Parliament

Question 1

How many seats are there in parliament for England, NI and wales

Answer 1

• England: 533
• NI: 18
• Wales: 40

Question 2

Whats the diffenec between front ebnch vs back bench PM’s

Answer 2

• Front bench MP’s are invited by the PM to join the cabinet, either as a seniour minister, juniour minsiter or perminant private secuartry. This means that they are al bound by collectiev responceabillity. Theses MP’s also sit in the front rows.
• Back bench MP’s are regular MP’s who do not have to vote with the governement although should, and party wips exits to get tehm to do so.

Question 3

what is collective reponcabillity

Answer 3

• The whole governement is held repocible/officailly ames dessisions, so a Minsiter must eb able to publically support a bill put forth by teh government or resign their possition
• (excluding brexit)

Question 4

who is the speaker of the house

Answer 4

• a respected, senior membour of the house of commons of either party
• manege debates, talks to leadership, palys the disaplinary roel
• elected by a secret ballot of MP’s

Question 5

of blairs appointment of 203 MP’s to the house of lords how many were labour MP’s

Answer 5

162

Question 6

How does the PM officially get their power

Answer 6

the royal prerogative

Question 7

List the functions of the House of commons ( actually 4)

(5)

Answer 7

• passing legistation
• scrutiney and debate
• providing government
• representation

Question 8

How well do the commons forfill its function of passing legistation ( only the passing part)

Answer 8

• most “Governement bills”, especially those in the manifesto will get passed, unike in US where little often gets doen becuse of congressional gridlock
  1. e.g. 2015, thhe MP recall act
  2. However less majorities in recent years = gove acant perform. e.g Lib dems coallison 2015 having to increse tuition fees, despite promising not to in their manifesto
  4. the Salisbury convention usually means cant be opposed by the lords
• However, becuse of whips and collectiev reponcabillity teh government almost has too much power in passign bills. (tyrany of the majority)
  1. e.g. Blair managed to get parliamentry approval of the invasion of Iraq because of his 179 MP majority, despite unfavorbel public opion and a 121 Labour MP backbench rebellion
  2. However 2018, Theraysa may was defeted 432/202 on the brexit deal it propesed
  3. however collective resonecbaillity did not apply for brexit
• “Private membours” bills are rarely passed or even give attension
  1. in 2016 John Nickleson attempted to pass “ The Turing Bill” after alan turing, it would pardon sex offenders from same sex acts. However, a conservative MP talked a length during the debate, “talking the bill to death” so it ran its time for debate and failed.
  2. however, acts with cross partysupport acn go far. e.g. the Homelessness reduction act 2018, By Bob Blackman was passed

Question 9

How big was the labour back bench rebellion on iraq 2003

Answer 9

121 MP’s

Question 10

In 2018, what was May’s brexit deal rejected by

Answer 10

432/202

Question 11

which MP tryed to pass the “The Turing act” to pardon sex offenders of same sex acts and what year

Answer 11

John Nickleson, 2016

Question 12

what is a bill called when it is proposed by a regular MP not the governement

Answer 12

A “private membours bill”

Question 13

Who was the 2018 homelessness reduction act passed by

Answer 13

Bod Blackman

Question 14

How well do the commons for fill its role of scrutiny ( of the executive )

(4)

Answer 14

Public Bills Committees
* can take oral and wriiten evidence from parliaemnt
* However the makup of select comitees is very partizan. It relfects the makup of the commons and members are chosen by whips. This discorages any real debate and changes other than to wordign being made. This is because there is an inbuilt majority of the party in governmeny

** Select Committees**
* Although selct commitees are made up acording to the makup of parliament, membership is votes on by the whoel part so you tend to get highly compitnet profesionals as mebours and it is expected taht there should be genuine desscusion and debate in them.
* furthermore the whoel of parlaiment votes on chairs so they are often very skilled profesionals
* e.g. Sarah Wolsone was a GP for 20 years and tehn teh head of The health and socail care commitee 2014-2018
* they also have the “parliamentry priverlage” that public bill committees dont have in that they can ask membours of the public
1. E.g the home affairs select commitee talked to rusel brand on drug addiction in 2020, this helped improve the home affairs departments proposed drug policies

PMQS and the opposition
* reguar (one a week) opertunity for MP’s to ask the PM questions
* people dont get a reponce to the question making it difficult
* However the leader of the opposition gets extenive time
* 14th of decmber 2022 Kier starmer ruthlessly scrutinised Sunak on the strikes happenign in dembre (secifically the first nurses strike on the 15th)
* fair to amke any pratcial changes to the PM’s stance as they dont have to act on anythign

**the liaison committee **
* meets once a year at least and acts as a more in depth PMQs but allows follow up questions, making it more proffitable
* however The PM can delay these meetings

Question 15

What are the two commitees in chage of scrutiny in the house of commons, + what each scrutinises

Answer 15

• for indervidual legislation = a public bills comitee
• for departments, select committees

Question 16

which celeb did the hoome affairs select commitee talk to ? when ? and on what ?

Answer 16

Russle Brand, 2020, on drug addiction

Question 17

what priverlage do select committees have that public bills committees dont

Answer 17

“parliamentry priverlage”= they can being in and talk to mebours of the public

Question 18

How do you correctly spell Le-a-son committee

Answer 18

liasion

Question 19

How well does parliament forfill its function of representation

Answer 19

• social rep has impoved every year since the tuen of the malenia
• FPTP allows for conituentcy MP links so Mps can represnet local areas issues and their party for more geernal issues
• 82% of people feel represented by the party they voted for
• However there is a lack of social representation in Parliament
  1. 32% women
  2. 29% privatly educated vs 7% of pop
  2. 8% BAME vs 18% of population
  4. However, the trustee model
  5. and 7% homosexual vs 3,2% of adult population
• because of FPTP people can become an MP with a significnat minority of the vote
  1. Alasdair McDonell, Belfast south on 24.5% of the vote

Question 20

How ffectiev is the house of commons in forfilling its funcion of providing governemnt

Answer 20

• good as trained, and elected politicians with a madate will be in the execuative and make decisions unlike in the US
• However the majority party is limited in size, and as a PM has to ballence rival faction and well astblished influencial party mebours in cabinet it can be hard always appointing a tallent
  1. eg. 1/3 mebours of 2017 conservative party canidates were in cabinet

Question 21

what is the term used for the execuative comeing forom the legislature

Answer 21

teh execustive and teh legislture are fused

Question 22

what is the function of the House of lords ? and how is it done ? +advantage and disadvanteg

Answer 22

**Scrutiny **
* committees
* policy experts
* not elected
*partizan appointments

Question 23

what are the three ways a bill can come to be debated

Answer 23

• Government (preposed bills)
• Private membours bills
• public E-petisiosn on the GOV.org website that get over 100,000 signitures.

Question 24

How do private membours bills come to be debated

Answer 24

A ballot is held at the beggining of parlaiment with 20 bills, the top 7 are then debated usually.

Question 25

list The stages of a bill through parlaiment

Answer 25

1. The first reading
2. the second reading
3. the committee phase
4. the report stage
5. the third readign
6. royal assent

Question 26

what is it called when the monarch signs off a bill

Answer 26

royal assent

Question 27

breifly state what happens at each stage of the legistlagive process

Answer 27

• first reading- bill is proposed, no debate
• second reading bill is debated and voted on
• committee phase a bill is ammended by its own public bill committeee
• report stage amendments are voted on, and any further ones can be made by the house
• The third reading the same happens in the other house
• royal assent signed off by the monarch

Question 28

which committee called russel brand and amy whyne house’s father for questioning on drugs policy

Answer 28

The Home affais select commitee

Question 29

which committee called russel brand and amy whyne house’s father for questioning on drugs policy

Answer 29

The Home affais select commitee

Question 30

Whats the diffenec between front ebnch vs back bench PM’s

Answer 30

• Front bench MP’s are invited by the PM to join the cabinet, either as a seniour minister, juniour minsiter or perminant private secuartry. This means that they are al bound by collectiev responceabillity. Theses MP’s also sit in the front rows.
• Back bench MP’s are regular MP’s who do not have to vote with the governement although should, and party wips exits to get tehm to do so.

Question 31

List the points for and against parliament forfilling its role of passing legistaion well

Answer 31

• If its in the manifesto or there is a sizable governemnt majority
• However if the majority of gov is too big there is tyany of teh majority or even precidencal precidency and the commons is made redundant
• Private mebours bills (non governemnet bills) are rarly given the time of day

Question 32

whats an MP that was elected that shows parliament isnt very representative of the pulbics views

Answer 32

• Alasdair Mcdonell, 2015, belfast south, 24.5% of the vote, the least ever

Question 33

an example of a Private members bill (PMB) passed as it had government favour

Answer 33

• 2018 homlessness reduction act, Bob Blackman

Question 34

give an examples of three powerful recent backbench rebellion

Answer 34

• 96 Conservative MPs voted against Covid passports (largest tory back bench rebellion ever) (stoped them so influencial
• Blair over 90 terrorist suspenion 2005. 49 Labour MP back bench rebellion, enough to redunce the time to 28 days
• blair war in iraq 121

Question 35

Do back bench MP’s play an imortant raole in the house of commons

Answer 35

• Back bench rebellions
  1. borris 96 MP back bench rebbelion stoppin covid passports
  2. blair 49 back bench rebellion stopping 90 suspenion of suspected terrorists
  3. however, in 2003 blair resived a 121 back benhc rebellion on ieaq back it went forward anyway as he had 167 majority
• private mebers bills
  1. Bob blackman the homelessnes reduction act 2018
  2. John Nickleson the turing act that failed to pardon same sex sex offenders as fillabusted
• power on comitees
  (alsot og BBMP’s are on select or privat ebills comitees where they can amend legistation and preposed poicies. )
  1. the home afair commitee on preposed drug policy in 2018. called rusell brand and amy whine house father in with their parliamentry privaerage.
  2. prefresionals get tehir say, like sarah wolstone (20 years a GP and head of the health and social vare commitee), made plednty of health care amendments in her time
  2. public bill comitees are selected and controled bywhips, this limmits tehir influnece.
  3. select comitees have no legistagtive powers in and of tehmselves

Question 36

list the reasosn back bench MP’s play an imortant role in the house of commons

Answer 36

• Back bench rebellions
• private mebours bills
• power on comitees

Question 37

give a fact tehat suggest parliament has been more influencial in recent years

Answer 37

• taking controle of the parliamentry time tabel
• march 2019 which brezit channogens
• MPs voted 329 to 302 in favor and the amendment was put forward by a member of mays own part
• clears the way on Wednesday for MPs to bring forward their own Brexit motion, leaving brexit in the hands of leqding back benchers
• this happened on the nn the 27 of march
• however this was short term, suroundign brexit, uncharted waters and still it came to no avail as no deal was passed.