STUDENTS at a Forest school were given the chance to put questions to a member of the House of Lords.

Liberal Democrat peer Lord Tyler visited the E-Act Forest Academy in Cinderford as part of Peers in Schools programme to speak to students in years nine and 10.

Lord Tyler explained the role of the House of Lords and took a wide range of questions from the rights and responsibilities of people on benefits to what it means to be a Liberal.

The former MP for North Cornwall presented a House of Lords mousemat to Year 10 student James Cox for asking the best question of the day.

James' question related to the responsibilities of people on benefit.

Lord Tyler said government policy was aimed at ensuring people were better off financially in work than on benefits.

Forest E-Act Academy principal Tanya Prosser said it was "a great privilege" to have Lord Tyler the school.

Lord Tyler praised the quality of the questions that students had posed.

He said: "There were some excellent questions, particularly the supplementary questions that had not been prepared but were prompted by what was said."