House Of Lords An Key Functions Of Parliament Flashcards
How is the chamber elected?
It is an UNELECTED chamber
Why has the chamber been reduced in power
Due to reforms made in the last century
What is the Lords main role?
Act as an advisory or revising chamber on legislation. It double checks prospective legislation to make sure it will work.
They have the power to DELAY a bill but CANNOT completely reject it.
What is the membership of the Lords made up of?
A member is called a PEER
It is made up of mostly a mixture of LIFE PEERS, a small number of hereditary peers (only there through being born to a title eg Duke) and a small number of Archbishops and Bishops.
What are the 5 key functions of Parliament
TO LEGISLATE: A considerable amount of Parliamentary time is devoted to producing legislation
SCRUTINISE EXECUTIVE: Role of watchdog- it has to make the Government ACCOUNTABLE for their actions
REPRESENTATION: MP’s look after the interests of constituents and the area in general. They may also represent INTEREST GROUPS such as trade unions, farmers or charities.
DEBATE: Parliament is expected to debate the main issues of concern.
PROVIDE MINISTERS: Almost all UK ministers including the PM come from the House of Commons. All Ministers have to be a member of Parliament. It is argues that it is not right for the House of Commons to supply the government and then try to check them.
