Chapter 5 - 3/6 - Sources of the UK constitution (NOT FINAL)

Question 1

What are the 4 sources of the UK constitution?

Answer 1

• Parliamentary statutes.
• Constitutional conventions.
• Authoritative texts.
• Common law.

Question 2

What is a constitutional convention?

Answer 2

An unwritten rule that is considered binding even though it is not enforceable by law.

Question 3

What is the Salisbury Convention?

Answer 3

That the House of Lords should not block any legislation that appeared in the governing party’s election manifesto.

Question 4

What is the convention of collective responsibility?

Answer 4

The convention that all members of the government must support official policy in public or else resign.

Question 5

What convention does the Queen have in forming a government?

Answer 5

It is a convention that the Queen invites the leader of the largest party to form a government.

Question 6

When was the Equal Franchise Act?

Answer 6

1928

Question 7

What did the Equal Franchise Act do?

Answer 7

Gave full and equal voting rights to women.

Question 8

When was the Human Rights Act?

Answer 8

1998

Question 9

What did the Human Rights Act do?

Answer 9

Incorporated the codified European Convention of Human Rights into UK law.

Question 10

When was the Scotland Act?

Answer 10

1998

Question 11

What did the Scotland Act do?

Answer 11

Established a Scottish Parliament.

Question 12

When was the House of Lords Act?

Answer 12

1999

Question 13

What did the House of Lords Act do?

Answer 13

Abolish all but 92 hereditary peers.

Question 14

When was the Freedom of Information Act?

Answer 14

2000

Question 15

What did the Freedom of Information Act do?

Answer 15

Introduced the right of citizens to see all official documents not excluded on the grounds of national security.

Question 16

When was the Fixed Term Parliaments Act?

Answer 16

2011

Question 17

What did the Fixed Term Parliaments Act do?

Answer 17

Removed the prime minister’s power to call an election whenever they wanted.

Question 18

What convention appears to be emerging with regards to military action?

Answer 18

That the prime minister must consult parliament before committing British armed forces. This was not the case before David Cameron asked parliament in 2013 to approve action in Syria, which they refused to do.

Question 19

What is the ‘rule of law’ convention?

Answer 19

That no one or no body is above or outside of the law - not even parliament.

Question 20

Which author established the convention of the ‘rule of law’?

Answer 20

A. V. Dicey

Question 21

What is common law?

Answer 21

Any rule of conduct that is both well established and generally acknowledged.

Question 22

What common law applies to the prime minister?

Answer 22

The prerogative powers of the prime minister are considered common law powers; they have never been put into formal legislation.