Law Making - Parliamentary Law Making Flashcards
what are the types of bill?
Public Bill
Private Bill
Private Members Bill
what is a public bill and what are some examples of one?
proposed by the government
affects everyone in the country
Theft Act 1968, Criminal Justice Act 1988, Offences Against the Person Act 1861
what is a private bill and what is an example of one?
proposed by the government or an individual organisation
affects that single organisation or area
Leeds City Council Act 2013 - introduced to give power to Leeds City Council regarding street trading.
what is a private members bill and what are some examples of one?
proposed by one individual MP
affects everyone in the country if passed
Abortion Act 1967 - legalised abortion up to 24 weeks.
Voyerism Act 2019 - introduced by Wera Hobhouse to create the offence of upskirting.
what is the pre-legislative process?
green paper - consultation document where interested people can comment
e.g law on NHS would consult doctors and nurses
white paper - after feedback from the green paper the amendments are done and the bill is ready to go to Parliament
what is the first stage of the Parliamentary process?
First Reading - the bill is introduced to the house and its name and aims are read out
what is the second stage of the Parliamentary process?
Second Reading - the main debate occurs on the strengths and weaknesses of the bill. a vote occurs at the end to decide if the bill can progress.
must pass the vote to move onto the next stage.
what is the third stage of the Parliamentary process?
Committee Stage - small group of people make sure the Act makes sense and can be interpreted, clause by clause
what is the fourth stage of the Parliamentary process?
Report Stage - amendments suggested in the committee stage are reported back to the entire house and voted on.
if no changes are suggested, this is skipped.
what is the fifth stage of the Parliamentary process?
Third Reading - a final vote. no changes can be made unless it is SPAG.
what is the sixth stage of the Parliamentary process?
Other House - the bill will go to the other house (lords/commons) and go through the first reading to third reading again.
what is the seventh and final stage of the Parliamentary process?
Royal Assent - the monarch signs the law. unless stated otherwise, it will be enforced at midnight that night.
what are some positive ao3 points for parliamentary law making?
- can critique issues of the law
- SPAG errors can be fixed
- adheres to democracy, MPs are elected in
- votes and second and third reading make it fair
what are some negative ao3 points for parliamentary law making?
- takes on average 18 months (long time)
- proposals for reform made but often never done
- law is often complex so not enough time to deal with it in depth
- law becomes complicated when one Act amends another
- House of Lords are not voted democratically
