2.4-relationship between parliament and the executive

Question 1

how can backbenches exert influence?

Answer 1

• rebellions
• opposition day motions
• urgent questions
• debates
• public bill committees
• legislative proposals
• vote of no confidence

Question 2

how many days in the parliamentary session does the BBBC get to set the topic for debate?

Answer 2

35 days

Question 3

how many times was tony blair defeated in office?

Answer 3

4 times, all in his 3rd term

Question 4

how many times times was theresa may defeated?

Answer 4

33 times

Question 5

what vote is considered the worst defeat in modern political history?

Answer 5

• theresa mays brexit deal was defeated 432-202 in 2019

Question 6

give an example of a recent succesfull oposition day motion.

Answer 6

• 2021
• labour motion calling for the government to cancel the £20/week cut to universal credit passed 253-0
• the goverment told its mps to abstain

Question 7

what are opposition day motions?

Answer 7

• used to bring up issues the opposition would like to adress
• used to put pressure on the government
• has no legislative power

Question 8

how many urgent questions were asked between 2017-2019 (the brexit process)?

Answer 8

• over 300

Question 9

give an example of an urgent question that lead to a resignation.

Answer 9

• amber rudd was asked an urgent question by dianne abbot in 2018 about deportation targets and her handling of windrush
• in this answer she gave parliament innacurate information

Question 10

what are the limits to the influence of backbenchers?

Answer 10

• power of patronage (mps want to prove loyalty)
• government majority (rebellions are less significant)- DUE TO FPTP
• limited influence of debates and urgent questions
• governments have a majority in public bill committees
• govt controls most of the timetable (increasingly rushed legislation through)
• govt can use secondary legislation

Question 11

what was tony blair majority?

Answer 11

179 seat majority

Question 12

what is the role of backbench debate and urgent questions in practice?

Answer 12

provide a mechanism to raise an issue and get it on the poltical agenda

Question 13

what are the arguments that select committees are influencial?

Answer 13

• hearings are televised
• government has to respond to reports, and the finding of reports can influence policy
• long serving committee chairs can develop greater knowledge in the area than ministers who often remain in a role for a short period
• liason committee directly questions the PM twice a year

Question 14

what are the arguments that select committees are NOT influencial?

Answer 14

• majority of commitee members are from the governing party
• there is a tradition that chairs of the main commitees are from the governing party
• the power to summon witnesses is limited
• government is not very responsive to reccomendations

Question 15

give an example of an important recent televised committee hearing.

Answer 15

in 2023 the priviledges select committee scrutinsed former PM boris johnson over the partygate scandal

Question 16

which select commitee originally proposed the OBR?

Answer 16

the treasury select committee

Question 17

give an example of when a commitee attempt to summon a witness was blocked.

Answer 17

in 2013 Theresa May (as home secretary) blocked the home affairs select committee from summoning the head of the MI5

Question 18

how did Boris Johnson undermine the liason select committee?

Answer 18

twice cancelled appointments

Question 19

what are the arguments that the opposition provides effective scrutiny?

Answer 19

• shadows government departments and proposed alternative policies
• the leader of the opposition can question the PM in PMQ’s
• can attack the govt in the media
• opposition days (20 days)
• recieves short money (6 mill)

Question 20

what are the arguments that the opposition is ineffective?

Answer 20

• limited when the government has a large majority
• govt controls the majority of the timetable
• govt has access to huge departments and thoasands of civil servants

Question 21

in what ways can PMQ’s be argued to be effective?

Answer 21

• is ministers mislead the commons in PMQ’s this may result in resignation, ensures the competence of ministers
• gives the opposition an oppertunity to expose govt failure
• PMQ’s is televised and the most watched aspect of politics

Question 22

how many questions can the opposition party ask in PMQ’s

Answer 22

• leader of the opposition has 6
• 3rd largest party has 2

Question 23

how might it be argued that PMQ’s is ineffective?

Answer 23

• focused more on partisan, political point scoring
• many backbencher questions are drafted by the whips, aimed at flattering the govt
• presents a very negative view of politics to the public leading to distrust
• should be replaced with something like the liason committee which provides more in debth and meaningful scrutiny

Question 24

give an example of a convention that limits the govts power.

Answer 24

• convention developed under tony blair: military action should recieve parliamnetary consent
• reinforced by cameron who was defeated on action in syria
• broken by may who didnt hold a vote on action in syria

Question 25

How many MP’s are part of the government and therefore bound by collective ministerial responsibility?

Answer 25

over 100

Question 26

give an example of the use of statutory instruments (secondary legislation) ? 2 examples

Answer 26

• statutory instruments are used to ban new substances by adding them to a list under the misuse of drugs act 1971
• in 2016 the government bolished maintainence grants for uni students

Question 27

how many statutory instruments related to covid were implemented? what act was introduced to allow for the use of these powers?

Answer 27

• 582 between 2020- 2022
• coronavirus act 2020: granted the government emergency powers related to covid

Question 28

what powers are avaliable to select commitees?

Answer 28

• they decide themselves the areas they will investigate
• can gather evidence both oral and written and can summon witnesses
• produce reports- the governmnt is expected to respond within 2 months

Question 29

give an example of a select committe chair chosen due to their expertease.

Answer 29

Tobias Elwood, chair of the defense select committee, was previosly a captain in the british army

Question 30

give an example of an important private members bill.

Answer 30

the abortion act 1967

Question 31

what changes did the wright reforms implement (2010)?

Answer 31

• created the back bench business committee
• members of the BBBC are elected by thier parliamentary group
• chairs and members of committees are directly elected
• petitions commitee set up to choose from petitions with over 100,000 signatures

Question 32

give an example of a debate being held in response to an e-petition.

Answer 32

• in 2023 a debate was heald on making suicide prevention a maditory part of the school curiculum

Question 33

what are the 3 types of debates?

Answer 33

• half hour adjournment debates at the end of each day
• mps can request emergency debates
• for 35 days the BBBC decides the topic for debate
• petitions (with over 100,000 signatures) may be debated if chosen by the petititons committee

Question 34

what % of select committee reccomendations does the government accept?

Answer 34

40% (often minor changes)