component 2: parliament Flashcards
comparing composition of HOC & HOL
HOC: 650 MPs, represent constituencies to scrutinise gov and debate legislation, most mps are backbenchers who occupy no gov office and is not a frontbench spokesperson in the opposition.
HOL: 777 members, life peers must sit for lifetime, people’s peer who came in in 2000 appointed on the basis of recommendations, Lord spiritual - 26 archbishops and bishops appointed by PM, no peers elected.
Speaker: calls upon MPs to speak in debates, ensure parties have fair share of time, discipline MPs, announce results.
Monarchy: ceremonial, symbolic, head of state, appoint a gov, open and dismiss parliament at start of parliamentary year give Royal assent.
the power of HOC & HOL
Parliament is bicameral, 2 Chambers, primary role of Parliament is pass legislation. Bills presented to Parliament and once passed through both Chambers receive royal assent and become acts.
HOC: scrutiny - check and challenge gov, accountability - explain and justify actions, representation - ensure views of people are heard, legitimisation - give democratic consent or approval to gov actions and laws, recruitment of minister from the largest party.
HOL: Revising legislation that’s passed through HOC, plays key role in secondary legislation, scrutiny and accountability, cannot claim representstive function though can claim to represent expertise, no democratic mandate
house of lords peer appointment
Following 1999 HOL act, number of ways to become a peer:
Working peers - appointed by party leaders to ensure lords reflects parties strength in HOC, parties use them to boost their own number to enable legislation passes easily.
Resignation and dissolution honours- resigning PM and opposition can recommend peerages for MPs, dissolution take place at end of parliament.
HOL appointment commission - May 2000, independent body vets nominations for life peers, nominated 2 a year, requires nominees to have good standing with community and public regulatory authorities. 2015 - 7 nominees rejected including former Lib dems MP David laws sacked in 2009 expenses scandal.
johnson’s Lord appointment contraversy
Appointed billionaire donor cruddas, HOL appointments commission raised concerns over a cash for access scandal, prompting tory party co-treasurer to resign. Cruddas donated millions to tories, gave party £500,000 days after taking his seat.
passage of a bill
Gov issues green paper document opening period of consultation with public followed by white paper (draft), pressure groups may be active. Bills go through stages in both houses, demonstrating functions of legislation and scrutiny. Most come through gov and is announced at queens speech at start of session.
backbench rebellions
One way to assess parliaments effectiveness in challenging gov is whether it had allowed gov legislation to pass unchallenged. Threat of rebellion force gov to compromise or amend e.g. 2005: BB MPs defeated Blair’s plans to extend terrorist suspect to 90 days. When Johnson came to power, gov defeated 12 times and didn’t win a vote until 6 weeks later
private member’s bills
What is it? Legislative bill is introduced by a private MP, not part of gov legislation, rarely become a law. Introduced? 3 methods: ballot - members who apply drawn from a ballot and given parliamentary time for their bill. 10 minute rate - member speaks for 10 minutes on a motion after a brief debate introducing a PMB. Presentation - and MP introduce a PMB if they have given an indication they intend to do so.
PMBs are vulnerable to fillibustering, deliberate time wasting by hostile MPs to kill a PMB, an MP keeps speaking until the bill runs out of time to delay a debate.
social representation
gender - 220 MPs elected in 2019 (34%), labour and lib dems have more women than men
Ethnicity- 2019 - 65 MPs from ethnicity background .
Educational background - con MPs most likely to attend paying school, 44% for con, 19% labour.
Age - since 1979, average age is 50. Members ages 18-29 and 70+ were 3% of total.
prime minister question’s
Every Wednesday, written or oral, opposition leader can ask 6 questions, submitted in advance. Ministerial questions similar, each department answers questions in 4 week cycle from Monday to Thursday. Speaker can allow urgent questions if circumstances justify it.
Benefits of UQ - secure accountability, ministers keep up to date on public departments, give platform for opposition to challenge PM.
Problems - playground bulling behaviour to intimidate humiliate others.
select and liaisons committees
SC - scrutinise giv departments, mirror each department, carry out inquiries and reports, question ministers and civil servants. Reforms: Wright reform - small change to how members chosen, executive no longer controls membership of SC so act more independently. Amber rudd, home secretary resigned after home affairs committee challenged her actions over Windrush scandal.
LC - includes all chairs of commons SC, question PM in detail twice a year, ask questions about any aspect of gov policy, considerable legitimacy, independence and expertise. Johnson first appearance at LC in 2020 = controversial. Chair was con MP Bernard Jenkins, who had been appointed by no10s insistence, some doubted his independence. Usually committee members elect their chair.
backbench business committees
Controlled bybackbench MPs decided what to debate 35 days a year, these are mostly westminister hall debates that dont take place in HOC. Strengths - stuck to its promise of hold weekly public evidence sessions at which MPs could pitch for debating time
weaknesses - manifesto made a number of promises that it proved unable to keep. It did not, for example, ever appear to consider well-supportedearly day motionsfor debate
strengths & weaknesses of select committees
Strengths: Since Wright reforms the executive no longer control membership of sc so can act more independent and scrutinise departments more effectively, sc are paid a significant salary increment and attract media so their role has grown in importance. MPs stay in same sc for duration of parliament so build up expertise so have more confidence in interrogative style of questioning.
Weaknesses: SCs only work effectively when they operate in bipartisan manner with MPs from different sides of committe wwork together, ministers have lots of research support whereas committee members have little. Often reveiew problems after they have occured, have no enforcement powers so gov is not obliges to act upon their recommendations
parliamentary debates and privilege
Debates: Bills are debated in their second reading in HOC and HOL.
strengths: Since formaion of BBBC, backbenchrs have more time to discuss key issues of the day, link to e-petitions has given public a say as to what is discusse, emergency debates have been used more and effectively since 2010.
weaknesses: debates initiated by BBBC are merely motions for discussions outcome doesn’t = gov action, PMs are not obliged to consult parliament before millitary action.
Privilege: legal immunity enjoyed by MPs and lords to ensure parliament are able to carry out duties free from interference, this mainly means freedom of speech as they cannot be sued and cannot be bound by rules of contempt of court or even the official secrets act. It does not mean they cannot be prosecuted for criminal offence.
how effective is HOL in fulfilling its functions?
-said to be effective as whips have less control, peers are more willing to rebel, removal of most hereditary meanslods are more willin to defeat commons.
-More crossbenchers and lack ofmajority means gov has limited control lords seen as revising chamber scrutinise proposals in more detail and have more time.
-Lords has main responsibility dealing with secondary legislation.
-Lords has fewer powers since salisbury and parliament acts: can onlu delay legislation for a year not veto it, also stop Lords from interfering with money bills. Salisbury - Lords cannot oppose stuff in winning parties manifesto.
