Law Paper 1 Parliamentary Law Making

Question 1

What are laws passed by parliament known as?

Answer 1

Statues or acts of parliament

Question 2

Examples of acts of parliament

Answer 2

• abortion act 1967
• the hunting act 2004
• dangerous dogs act 1991

Question 3

First stage of passing a law

Answer 3

Consult relevant people via a green paper or white paper

Question 4

First stage of passing a law

Answer 4

Consult relevant people via a green paper or white paper

Question 5

What is a green paper

Answer 5

Intention to change a law and what format this would take, it is published on the internet for public to comment on and copies are often distributed to interested parties. These individuals will comment and put forward suggestions on the proposal

Question 6

What is white papers?

Answer 6

After green paper, parliament will then publish a white paper, which is a positive proposal on the format the new law will take. Often includes changes as a response to the opinions of interested parties. There is lastly a further consultation before the final bill enters parliament

Question 7

What are the 3 different types of bills

Answer 7

• public bills
• private member bills
• private bills

Question 8

What are public bills?

Answer 8

Involve matters of public policy that will affect the whole country or a large section of it. These bills will sometimes reflect the manifesto of the government at the time for example. Finance act 2017

Question 9

What is a private member bills

Answer 9

These bills are sponsored by individual MPs. During each parliamentary session 20MPs are chosen from a ballot to take their turn in presenting their bills. Few of these become law and time to debate them is short for example, abortion act 1967

Question 10

What are private bills?

Answer 10

This is the law that is designed to affect only individual people or corporations. E.g , university college London act 1996

Question 11

What is the 1st reading in the legislative process

Answer 11

—the name and main aims of the bill are read out,
- there will be a vote on whether or not the bill should continue usually by members shouting ‘aye’ or ‘no’
- usually there is a clear ‘aye’ there is no formal vote and will proceed to its next stage
- if commons take the vote, the members leave the chamber and walk past 2 of tellers who physically count members

Question 12

What is the 2nd reading in the legislative process

Answer 12

• main debate on whole bill: MPs debate on the principles behind the bill
• MPs who wish to speak in the debate must catch speakers eye
• speaker controls the debate &nobody must speak unless told to do so
• a vote is taken the same way in first reading

Question 13

What is the 3rd reading in the legislative process (committee stage)

Answer 13

• a detailed examination of each clause of the bill is undertaken by a committee between 16-50 MPs
• usually done by standing committee (chosen for that bill)
• in such a committee the government will have a majority, opposition, and minority parties are represented proportionally to number of seats they have in the House of Commons

Question 14

What is the 4th reading of the legislative process (report stage)

Answer 14

• committee report back to the house on any amendments that were voted on and passed during the committee stage
• amendments will be debated in the houses and accepted or rejected
• further amendments may also be added

Question 15

What is the 5th reading of the legislative process (third reading)

Answer 15

• final vote of the bill
• it is almost a formality because a bill which has passed through all stages above is unlikely to fail at this late stage

Question 16

What is the 6th reading of the legislative process (the House of Lords)

Answer 16

• if the bill in the House of Commons it is now passed to the House of Lords
• if the House of Lords makes amendment to the bills, then it will go back to the House of Commons vice versus (parliamentary ping pong)

Question 17

What is the last stage of the legislative process? (Royal assent)

Answer 17

• final stage when the monarch formally gives approval to bill then becomes an act of parliament
• this is now formally, and under the royal assent act 1961 where the monarch does not have the text of the bill in front of them