Parliament Flashcards
How many members are in the House of Commons
650
How many peers are in the House of Lords
Around 800
What is hereditary peers
Peers which inherit the title from their father and in most cases the title is handed down to the son, occasionally a female gets the title.
How many hereditary peers are allowed to sit in the House of Lords?
- There are thousands of hereditary peers around the UK like Viscounts and Earls however only a few are allowed to sit in the House of Lords.
What are crossbench MPs
Peers (both life and hereditary) which don’t affiliate with any party and are fully independent
What are front bench MPs
Government ministers, senior and junior, plus leading spokespersons from opposition parties (about 150)
How many Back bench MPs are there?
Around 500
What are party whips?
These are Senior MPs which seek to get back benchers from their party to vote the way their party leadership wants them to
What are life peers?
These are people which have been elected to be a peer for life by party leaders and an appointments commission. They are a mixture of politicians and experts in various fields, however their title cannot be passed onto their children
What is the role of the lord speaker
Has control over debates in the house of lords and maintains discipline
Who else apart from hereditary and life peers are able to be members in the House of Lords?
Archbishops and bishops of the Church of England. There are 26 of them
What is the role of the speaker in the House of Commons?
The speaker has control over disputes in the commons and takes decisions on parliamentary procedure
What are select committees and how are they elected?
They are permanent committees of back bench MPs which’s main role is to scrutinise the work of the government. They are elected by all MPs
What are the key stages in a legislative bill?
. First reading . Second reading . Committee stage . Report stage . Third reading . Passage to the other place (house of lords) . Royal assent
What is the first reading?
MPs are informed about the bill or proposed legislation
What is the second reading?
The main debate on the bill is held, which is followed by a vote
What is the committee stage?
The commons votes in favour of the bill at the second reading, a public bill committee is formed to consider it line by line. This committee may propose amendments
What is the report stage?
The bill is debated again, with all passed amendments included
What is the third reading?
There is a final debate and a last opportunity to block the legislation.
What is the Passage ‘to other place’ (House of Lords)?
Generally bills are presented to the House of Commons first and then passed to the House of Lords (however they can start the other way round)
What is Royal Assent?
The monarch signs the bill into the law, which signifies the formal passage of the bill into the law. It is now an act of Parliament
What is a legislative bill?
A proposal presented to Parliament for legislation. Once passed in parliament, a bill becomes an act of parliament.
What are the different types of legislation?
. Public bills . Primary legislation . Secondary legislation . Private members bill . Private bils
What are public bills?
Bills presented by the government, expected to pass successfully into law.
What are Primary legislations?
Major pieces of legislation either changing the law or granting powers to subsidiary bodies and individuals to make secondary legislation
What is secondary legislation (delegated legislation)?
Minor legislations made by ministers or other bodies on their own which are normally not debated in parliament but parliament can veto a legislation.
What are private members bills?
Backbench MPs enter a ballot allowing 5 of them to present their own proposed piece of legislation, however they rarely become law unless there is government support.
What are private bills?
These are bills presented by individuals or organisations outside the government. They apply to parliament for permission for certain actions which are currently not allowed (construction…)
What do MPs represent?
A constituency
What is parliamentary privilege?
MPs are free from outside interference and cannot be sued for saying anything in the House of Commons
What are backbench MPs?
MPs who are not members of government or leadership of their party.
How long are lords appointed for:
They can be a lord their whole life and they cannot be kicked out
What house does primary legislation come from?
House of Commons
Example of the media affecting parliament?
The animal sentience provision in the EU withdrawal bill
What are the legislative stages of the house of common’s and House of Lords:
. First reading
. Second reading
. Committee stage
. Report stage
. Third reading
. The House of Lords
. The role of the queen
