ELS-Parliamentary Law-How Parliament works Flashcards
Difference between Parliament and government.
Government = run by country
Parliament = government needs to get their approval for new laws
In the US, what 2 things are more clearly separated?
Congress and government
Why is there an overlap in government and Parliament in Britain?
The leader of the biggest party in Parliament become Prime Minister (Head of government)
3 elements of Parliament.
The House of Commons
The House of Lords
The Crown
How many MPs are there?
650
Define constituency.
Area of a country
Who sits in the House of Commons?
MPs
How often do general elections occur?
At least every 5 years
When do by-elections occur?
When an individual MP resigns or dies
The HoL is democratically elected.
True or false?
False-Is not elected
Who was the HoL historically reserved for?
Hereditary peers and bishops
Since 1999, what 3 groups sit in the HoL?
92 hereditary peers
700 life peers
26 bishops
How are hereditary peers chosen for the HoL?
Chosen by all hereditary peers in a vote
What is a Green Paper?
A consultative document issued by the government putting forward proposals for reform of the law.
What is a White Paper?
Issued by the government stating how they are going to reform the law
What is a Bill?
A proposed new law, which has yet to complete all the stages of going through Parliament
What is an Act?
A law approved by Parliament
What are public bills?
Affect the whole country or a large sections of it
What are private bills?
Affect individuals or individual corporations
Give an example of a private bill.
Faversham Oyster Fisheries Bill 2016
What is a bill which is private and affects the public called?
Hybrid bill
How are new bills introduced?
Through:
Government bills
Private members bills
Most new bills are introduced by the government.
True or false?
True
Who are government bills drafted by?
Lawyers in the civil service
Who are private member bills introduced by?
Back-benchers
What are the 2 ways a back-bencher is chosen to introduce a private member bill?
Ballot
Ten-minute rule
What is a the ballot for private member bills?
20 MPs selected at random get a chance to introduce a bill
What is the ten-minute rule in private member bills?
MPs make a speech supporting new legislation
Summarise the passage of a bill in the House of Commons.
1st reading
2nd reading
Committee stage
Report stage
3rd reading
What happens at the 1st reading?
Name of bill read out
Summarise the passage of a bill overall.
The House of Commons
The House of Lords
Royal Assent
What happens at the 2nd reading?
MPs discuss the bill’s broad principles
What happens at the committee stage?
A smaller group of MPs (a Standing Committee) go through the Bill section by section, and can make amendments.
What happens at the report stage?
All MPs vote on any amendments introduced at Committee stage
What happens at the 3rd reading?
Usually a formality, MPs vote through the whole bill
What happens to a bill in the HoL?
Goes through same 5 stages as in House of Commons.
If the Lords make amendments, the bill will be passed back to the Commons to consider these (“ping pong”)
Why is Royal Assent needed to pass laws?
Is a formality
No monarch has refused to give RA since?
Queen Anne in 1707
Following the Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949, what has happened to the HoL?
Its powers have been limited to improving laws and, at most, delaying them.
What happens if the Lords reject a bill from the House of Commons?
The bill can be passed without the Lords approval if it is reintroduced in the Commons’ next sessions and again passes through all 5 stages in the commons
