Parliament Flashcards
What is the structure of parliament?
- bicameral (two chambers - Lords and Commins
- Commons has 650 MPS
- Lords has approx 800 peers
What are the six functions of parliament
Debate: regularly debate key issues
Represent: views of wider community expressed in speeches and questions
Legislate: supreme law making body in the UK
Recruit ministers to the executive: conventionally PMs cabinet and junior ministers all drawn from parliament
Legitimise the executive: government not directly elected but commons is
Scrutinise the executive; examines actions closely and asks questions
How are members in the House of Commons selected?
elected by first past the post to represent one constituency in the UK
What are the three types of peers in the House of Lords?
Life peers - appointed by the king who follows advice of the PM, appointed for life achievements or loyalties
Hereditary peers - inherited from father, House of Lords Act 1999 removed most, 92 remain
Lords Spiritual - senior bishops in the CofE granted automatic peerage
What powers does the Commons have?
- create, amend and reject both money and non money bills
- reject bills in governments manifesto
- bypass the other chamber after a year delay (Parliament Act 1911 was two years, 1949 brought it to a year)
- refuse to ratify international treaties (never used yet)
- ask written and verbal questions to ministers
- bring down a government and trigger an election (vote of no confidence or against government budget)
What powers do the Lords have?
Do:
- create, amend and reject non money bills
- ask written and verbal questions to ministers
- could reject bill in governments manifesto but tend not to due to Salisbury convention
Cannot:
- influence money bills
- bring down the government
- bypass the other chamber
What is the trend in number of defeats of government in the Commons?
Commons almost never defeats government - there is a majority for the ruling party
Exp: 1997-2001 Blair government never defeated
Except: 2017-19 May government defeated 46 times - minority
What is trend of defeats by the House of Lords?
Lords frequently defeat the government - no overall majority of one party
However tend to back down after a while as they are the unelected house
What is the Salisbury convention?
The House of Lords will not reject bills that the government put in the manifesto - elected by the people while Lords are not
Created by Conservative leader Lord Salisbury in the Lords 1945 during a Labour majority government
What is a confidence and supply act?
Agreement between party in government and other party who will support them in votes if no confidence and the annual budget - exp: May and the DUP in 2017
What are Legislative bills?
Proposed laws- after parliament approval it goes to the monarch and becomes and act of parliament
can begin in either chamber
What are private members bills
individual MPS or peers from the backbench can propose bills
What is the process for a bill to get approved
House of Commons
First Reading - title but no debate
Second Reading - main principles debated and voted on
Committee stage - examined by public bill committee
Report Stage - final amendments
Third reading - final bill debated and voted on
Lords:
same stages however
Committee stage - takes place in main chamber and no time limit
Third reading - can still make amendments
Both - consideration of amendments until both chambers agree
The monarch - gives Royal Assent
When has the sailsbury convention been disagreed with?
2015 Lib Dem peers as Cameron’s government only had 37% of the vote
2017 - Labour peers argued against May as she did not have a majority
How many times has the Parliament Act been used and why is this?
7
a year is a long time to wait depending on general elections
Lords can make good amendments
the act purely existing is enough to deter the Lords from rejecting a bill
