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UK Politics > Chapter 5 - 4/6 - Constitutional reform > Flashcards

Chapter 5 - 4/6 - Constitutional reform Flashcards

1
Q

How many hereditary peers did the House of Lords Act 1999 reduce the number to?

A

92

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2
Q

When was the Backbench Business Committee established?

A

2010

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3
Q

What did the establishment of the Backbench Business Committee do?

A

It gave MPs’ control over 20 parliamentary days to debate issues of their choosing.

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4
Q

When was the Human Rights Act passed?

A

1998

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5
Q

What did the Human rights Act do?

A

Incorporate the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law.

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6
Q

How many freedoms does the ECHR establish?

A

18

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7
Q

Give 3 of the 18 freedoms established by the ECHR.

A
  • Life
  • Liberty
  • From servitude
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8
Q

What did the ECHR require all signatories to do (not part of the 18 freedoms)?

A
  • Abolish the death penalty.

- Hold free and fair elections.

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9
Q

How many time was the UK government brought before the European Court of Human Rights since 1966, leading the 1997 Labour government to pass the HRA 1998?

A

More than 50 times.

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10
Q

What did the HRA 1998 give the UK constitution?

A

Its first codified piece of the constitution.

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11
Q

What 3 areas of electoral reform are there?

A
  • The franchise.
  • The way we vote.
  • The electoral system.
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12
Q

When was the first time in British history that 16- and 17-year-olds could vote?

A

2014 Scottish Independence referendum.

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13
Q

In which country is voting compulsory and sees turnouts of over 90%?

A

Australia

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14
Q

What is an electoral system?

A

The way votes are counted and converted into seats.

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15
Q

What electoral system do Scotland and Wales use?

A

Alternative Member System

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16
Q

What electoral system does Northern Ireland use?

A

Single Transferable Vote

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17
Q

When was a referendum held on introducing the Alternative Vote system?

A

2011 - it was rejected decisively.

18
Q

What does the Freedom of Information Act 2000 do?

A

Gives people the right to view information held by public bodies that relates to them, as well as the right to see information that is in the public interest.

19
Q

How does the UK version of freedom of information differ from other countries’ versions?

A

In the UK the onus is on the ‘outsider’ to prove that information should be released, rather than the government having to justify why they want to withhold information as happens in other countries.

20
Q

What event was caused by the introduction of freedom of information in the UK?

A

The expenses scandal in 2008. Parliament tried to block the information about MPs’ expense being released but failed, and parliament was humiliated and had to reform the expenses system.

21
Q

When was the Constitutional Reform Act passed?

A

2005

22
Q

What did the Constitutional Reform Act do?

A
  • Separated the judiciary and government.
  • Created the Supreme Court.
  • Created the Judicial Appointments Commission to assess all appointments to the senior judiciary.
23
Q

What happened to the role of Lord Chancellor under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005?

A

Largely removed, being merged with that of Justice Secretary meaning the holder would be in charge of justice policy but not justice practice.

24
Q

Before the Supreme Court was created, what was the highest court of appeal?

A

The House of Lords and the ‘Law Lords’ inside.

25
Q

What was the issue with the position of Lord Chancellor?

A

Whoever held the position was part of all three branches of government as they sat in Parliament, in the Cabinet, and also were head of the entire judiciary.

26
Q

When did the Supreme Court officially open?

A

2009

27
Q

What did the creation of the Supreme Court involve?

A

The ‘Law Lords’ were removed from the House of Lords and the new Supreme Court was entirely separate. They do have the same powers as the previous ‘Law Lords’ did.

28
Q

Before the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, who was in charge of appointing senior judges?

A

The Lord Chancellor and the prime minister, making them highly political appointments.

29
Q

What is the JAC?

A

The Judicial Appointments Commission, created in 2005 by the Constitutional Reform Act; it must assess all prospective judges before the prime minister decides who to appoint.

30
Q

What does the Judicial Appointments Commission do?

A

It assesses all prospective judges. The government still has the final say but they can only choose from JAC approved candidates. Appointments to the Supreme Court are therefore non-political.

31
Q

What are the 3 principles of judicial reform?

A
  • To increase the separation of powers.
  • Improve the independence of the judiciary.
  • Bring Britain into line with modern constitutional practice.
32
Q

When was the Fixed Term Parliaments Act passed?

A

2011

33
Q

Why was the Fixed Term Parliaments Act passed?

A

To improve the stability of the coalition government, removing the constitutional convention that the prime minister chose the date of the next election. It meant that there could be disagreement within government without it falling apart.

34
Q

What are the 2 ways in which the Fixed Term Parliaments Act can be circumvented?

A
  • A vote of no confidence in the government.

- 2/3 vote in the Commons for an early election.

35
Q

How did Theresa May get a snap election in April 2017 in light of the limitations placed on her by the FTPA?

A

She introduced a motion to parliament to hold a snap election it was passed by the required 2/3 majority.

36
Q

What did George Osbourne do in October 2015 to increase the autonomy of cities?

A

He allowed local authorities to keep all the revenue from business rates so that they could finance their own projects and policies.

37
Q

How did George Osbourne increase the autonomy of local government in Manchester and when?

A

March 2016 - gave the mayor of Manchester control of its budgets for health and social care.

38
Q

When was the Greater London Authority Act passed and what did it do?

A

1999; introduced elected mayors to Greater London.

39
Q

When was the first Greater London Mayor elected as part of the Greater London Authority Act 1999?

A

2000

40
Q

When was the Recall of MPs Act passed?

A

2015

41
Q

What does the Recall of MPs Act allow constituents to do?

A

Recall their MP if they have been involved in some misbehaviour. A petition must be signed by 10% of the MP’s constituents in order for them to be recalled.

UK Politics (39 decks)

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