What significant change occurred for the hereditary peers in the House of Lords in 1999?

Okay, let's talk about the House of Lords and what happened in 1999. The House of Lords is one of the two houses of Parliament, the other being the House of Commons. Historically, it was made up of people who inherited their titles – these are called hereditary peers – as well as life peers, who are appointed. For centuries, hereditary peers had an automatic right to sit and vote in the House of Lords simply because they inherited a title, like Duke or Earl. Now, this system was seen by many as undemocratic, as their position wasn't based on any election or appointment for merit. So, in 1999, the Labour government under Tony Blair brought in a significant reform. The key change was that most hereditary peers lost their automatic right to attend and vote in the House of Lords. This didn't completely abolish hereditary peers, a small number were allowed to remain, elected from amongst themselves, but it dramatically reduced their influence and began the process of modernizing the Lords. While women inheriting titles and peer salaries are related topics, they weren't the core focus of the 1999 reform. The act was specifically about reducing the number of hereditary peers who could automatically participate in the House of Lords.