Parliament Flashcards
How many hereditary peers in the HoL?
92
How many lords spiritual
26
What is the average age of peers in the HoL
70
How many Scottish Peers are pro-independence?
- 0 out of 50
- 45% of general population were pro-independence
Example
Example of lords being experts
Lord Walton is former president of the BMA
Example of Lords being experts
Lord Dannat (Former chief of general staff for the military) spoke 24 times on the Overseas Operations Bill
Example of lords being experts
Lord John Krebs is a zoologist and head the science and technology committee
Example of peers only voting on bills they know about
Mental Capacity Bill - only had 309 votes so 406 peers didn’t vote
Example of PMs appointing political allies to the lords
Theresa May appointed former chief of STaff Gavin Barwell
Example of the Lords influencing legislation
Anti-terrorism Act (2001) - Lords introduced a sunset clause so that the provisions had to be reviewed each year
How many times did the Lords defeat the Rwanda Bill, how many people strongly support the bill
- defeated 23 times
- Only 24% of people strongly support the bill
Example of the lords rejecting a bill
Rejected the Police crime and sentencing bill 14 times in one night - protects democratic principles
What % of HoL are ethnic minorities
7%
How many crossbenchers in the HoL
173
What % of Lords received private education
70%
What % of HoL are women?
29%
What is the average age of the lords
71
Example of Cameron being defeated after a debate
2013 bill on military action in Syria
Example of legislation being rushed through parliament with minimal debate
1991 Dangerous Dogs Act - declared an emergency but failed to take into account breeds that caused 30 deaths
Example of MPs lacking expertise
Only 1 research scientist in HoC
Example of MPs rebelling
In 2012, 91 Conservatives MPs rebelled against HoL reform despite whip
Example of failed rebellion
Blair had 121 MPs rebelled against the 3 line whip on the Iraq War but still passed
Example of failed legilsation
May’s Brexit deal failed to pass through parliament 3 times
Example of scrutiny not being effective
6 of the last 9 sessions have seen a decrease in the % of time spent on government bills
Example of legislation being passed efficiently
Blair passed a bill every 3.25 hours
Example of legislation being passed effectively
Blair wasn’t defeated until 2005
Example of bipartisan legislation being passed
Same sex marriage act 2013
Example of lords doing better scrutiny than commons
3x the amount of time on legislation in Lords vs Commons
Example of a bill being debated
2005 Prevention of terrorism bill led to 30+ hours of debating
How many days are opposition days
20
What % of opposition amendments are accepted
0.5%
Example of opposition day motions being ignored
May’s minority government refused to divide the house on all opposition days
What % of Statutory Instruments are rejected by parliament?
0.01%
What % of legislation was secondary legislation in 2017-2019
95%
What % of secondary legislation clears the Lords without a comment
64%
What % of the Commons are women
35%
