Parliament Flashcards
E+A 3 ways Parliament performs its key roles
Scrutiny - checks on gov and questions its actions.
Select committees - 11 to 13 MPs who investigate gov policy e.g. Public Health Committee and the 2006 extended smoking ban. 40% of select committee recommendations are acted upon
Representation - parliament should reflect UK society. 263 women were elected to parliament in 2024, which is an increase from the 220 in 2019. If the Commons is representative, the electorate will feel more seen and are more likely to participate
Legislation and the laws passed by parliament. The Salisbury convention states that the Lords cannot delay bills that were promised in a manifesto. Increases democracy and publics trust in the government
E+A the significance of 3 roles in the Commons
Prime Minister - the most powerful person and the leader of the largest party. Normally rely on the Commons to pass their legislation. E.g. 1987 Poll Tax was passed in the Commons despite widespread opposition (political and public.)
Party whips - enforce party discipline and ensures MPs remain loyal. Whips promote party unity. E.g. Sept 2019, Johnson removed the whip from 21 MPs who didn’t support his Brexit bill.
Speaker - keeps the Commons in order and assures that backbench MPs are given the opportunity to speak. E.g. John Bercow was nicknamed the ‘champion of the backbenchers’ and he increased the number of urgent questions (0.88 per day.)
E+A 3 ways parliament scrutinises the executive
Debates - offer MPs an opportunity to raise concerns and convince the gov to change their minds. E.g. August 2013 debate on Syrian Air Strikes, supported by David Cameron but was ultimately defeated 285 to 272
PMQs - opposition and backbench MPs can question the governments actions. Allows the opposition to position themselves publicly as the new government, e.g. Blair 1997 “weak, weak, weak.”
Select committees - 11 to 13 MPs scrutinise gov policy, hear from experts and make recommendations (40% of which are accepted.) E.g. Public Health Committee and the 2006 extended smoking ban
E+A 3 characteristics of the Lords
Holds gov to account - they can raise concerns, press the government on their actions and challenge their power. E.g. Lords Qs on Mondays and Thursdays allows the Lords to ask the government 4 questions on any topic.
Making laws and examining each bill line-by-line. Significant because the bills they examine involve our everyday lives (health, welfare, education etc.) E.g. In 2022, they made 5244 changes to 100 bills.
Report upon public policy - on select committees, members use their experiences to investigate gov policy. E.g. In 2022, there were 24 to 27 committees and they produced 70 reports.
E+A 3 ways select committees scrutinise the executive
Establishing inquiries to protect the public. The Public Accounts committee scrutinises government spending. They decommissioned the cost of the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing site (£67.5 million.)
Gathering of evidence - they hear from experts on the topics they are investigating. Helps them understand the problems in more depth and produce more specific reports. The Public Health Committee heard from doctors and specialised charities (e.g. ASH) when creating the 2006 smoking ban report.
Produce reports - the gov has 60 days to respond to select committee reports and 40% of committee recommendations are accepted. E.g. 2008 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act
Backbench MPs are increasingly effective
Threat of Rebellion and pressure. Backbench MPs can exert pressure on the government during the early stages of legislation. The government may shy away from introducing new legislation out of fear of how backbenchers may react. E.g. 2015-2024 Tory government repeatedly promised to repeal the 1997 HRA, but they never did. Important because it highlights how much control backbenchers have
Select committees scrutinise policy and expenditure. They call witnesses, collect evidence and make recommendations to the government (40% are accepted.) E.g. the Foreign Affairs committee investigated British military action in Florida
Backbench MPs are not increasingly effective
Legislative powers (or lack thereof.) The government can nearly always pass legislation but backbenchers can’t. E.g. Only 6% of Private Member’s Bills received Royal Assent in 2014-15. Backbenchers can apply pressure but they arguably have no real, tangible power.
Select committees - boils down to the ability of the MPs on the committees and their knowledge. Do they have the skills necessary to interrogate witnesses etc? After all, 60% of their recommendations are rejected so they have limited power over the government.
The House of Commons is effective
Improvements to select committees. Members are now elected via a secret ballot which increases the legitimacy. They also use X to invite the public to ask questions, which increases engagement. E.g. June 2013, they asked for questions about planning laws. HOWEVER, select committees reflect the Commons which means the largest party will always have a majority
Scrutiny in the form of urgent questions - revived under John Bercow who called them “parliamentary instruments of inquisition.” E.g. March 2014 - Chris Bryant asked Esther McVey about social housing and ‘bedroom tax.’ Urgent questions are important because they give backbench MPs a voice
The House of Commons is not effective
Scrutiny. PMQs are supposed to scrutinise the executive but lots of the questions are planted. The Opposition is supposed to check and challenge the government but they often do not have the means to defeat them in the Commons (number of seats.) By this logic, is the opposition ineffective?
Representation - Parliament should reflect society so 50% of the Commons should be women. Despite this, 263 women (40%) were elected to the Commons in 2024. Parliament is arguably failing one of its key functions by not adequately representing society.
The Opposition is important
Structured scrutiny. Their main role is to check and challenge the government and often provides a powerful incentive for them to ensure their actions are adequate. E.g. the committee stage of legislation is often dominated by the opposition where the scrutinise it and make relevant changes
Alternative government. The Opposition can publicly position themselves as the new government and propose their own ideas. They can appear as competent alternatives to the public, e.g. 1997 Blair “weak, weak, weak.”
The Opposition is not important
Ceremonial role. They have no real power due to majoritarian governments, they can never defeat the government alone. E.g. Blair’s first term (1997 to 2001) he was not defeated once in the Commons.
Oppose everything the government says, but don’t actually propose anything. BUT, the scrutiny they provide is important as it checks and challenges the government
Select committees improve scrutiny
Protect the public. They inquire into and scrutinise government actions and policies on behalf of the public. E.g. Public Accounts Committee scrutinises government spending (decommissioned the cost of the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing site = £67.5 million.)
The chair of select committees has to be from an opposition party. Could potentially improve scrutiny because they are more likely to scrutinise a party/government that is not their own.
Select committees do not improve scrutiny
Governing party always have a majority. Can you effectively scrutinise your own party/colleagues? Select committees more susceptible to bias
Party whips control membership of public bill committees which scrutinises legislation on its passage into parliament. Whips are unlikely to put rebellious MPs on committees. If these committees had real power, they would arguably play a central role in the legislative process
E+A 3 reasons why MPs may defect
Office - if an MP has not achieved their desired promotion(s) switching and/or defecting may benefit their career. E.g. Winston Churchill was a Tory, but he defected to the Liberals in 1904, and then back to the Tories in 1924. Overall, MPs defect to benefit themselves
Votes - some MPs fall out with their constituents which reduces their chances of re-election. E.g. Woodward moved to the Labour safe seat St.Helens in 2001
Policy - the Burkean notion declares that MPs are free to develop their own position, so if they disagree with their party on ideology or policy, they may defect. E.g. Douglas Carswell moved to UKIP in 2014 because it was a ‘safe space’ for Euroskeptics
