2.4 Interaction between Parliament and the Executive

Question 1

What does parliamentary privilege mean?

Answer 1

The special protections that MPs and peers have when engaged in parliamentary business

Question 2

Name 4 roles of MPs?

Answer 2

-taking part in debates on legislation
-scrutinising legislation
-being a member of a select committee
-campaigning and lobbying for a certain cause
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Question 3

Name 3 criticisms aimed at MPs and their role…

Answer 3

• party whips ensure they are loyal to the party and don’t act alone and embarrass the government
• backbench MPs are powerless in relation to front bench MPs
• parliamentary debates are sparsely attended, lack of interest in public policy

Question 4

Name 2 roles of peers in the Lords…

Answer 4

• debate a national issue

- deeply scrutinise legislation

Question 5

What is the role of select committees?

Answer 5

To scrutinise a government department

Question 6

What is the Public Accounts Committee?

Answer 6

A select committee that scrutinises the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of public spending

Question 7

Who is the chair of the Public Accounts Committee?

Answer 7

A member of the main opposition party

Question 8

What is a Departmental Select Committee?

Answer 8

A committee set up to scrutinise a government department

Question 9

What does the membership of DSC range from?

Answer 9

11 - 14 members

Question 10

What is the Liason Committee?

Answer 10

Made in 2002, consists of all the chairs of all the departmental select committees. The PM has to sit before this committee twice a year

Question 11

What are backbench business committees?

Answer 11

Made up of elected backbench MPs, determines what issue should br debated for the one day of the week time slot the committee gets

Question 12

What sources do the backbench business committees get their debates from?

Answer 12

• e petitions receiving 100,000 or more signatures
• initiative of a select committee
• request from group of MPs

Question 13

What are the impacts of the House of Commons select committees?

Answer 13

Although they heavily scrutinise specific details into a government department, the do not have the power to enforce decisions.

Question 14

Advantages of the select committees?

Answer 14

The MPs within them tend to independently minded and operate outside the constraints of the party whips and loyalty

Question 15

What is the role of the opposition?

Answer 15

To heavily scrutinise the acts of the government and the prime minister

Question 16

What are the main 3 roles of the official opposition?

Answer 16

• force the government to explain and justify its decisions
• present alternative proposals
• make itself ready to be an alternative government come election time

Question 17

Name 3 ways in which government ministers are called to account?

Answer 17

• ‘question to minsters days’ in which minsters have to answer questions about their decisions
• DSC and the PAC scrutinise ministers
• PMQs

Question 18

What is a non-working peer?

Answer 18

A peer who has been granted a peerage but has no political interest

Question 19

The impact of the House of Lords reform that removed hundreds of hereditary peers?

Answer 19

It created a more proffesional and active house

Question 20

Negatives of select committees?

Answer 20

Overrun by party whips telling MPs what to say and how to vote

Question 21

Negatives of the role of the opposition?

Answer 21

The opposition can be weak, i.e. Jeremy Corbyn lost support of the Labour Party when they passed a vote of no confidence in 2015