Legisaltive Process Flashcards
What is a bill?
Draft legislative proposal, when completed process becomes an act of parliament
Where and when does the government set out the legislative programme?
In kings speech at beginning of parliamentary session
What is a green paper that the goverment may produce?
Setting out options for legislation
What is a white paper that the goverment may produce?
Explaining objective of goverment policy
What do select committees do to draft bills?
Scrutinise them and this may lead to redrafting of bill or influence debate however the goverment can ignore their objections
Where does most legislation originate?
House of Commons- some bills that are non - controversial/ complex matters can be in the House of Lords
Who are private member bills initiated by and what 3 routes do they take?
Backbenches rather than goverment
Three routes- ballot, ten minuite bill or presentation
Explain the ballot route of a private members bill?
20 names of MPs who wish to introduce bill drawn in ballot. Ballots allocated time on 13 Fridays. Some fall victim to filibustering
Explain the ten minuite bill route a private members bill may take?
MPs have 10 minuites to introduce a bill or an aspect of existing piece of legislation
Explain the presentation route a private members bill may take?
MPs present a bill on the floor of the house by introducing the name of the bill
What two factors mean that most private member bills fail at an early stage?
Time constraints and difficulty of persuading MPs to back
What are two landmark private member bills?
Abortion act 1967
Death penalty 1955
What are Phillip nortons three fold
Classifications of legislatures?
Policy making legislatures
Policy influencing legislatures
Legislatures with little/ no policy influence
What powers do policy making legislatures have?
Can amend and reject proposals and put forward alternative bill
What powers do policy influencing legislatures have?
Can modify and reject proposal from the executive, but can’t develop own proposal
What powers or lack of do legislatures with little/ no policy influence have?
Can’t modify or veto proposal or form meaningful alternative proposal of their own
What 3 factors prove that law making occurs through, and not by uk parliament?
Goverment bills
Parliamentary timetable
Payroll vote
How do goverment bills prove that law making occurs through and not by the uk parliament?
Most bills originate from the goverment. Private bills have little chance of passing
How does the parliamentary timetable prove that law making occurs through and not by the uk parliament?
The executive controls much of the legislative timetable
What is the payroll vote?
Ministers support the goverment of resign. 40% of MPs from the governing party are on the payroll vote
