Houses Of Parliament Flashcards

1
Q

What does Bicameral mean?

A

Made up of two chambers

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2
Q

What branch is parliament?

A

Parliament is the legislature

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3
Q

How many constituencies are there?

A

650

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4
Q

How are MPs selected?

A

Through a general election

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5
Q

What are backbenchers?

A

MPs that don’t sit in the two front benches in the House of Commons.

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6
Q

Who sits on the front two benches in the Houses of Parliament?

A

MPs who are cabinet ministers, shadow cabinet members and opposition party leadership team.

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7
Q

What does the speaker do?

A

Mp who chairs debates in the chamber.

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8
Q

What are most Lords titled as?

A

Life peers

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9
Q

How many life peers were there in 2018?

A

676

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10
Q

What are archbishops and bishops known as?

A

“Lords spiritual”

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11
Q

What are peers known as?

A

lords temporal

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12
Q

When was the House of Lords act?

A

1999

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13
Q

What did the House of Lords act do?

A

Reduced the number of hereditary peers to 92

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14
Q

How many bishops are there in the House of Lords?

A

26

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15
Q

Where do Lords spiritual come from?

A

The Church of England

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16
Q

Who appoints the Lords?

A

The House of Lords appointments committee.

17
Q

What are the powers the PM has that can appoint Lords?

A

Patronage powers.

18
Q

Who did Gordon Brown appoint to the lords and when?

A

lord sugar in 2009

19
Q

Who did David Cameron appoint to the House of Lords and when?

A

Ed Llewelyn in 2016

20
Q

What can political parties use to influence and try and appoint party members to the House of Lords?

A

Political lists- the members act in the party’s interests.

21
Q

What is parliamentary privilege?

A

The legal immunity enjoyed by members of parliament, particularly their right to free speech in parliament

22
Q

When was the expenses scandal?

A

2009

23
Q

What 3 roles does the whip carry out?

A
  • ensuring that MPs attend parliamentary divisions (votes)
  • issuing instructions on how MPs should vote
  • enforcing discipline within the parliamentary party.
24
Q

How many MPs were imprisoned as a result of the expenses scandal?

A

4

25
Q

Who was the first speaker to be forced from office in 174 years?

A

Micheal Martin in 2009 as a result of the expenses scandal

26
Q

What exclusive powers does the House of Commons have?

A
  • right to insist on legislation
  • financial privilege (lords cannot delay or amend money bills)
  • the power to dismiss the executive
27
Q

What are the main conventions covering the relationship between the two chambers?

A
  • Salisbury doctrine (manifesto commitments cannot be blocked by the lords)
  • reasonable time
  • secondary legislation (lords usually don’t object to secondary legislation)
28
Q

What did the parliament act 1911 do?

A

Restricted veto power of the Lords to 2 parliamentary sessions this was then reduced to 1 in the 1949 parliament act

29
Q

What does the government require from the House of Commons to remain in office?

A

Confidence and supply - the government must be able to command a majority in the House of Commons on votes of confidence and supply (budget)

30
Q

How can the commons get rid of a government?

A

Through a vote of no confidence and a confidence motion.

31
Q

What is the Salisbury doctrine?

A

The convention that the House of Lords does not block legislation that was promised in the manifesto of government

32
Q

When did the Salisbury convention come under strain?

A

In 2006, peers voted against identity cards bill, despite it being in labours 2005 manifesto.

33
Q

What acts has the House of Lords blocked?

A

Sexual offences (amendment) Act 2000 and the hunting act 2004

34
Q

What issues were the Blair and brown government defeated in the House of Lords?

A

On judicial and constitutional matters (counter-terrorism)

35
Q

How many defeats in the House of Lords did the coalition government have?

A

99 defeats

36
Q

What has the effectiveness of the House of Lords checking powers come from?

A
  • party balance
  • enhanced legitimacy (no longer afraid to voice its opinions of constitutional matters)
  • Government mandate
  • Support from MPs
37
Q

What are the arguments for the House of Lords being wholly elected?

A
  • more democratic
  • it would be more confident in scrutinising government bills
  • it would challenge the dominance of the executive
  • it would be more representative of the electorate
38
Q

Arguments against the House of Lords being wholly elected?

A
  • it would come into conflict with the House of Commons
  • would produce legislative gridlock
  • the problems with representation and party control in he House of Commons would be duplicated in an elected upper house