Holding the Government to account Flashcards
What is Prime Minister’s Question Time?
It takes place every wednesday from 12-12:30 and during this time the PM has to answer questions from MPs in the commons.
Example of PMQs working?
In December 2021, the PM at the time Boris Johnson was pictured with his wife and others drinking wine and eating cheese during lockdown, he was then questioned by Keir Starmer during PMQs for having a party.
What makes PMQs less effective?
There is only a small period of time to hold the PM to account and the PM gets to see the questions before hand.
An example against PMQs?
Previous SNP leader Ian Blackford critisiced the PM for ‘misleading parliament’, he was then removed from the house by the speaker for using the word misleading instead of the PM answering the question.
What is the House of Lords?
Their main function is to scrutinise bills before they become law.
The HoL have the opportunity to debate issues in a less politcal way than HoC
Example for HoL?
In Jan 2022 the Gov suffered a series of defeats in the HoL over its plan to clamp down on disruptive and noisy protesters under the Crime and Justice bill.
What makes HoL less effective?
The PM has the power to appoint members to the HoL and usually appoints members with the same beliefs/values as him.
Example for this?
The SNP MP Pete Wishart said Boris was giving jobs for life to friends and even his own brother.
What are select committees?
They exist to allow MPs to scrutinise Gov work in more detail than can be done in debates. There are usually about 30 committees and each has a minimum of 11 MPs
Example of Select Committees being effective?
In the House Magazine in Jan 2019, Sarah Wollaston MP cited the work of the Work and Pensions Select Committee on pushing for changes to Universal credit.
What makes them less effective?
Even though the Gov must respond to Select Committees, it doesn’t mean that it will actuallty change policies.
