Parliament

Question 1

How long did Blair go without a defeat in the commons and why was he defeated and on what bill
+majorities

Answer 1

• went 8 years without a defeat in the commons due to his large majority
  1997- 179 seat majority
  2001-165
  2005-
  -defeated on a terrorism bill, highlight the significance of a large majority in the commons

Question 2

How many defeats did the brow government suffer in the commons

Answer 2

3 defeats

Question 3

how many defeats did the con lib coalition face

Answer 3

7 defeats

Question 4

what is one issue that Cameron was defeated on in the commons

Answer 4

Syria crisis - military action in syria, sunday trading laws, Cameron majority govt

Question 5

How many times was May defeated in the commons 2017-19

Answer 5

33
-weak minority govt

Question 6

When was the BBBC established and how many days does it have to hold debates?

Answer 6

2010. 35 days

Question 7

The Domestic Abuse Bill Committee received how many pieces of written evidence from various stakeholders?

Answer 7

Domestic abuse bill committee- 96 pieces of legislation

Question 8

Success rate for non-government amendments in PBCs?

Answer 8

1%

Question 9

strengths of select committees

Answer 9

Select committee- not selected by whips, prestigious role, paid well- extra money and status,AV and secret ballot

Question 10

example of a select committee working

Answer 10

-margaret hodge- public accounts committee 2010-15, intense questioning of multinational corporations

Question 11

example of a select committee not working

Answer 11

-one word ofsted ratings in schools- education select committee- govt response no

Question 12

Lords defeated Government how many times in a very short period in 2018 over the EU withdrawal bill?

Answer 12

15 defeats

Question 13

Approximately how many members are there in the HoL? How many are hereditary peers?

Answer 13

804
92

Question 14

What are two exceptions to the HoL’s power to delay bills?

Answer 14

monetary bills, salisbury convention- bills in the manifesto, limits the power of the lords, take a step back on certain bills

Question 15

1911 parliament act
1949

Answer 15

1911-removed the veto power, 2 year delay
1949- 1 year delay

Question 16

In March 2024, the Commons defeated what % of the Lords’ first round of proposed amendments on the Rwanda Bill?

Answer 16

march 2024- lords amendments were all rejected by the HOc

Question 17

What is an argument AGAINST making the HoL popularly elected?

Answer 17

Gridlock , equal chambers, removes expertise - mandate, string second chamber which would give them greater power over legislation , delegates rather than trustees , no party discipline in the lords - crossbenchers who aren’t affiliated with the party

Question 18

what did the wright committee reforms establish

Answer 18

Wright Committee (Reform of House of Commons Committee) reported in 2009 and coalition government adopted changes in 2010 by regulating:
Numbers and size of committees (limited to max. 11 members)
Ensure chairperson is elected through secret ballot by alternative vote
Creation of Backbench Business Committee
E-petition system

Question 19

when have votes of no confidence been used

Answer 19

In January 2019, Theresa May’s government faced a vote of no confidence the day after they had suffered the largest ever government defeat in the House of Commons over their Brexit deal. She survived by a majority of 19.

In June 2022, A vote of no confidence was held by Conservative MPs against Boris Johnson. Johnson won the vote with the support of 211 Conservative MP’s, 58.8% of the total. Out of 359 Conservative MP’s, 148 (41.2%) voted against him

1979, James Callaghan lost vote of no confidence triggering a general election as a result

Question 20

examples of private members bills and their impact
why are PMBs limited in their impacts

Answer 20

Discussing proposed government bills takes up over 1/3 of the commons time in any parliamentary session. The discussion of PMBs takes up less than 5% of the time.
Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat) = Carer’s Leave Act (2023): provides employment rights for those who juggle unpaid caring responsibilities with paid employment.
Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat) = Worker Protection Act (2023): prevent sexual harassment in the workplace and drive a culture change (substantially watered down by Lords to avoid exposing employers to costly lawsuits)

PMBs introduced by backbenchenchers are only likely to pass if they come from the ruling party. For example, during the coalition government, 41 out of 42 PMBs passed were from either the Conservatives or Lib Dems.