Parliament Flashcards
5 functions of parliament?
Legitimation - granting consent on laws on behalf of the people
Scrutinising legislation - eg. Legislative committees
Accountability - hold govt to account (eg. Committees, vote of no confidence, PMQs)
Representation of constituency & interests of society
National debate
Bicameral
2 chambers - HofC and HofL
Could say tricameral including the queen
4 functions of the Lords
Scrutinising legislation - high number of experts = meaningful
National debate
(different to commons)
Delaying legilation
Secondary legislation - approving minor regulation the HofC doesn’t have time for
Powers of Commons and Lords
Both
Debate legislation and vote on approval
Propose amendments
Call govt and ministers to account
National debate
Commons
Scrutinise/pass financial bills
Veto legislation
Dismiss govt with vote of no confidence
Select committees examine govt
Lords
Delay primary legislation for a year
(Remember Parliament Acts 1911/49)
Review secondary legislation
How many MPs in the Commons?
650
~ 150 frontbenchers
~ 500 backbenchers
Select committees
Permanent Committees made of backbenchers
Legislative Committees
Temporary committees made to scrutinise legislation and propose amendments
Party whip
Senior MP whose job is to maintain discipline in the party and force MP’s to follow their party line
Speaker of the Commons
Elected by MP’s to decide agenda and keeps order in the house
eg. Lindsay Hoyle
How many Lords are there?
About 800
92 hereditary peers
Life = appointed for life by party leaders/appointments committee
- former politicians/civil servants/experts
- eg. Lord Alun Sugar
Spiritual Lords - 26 senior bishops of CofE
Cross-benchers - lords who act without party allegiance, neutral and independent
4 ways a Bill can be introduced
Government (most common)
MPs
Lords
Private individuals/organisations
Public Bill
Most common!
Introduces a change which applies to the public
eg. 2006 Health Act banned smoking in public places
Private Bill
Very rare - not govt’s priority
Introduced by private individuals/organisations wanting to change a law that limits their power or inhibits actions
Require to be publicised
eg. HS2 - high speed railway wants to go through farms and peoples gardens
Hybrid Bill
Mix of public and private, elements of private organisations but also affects the general public
eg. Building the Channel Tunnel between UK 🇬🇧 and France 🇫🇷 in 1980s
Private Members Bill
Not very common - govt wants to prioritise its own bills!
A type of public bill introduced by an MP or Lord rather than the govt
Introduced by:
- drawn from a ballot and debated
- 10min rule (individual can talk and raise status of bill)
- apply to present it
eg. Marriage and Civil Partnership Act 2022
Opposition to Bills
- only HoC can propose financial bills
- HoL can delay not block
- HoC can veto
- both can propose amendments
- public can oppose!
Write to MP
Lobby Parliament
Provide evidence to Public Bill Committee during scrutiny
Stages of a Bill
1st reading - MPs are informed about bill (not debated @ this stage)
—> several weeks
2nd reading - main debate on bill
—> voted on to move in with more detail
Committee stage - Bill committee scrutinises and proposes amendments
Report stage - debated on again including amendments
EVEL vote - English Votes for English Laws
3rd reading - final debate
Equivalent in HoL/HoC
Royal ascent
—> Act/law!
EVEL vote
English Votes for English Laws
- 2015 it was decided that only English MPs may vote if the law only applies to England (same for Wales)
- after Scottish MPs were voting to impose tuition fees in England ?!
Lord Limitations
Parliament Acts 1911/49
- limited power of Lords to delay legislation for only 2 years, then 1
- no influence on financial bills
Salisbury Convention
- lords cannot block legislation if it was in govt’s manifesto
Abolition Threat
- lords will be abolished if they do not respect will of the commons
Backbench Peers (Lords)
Provide expertise
eg. Lord Sugar (business and enterprise) or Doreen Lawrence (crime/racism/policing)
Scrutinise bills and suggest amendments
Partake in think tanks
Each govt department has a minister who sits in the HoL (undemocratic as they are supposed to be independent!)
Parliamentary Privilege
The right of MP’s or Lords to make certain statements within Parliament without being subject to outside influence (cannot be sued!)
✅ freedom of speech
✅ allows MPs to hold govt to account and question without fear of losing jobs
❌ can say whatever they like - undemocratic and against rule of law (more rights than others)
Rules: no provocative language (liar or swearing) and cannot mention super injunctions
eg. Ryan Giggs 2011 (footballer)
- had a super injunction to protect his reputation after having an affair
- MP mentioned him in Parliament as an example and his name was mentioned on national TV!
Select Committees
Scrutinise the work of the govt
Investigate issues and produce reports
NO PARTY WHIPS = unbiased
Chairs are always elected and earn higher salaries
10-15 backbenchers
Departmental Select Committees
There are 19!
Each one scrutinises the work of each department holding them to account
- they can call witnesses!
Reports are presented to the HoC, but they are NOT legally binding
Members are elected by MPs so govt party usually has majority in each committee
- but DSCs are mainly independent from party allegiance
eg. 2016 British Home Stores Scandal
- looked into collapse of the chain and loss of pension fund
- microbeads were banned
Public Accounts Committee
Very important!
Chair = member of opposition party
Scrutinises value for money on public spending/delivery of public services
Members act independently of party allegiance
High profile in the media!
eg. 2015 enquiry into effectiveness of cancer care by NHS
- 31 enquiries in 2022
Success of PAC is dependent on the media!
