Acts of Parliament Flashcards
What two houses are in parliament?
- House of Commons
- House of Lords
What is a Green Paper?
A consultative document with ideas for reform of the law
What is a White Paper?
Firm proposals for a new Act of Parliament
What is a Public Bill?
A bill which affects the whole country
What is a Private Bill?
A bill which affects individual people or corporations
What is a Private Members Bill?
A Bill introduced to Parliament by an individual MP
What happens in the First Reading?
A formal procedure where the main aims of bill is read out
What happens in the Second Reading?
The main debate on the whole bill. There will be a debate at the end, and the bill needs a majority vote to travel further in parliament
What happens in the Committee Stage?
The bill is very carefully examined by a group of MP’s. They say if it is necessary to make ammendmts
What happens in the Committee Stage?
The bill is very carefully examined by a group of MP’s. They say if it is necessary to make any changes to it, and then propose those changes
What happens in the Report Stage?
The committee report back to the House with their proposed changes. The changes will only take place if the majority of the House agree with them
What happens in the Third Reading?
This is the final vote on the bill, if majority still want it, it will go to the House of Lords
What happens in the House of Lords?
The same process happens as in the House of Commons. If they wish to make changes, they have to be reported back to the Commons, and they will either approve the changes and go to royal assent, or change it again sending it back to the Lords. This is know as ping pong. Commons can overrule them {HUNTING ACT 2004}
What happens in the House of Lords?
The same process happens as in the House of Commons. If they do not want a bill the House of Commons can overrule them {HUNTING ACT 2004}. If they wish to make changes, it will be sent back to the House of Commons to see if they approve (known as ‘Ping-Pong). Once both houses agree, the bill will go to the final stage
What happens in Royal Assent?
The monarch has to approve bill for it to become a law, once approved, the bill is now law.
