Chapter 6 - 6/7 - A general assessment of Parliament

Question 1

What 7 things are needed for government to be effective?

Answer 1

• Properly holds government to account.
• Provides democratic legitimacy.
• Scrutinises thoroughly.
• Limits government power to its mandate.
• Represents constituents.
• Represents the national interest.
• Effectively recruits ministers and leaders.

Question 2

In what way does Parliament effectively hold government to account?

Answer 2

• Select committees are increasingly significant.

- Ministers must appear in both Houses.

Question 3

In what ways does Parliament fail to hold government to account?

Answer 3

• MPs lack expertise, knowledge, research back-up, and time to investigate government thoroughly.
• PMQs is a media event.

Question 4

In what ways does Parliament succeed in providing democratic legitimacy?

Answer 4

The UK has a stable political system with widespread consent.

Question 5

What way does Parliament fail to provide democratic legitimacy?

Answer 5

The House of Lords is unelected and unaccountable.

Question 6

In what ways does Parliament succeed in scrutinising legislation?

Answer 6

• The House of Lords does a good job of improving legislation and blocking unfair aspects.
• The Lords has experts in various fields.

Question 7

In what way does Parliament fail to scrutinise legislation?

Answer 7

Legislative committees in the Commons are whipped making them largely ineffective.

Question 8

In what way does Parliament fail to control government power?

Answer 8

Prime ministerial patronage and control by party whips means MPs are largely unwilling to challenge government.

Question 9

How does Parliament fail to represent constituents?

Answer 9

• It is absent in the Lords.

- No effective mechanism for removing poorly performing MPs.

Question 10

How does Parliament succeed in representing the national interest?

Answer 10

When there is a free vote both Houses are seen at their best, and MPs and peers take this very seriously.

Question 11

How does Parliament fail to represent the national interest?

Answer 11

When votes are whipped it is usually party loyalty that triumphs over the national interest.

Question 12

How well does Parliament represent different regions?

Answer 12

Every constituency has its own MP who represents everyone, regardless of who they vote for, redressing their grievances and defending the constituency from threatening proposals.

Question 13

What percentage of the vote did UKIP win in 2015 and how many seats did that translate into?

Answer 13

12.6%; just 1 seat.

Question 14

What percentage of the vote did the Liberal Democrats win in 2015 and how many seats did that translate into?

Answer 14

7.9% of the vote; they got 8 seats (compare this with UKIP in the same election).

Question 15

What happened to the percentage of the vote the Conservatives won in 2017 and what happened to their total seats?

Answer 15

Their share of the vote increased by 5.5% but they lost 13 seats!

Question 16

How many women MPs are there (number and percentage)?

Answer 16

220; 34%

Question 17

What percentage of the Commons is from an ethnic minority and what is that compared to the national population?

Answer 17

10% of the Commons is from an ethnic minority; 14% of the population is of an ethnic minority.

Question 18

What percentage of the Lords are from an ethnic minority and what is the national percentage?

Answer 18

6.6% of the Lords; 14% of the national population.

Question 19

How many female peers are there?

Answer 19

223 peers are female; that is 28% of the total members of the House of Lords.