a newspaper interview, Lady Hayman said: "We could look at membership of the House as a personal honour, which does not affect the spouse of whatever sex."

The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords".

The Parliament comprises the Sovereign, the House of Commons (which is the lower house of Parliament and referred to as "the Commons"), and the Lords. The House of Lords presently has 751 members, while the House of Commons has 646.

On March 7, 2007, the House of Commons voted, in principle, in favour of replacing the Lords with an elected chamber (either 100 percent elected or 80 percent elected and 20 percent appointed). This was another step towards legislation to that end. However, the House of Lords, being the upper legislative chamber, rejected this proposal and voted for an entirely appointed House of Lords.(ANI)