1.1

Question 1

What is the government process of law making referred to as?

Answer 1

Legislation

Legislation refers to laws made by Parliament.

Question 2

Who provides ‘Royal Assent’ in the UK law-making process?

Answer 2

The Monarch

In the UK, this refers to the King or Queen.

Question 3

What is the role of the House of Lords in the law-making process?

Answer 3

Conduct checks on new laws proposed by the House of Commons

Members of the House of Lords, also known as ‘peers’, include people from various backgrounds.

Question 4

How many elected representatives are there in the House of Commons?

Answer 4

650

These representatives are elected through general elections.

Question 5

Who leads the party that has the majority in the House of Commons?

Answer 5

The Prime Minister

The Prime Minister is typically the leader of the majority party.

Question 6

What is a proposed law in the UK Parliament called?

Answer 6

A Bill

A Bill must be agreed upon by the House of Commons and receive Royal Assent.

Question 7

Fill in the blank: The House of Lords is made up of members known as _______.

Answer 7

Peers

Question 8

True or False: The Monarch can reject a proposed law in the UK.

Answer 8

True

The Monarch’s agreement is required for a Bill to become law.

Question 9

What is the primary function of the House of Commons in the law-making process?

Answer 9

To elect representatives and propose laws

The House of Commons is composed of elected representatives of the people.

Question 10

What is the initial document published by the government that includes questions for interested individuals to respond to?

Answer 10

Green paper

The Green paper serves as a discussion document before the drafting of a Bill.

Question 11

What document follows the Green paper and details the plans for the proposed law?

Answer 11

White paper

The White paper may include a draft copy of the Bill.

Question 12

What is the first stage in the process of a Bill becoming a law?

Answer 12

First Reading

A formal announcement of the Bill is made to the House of Commons.

Question 13

What happens during the Second Reading of a Bill?

Answer 13

The Bill is read again and debated by the House of Commons

A further vote is taken to allow progression.

Question 14

What occurs during the Committee stage of the Bill’s process?

Answer 14

A small number of MPs examine and scrutinise the Bill

This involves members from different political parties.

Question 15

What is the purpose of the Report stage?

Answer 15

The committee provides a report to all MPs based on their examination of the Bill

This allows further debate and voting on proposed amendments.

Question 16

What happens during the Third Reading of a Bill?

Answer 16

There are opportunities to debate the Bill, and a vote is taken to accept or reject it

No further amendments are allowed at this stage.

Question 17

After passing the House of Commons, where does the Bill go next?

Answer 17

The House of Lords

The Bill undergoes similar stages of debate and scrutiny.

Question 18

What happens if the House of Lords makes amendments to the Bill?

Answer 18

The Bill is returned to the House of Commons for a vote on the changes

The final say is with the House of Commons.

Question 19

What is the final step for a Bill to become law after all approvals are granted?

Answer 19

Royal Assent

The Bill is sent to the Monarch for signing, which is a required formality.

Question 20

What does a Bill become once it receives Royal Assent?

Answer 20

Act of Parliament

The law can take effect immediately unless a future start date is indicated.

Question 21

What is the process by which an Act of Parliament is passed?

Answer 21

Going through a government process

This process can be rushed due to external pressures such as media influence.

Question 22

What was a consequence of the moral panic caused by the media regarding the Bill?

Answer 22

The Bill was rushed through the stages and given Royal Assent

The lack of thorough scrutiny led to issues such as breed blaming.

Question 23

What are the two processes through which judges can make laws?

Answer 23

• Judicial precedent
• Statutory interpretation

Question 24

What is judicial precedent?

Answer 24

Past decisions of judges create laws for future judges to follow

This ensures consistency in handling cases.

Question 25

How does judicial precedent contribute to common law?

Answer 25

It results in a large volume of laws that the whole country follows.

Question 26

What happens when a decision is made by a court at the top of the hierarchy?

Answer 26

It creates a precedent for lower courts to follow.

Question 27

What is statutory interpretation?

Answer 27

Judges rely on interpreting written laws when applying them to cases.

Question 28

What are the three rules judges follow for statutory interpretation?

Answer 28

• Literal rule
• Golden rule
• Mischief rule

Question 29

What does the literal rule entail?

Answer 29

Interpretations use ordinary meanings of words.

Question 30

What is the golden rule in statutory interpretation?

Answer 30

The meaning of words can be modified to avoid absurd results.

Question 31

What does the mischief rule focus on?

Answer 31

The intention of the law rather than the wording.

Question 32

Provide an example of the mischief rule in action.

Answer 32

The Licensing Act (1872) made it illegal to drive a carriage under the influence of alcohol, which judges inferred applies to all transport.