Two Ulster Unionist MPs retiring from the House of Commons, Mr Ken Maginnis and Mr John Taylor, are named as life peers in the dissolution honours list published today.
The two prominent figures in Northern Ireland politics are among 24 new peers, including 12 Labour, five Conservative and five Liberal Democrat, who will take up seats in the House of Lords after the British election.
The list is published ahead of a general election and the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, the Conservative leader, Mr William Hague, and the Liberal Democrat leader, Mr Charles Kennedy, nominate the candidates, usually retiring MPs.
Mr Maginnis, who announced in January that he would not be contesting his Fermanagh and South Tyrone seat, told The Irish Times the award of a peerage was a "wonderful" honour and a matter of "huge" political significance.
"It underpins my unionism and my Britishness. I think it reflects very well on all those people with whom I've worked in community regeneration, the Ulster Defence Regiment, and in building political stability."
Standing down from his Commons seat has enabled Mr Maginnis to devote more time to community projects in Fermanagh and South Tyrone and he intends to remain active in the reform of local government in Northern Ireland and the delivery of community healthcare. He said that in the Lords he hoped to participate more fully in UK matters beyond Northern Ireland politics, including environmental issues.
The deputy Ulster Unionist leader, Mr Taylor, said he felt "humbled" by the honour, admitting his nomination came "as an absolute shock". He decided to step down from his Strangford seat in January, but will remain a member of the Assembly and of the Council of Europe. He said he took "a great interest" in international affairs and would continue his work as a member of several all-party committees, including Taiwan and Turkey.
Among the other MPs created life peers are the former Conservative Northern Ireland secretaries Mr Peter Brooke and Mr Tom King, and the former Tory deputy prime minister, Mr Michael Heseltine.