How do the Houses of Commons and Lords exercise parliamentary scrutiny?

Question 1

1. Where do most senior ministers sit?

Answer 1

1. Most senior ministers sit in the commons, where the main action of politics takes place.

Question 2

1a. How many members of the Lords were there in Theresa May’s first Cabinet?
1b. When was Theresa May’s first Cabinet appointed?

Answer 2

1a. There was one member - the Leader of the Lords, Baroness Evans.
1b. In July 2016.

Question 3

1. How are government departments represented in the Lords?

Answer 3

1. They are represented by junior ministers, who oversee the passage of business through the House of Lords.

Question 4

1a. How is scrutiny performed through the Prime Minister’s Questions?
1b. Why is it criticised?

Answer 4

1a. The Prime Minister’s Questions is a weekly question-and-answer session, in the chamber of the Commons.
1b. This is due to it being theatrical, and largely a point-scoring system, which is dominated by the Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition.

Question 5

1. What are select committees?

Answer 5

1. They shadow government departments, in the Commons.

Question 6

1a. Give an example of a debate that was used to exercise scrutiny.
1b. What is the Backbench Business Committee?
1c. How effective are debates in the House of Lords?

Answer 6

1a. During the August 2013 House of Commons debate, the Cameron government was defeated on its proposal to take military action in Syria.
1b. Since 2010, it has allowed MPs to choose the topic for debate one day a week.
1c. They are of high quality as they include retired experts, however, they rarely influence the course of events.