Parliament Flashcards
1
Q
What is a bicameral
legislature?
A
2 houses (lords and the commons)
2
Q
What does the Speaker
of the House of
Commons do?
A
preside over debate in the house of commons to make sure that the rules are followed
3
Q
Why is it important
that the Speaker is
impartial?
A
so that democratic procdess can be conducted fairly
4
Q
How is the Speaker
chosen?
A
12mp’s support from at least 3 parties
vote in rounds of elections where one candidate is removed every cycle until one remains.
5
Q
What do the whips do?
What carrots and sticks
can they use?
A
Enforce discipline in party
feedback from backbenchers to the frontbenchers can withdraw whip from party
they can encourage job promotions or lossess. Also have access to party funds
6
Q
What is the 1922
Committee? How is it
different to the
Parliamentary Labour
Party?
A
The 1922 committee is a backbench organisation of the conservative party.
Frontbench MP’s can attend by cannot vote.
this is the same for the PLP
7
Q
How many
independent MPs are
there in the Commons/
A
6 in 2024
8
Q
What are hereditary
peers? How were they
impacted by the House
of Lords Act 1999?
A
Members of the aristocracy who inherited their fathers seat in the HOL
The HOL reform act 1999, cut down
9
Q
What are life peers?
A
people who have been given their seat in the lords.
Such as Baroness Smith
10
Q
How was the
appointments process
for life peers changed
in 2000?
A
House of Lords commission
non political lords appointments
scrutiny appointments
11
Q
Who are the Lords
Spiritual?
A
26 religious peers
Archbishop of Canterbury
12
Q
Why do political parties
have less influence in
the Lords than the
Commons? What are
crossbenchers?
A
Unpolitically aligned members
13
Q
Why does the size of
the House of Lords
vary so much more
than the size of the
Hoses of Commons?
A
more variation and appointments by different primes ministers makes the Lords more full
14
Q
What did the House of
Lords Reform Act
(2014) do?
A
- allowed members to retire
- members who don’t attend for an entire sitting to have retired
15
Q
While the monarch
today has little power,
why do we still say that
Parliament is made up
of the Commons, the
Lords, and the Queen?
A
Monarch gives royal assent however by convention powers of the monarch- royal prerogative is is held by the PM
16
Q
What powers/functions
are shared by the two
Houses?
A
hold ministers accountable
introduce debate amend and vote on bills
17
Q
How does the
convention of financial
privilege limit the
amendments that can
be made by the Lords?
A
commons has special financial privileges rate of tax ought not to be held by the lords.
many financial bits are proposed by governing parts
18
Q
What are ‘money bills’?
How did the Parliament
Act (1911) affect the
Lords’ influence over
‘money bills’?
A
all money bills are presented to monarchy 1 month after presented to the lords
19
Q
What impact did the
Parliament Act (1911)
have on the Lords’ veto
power?
A
gave them the power to delay rather than to veto legislation
20
Q
What did the 1949
Parliament Act do?
A
reduced the lords ability to delay non money bills for 1 year
21
Q
What do the Parliament
Acts not apply to? Why
can these exceptions
be significant?
A
secondary legislation
much responsibility is on the lords to scrutinise this
22
Q
What factors might
explain why so few
Acts have passed
without the consent of
the House of Lords?
A
- politcal norms of convention
- Time and procedure
- govt majorities
23
Q
In addition to financial
privilege, what other
conventions limit the
Lords?
A
Salsbury convention
24
Q
Salisbury convention
A
Lords dont significantly alter bills in manifesto
25
What is a bill?
Propose new laws
26
What are public bills?
What is the difference
between a government
bill and a private
members’ bill?
Bills with general affect
government bills are put to parliament by the executive
a private members bill is put to parliament by the backbenchers
27
How are private bills
different to public bills?
bills only applying to specific individual or organisation
28
What is a hybrid bill?
Bills with general affect but mainly affect a specific group. IE hs2 bill
29
What is a consultation?
What are the
differences between
green and white
papers
inviting relevant groups with expertise to imput on a bill
this allows for open dociemtn to be imput on.
30
Once a bill has been
drafted, what happens
at the first reading?
Bill is read to parliament. No vote or anything.
31
What happens at
second reading?
Bils debated and voted on
32
In the House of
Commons, what
happens at the
committee stage?
public bill committee scrutinises the bill and reflects the composition of the house
33
What are the
differences between
public bill committees
and the Committee of
the Whole House?
bills of huge significance and importance' committee becomes the entire House of Commons
34
What happens at the
report stage?
Report is produced by the committee
35
What happens at third
reading? What
happens after the third
reading?
MP's vote on wether to accept or reject the bill
36
How is the committee
stage different in the
House of Lords?
no pbc in lords, the entire chamber acts as a committee
37
Why are bills debated
for so much longer in
the House of Lords?
lords speaker cannot choose what to discuss and the lords can discuss what they like
Peers can discuss as it is appropriate
38
What happens during
‘ping-pong’? What
happens if the two
Houses reach a
stalemate?
when the lords make amendments and send the bill back to the commons
39
What are the three
different ways that
backbench MPs can
introduce a private
members’ bill? Which
method has the best
chance of success?
Ballot bills- letters for the selection of bill s
10 minute rule bill- weekly ballot distributes these, bill has to be less than 10 minutes. Usually to raise awareness.
Presentation bill- introduce title but no speech
40
What is secondary/
delegated legislation?
More specific legislation on how a bill worded to express the intent of people will be enacted
41
Under the negative
procedure, how do
statutory instruments
become law?
secondary legislation is made and it is passed unless a vote is called to block it
42
Under the affirmative
procedure, how are
statutory instruments
become law?
they are laid before parliament and voted on
43
Why do the Royal
Prerogative powers
arguably raise
legitimacy concerns?
These are powers belonging to the monarchy which are leant to the Prime Minister by convention
44
What are some
examples of reforms
that have attempted to
give the use of the
prerogative powers
greater legitimacy?
Tony Blair created legislation put to parliament over military actions in Iraq
45
Why can referendums
be said to provide a
competing source of
legitimacy? Which
source is ultimately
most important?
because the Brexit Referendums which highlighted the populations interest to leave the EU created an unquestionable mandate to do that.
46
How has the use of
secondary legislation
changed in recent
years? What are
skeleton bills and
Henry VIII clauses?
This has become more political.
Skeleton bills are vague and most actual legislating is done after the bills are passed.
47
Why has the changing
use of secondary
legislation raised
legitimacy concerns?
There is less scrutiny
parliament votes for a bill without knowing what the outcome will actually be.
48
What are the three
different types of
legislatures?
Policy making- congress
Policy influencing- parliemtn
49
Why is Parliament best
described as a policy-
influencing legislature?
backbench MP's can only really have successful legislation through Private members bills which have the support of the government
50
Why can the success
of PMBs depend so
much on the support of
the government?
PMB need to be scrutinised by the government
also can only be one public bill committee at a time
51
How can unsuccessful
PMBs still have a long-
term influence?
- gain media attention around a particular discussion
52
What is pre-legislative
scrutiny? What
advantages does it
have? How has its use
varied since 2005?
-draft bills being given bill before submitted to the parliament
- select committees are more experienced
53
What advantages do
public bill committees
(PBCs) have over the
standing committees
they replaced in 2006?
can recieve more written evidence from other groups
54
What are the limitations
of PBCs, when
compared with select
committees?
not always experienced or perminiant.
not always good working relationship
represent parliaments composition and hence partisan
55
What are programme
motions? How were
timetabling issues
resolved before they
were introduced?
sets how long a bill would spend in the commons
56
What are programme
motions? How were
timetabling issues
resolved before the use
of programme
motions?
parliamentary deadlines on a differnt stage of a bills passage.
More predictable legislative scheduling.
Limits debate and reduces opposition delaying tactics.
Critics argue it weakens parliamentary scrutiny by rushing legislation.
57
What are the
advantages and
disadvantages of
programme motions?
they give more power to backbench MP's
whipped backbenchers would vote for the bill anyway
58
Why can the fusion of
the executive and
legislative branches
make it difficult to
amend or defeat
government bills?
over 100 mp's will form part of the government and hence are bound by cabinet collective responsibility
also programmable motions and the whips system
59
How do statutes and
conventions further
make it difficult for MPs
and peers to influence
government bills?
peers can have little influence in the government doesn't want them to
they can vote down lords amendments or cite a covnventino
60
How, and why, has the
behaviour of
backbench MPs
changed in recent
parliaments?
become more rebellious
61
How, and why, has the
behaviour of peers
changed since the
1999 House of Lords
reforms?
become more submissibe
62
How can the
anticipated reactions of
MPs and peers
influence bills before
they are even
introduced?
govt is likely to make some concessions to ensure either that they comprise of the bill of that the parliament will pass it
63
What exactly is a
debate? How are
debates on substantive
and neutral motions
different?
Substantive motion- expresses and opinion such as no confidence
Neutral- no clear action to be taken from debate
64
What is parliamentary
privilege? How does it
impact debates in
Parliament?
Rights and legal immunities enjoyed by members of parliemtn that exists to ensure that members preform their duties effectively free from outside interference
Sub Justice rules prevent MP's from discussing ongoing court cases
65
What functions do
debates perform in
Parliament
- allow members to draw attention to issues and put them on the political agenda
- they allow members to voice their views and give views to their constituency
- allow members to reach more informed decisions
-reqire ministers to justify their decisions
66
What are some of the
main ways that
debates differ in the
Commons and Lords?
In the commons MP's are likely to give pre-prepared speeches
in the lords members are equally responsible for order in the chamber.
All peers who wish to speak can do so
67
Why did the Coalition
Government table a
substantive motion on
Syria in 2013?
to have the house's approval on action in Syria.
this was to allow greater mandate for the government
68
What are Opposition
Day debates? Why are
they important?
20 days are set aside for debates.
these are then shared between opposition parties.
allows parties to expose subjects and topics
69
How has the creation
of a Backbench
Business Committee
impacted debate in the
Commons?
Following recomendation from the wright committee
the BBC has allowed for greater discussion on the interests of the backbenches
70
How can e-petitions
influence debates in
the Commons? What
does the Petitions
Committee do?
if a petition gets 100,000 signatures the backbench business committee can establish a debate around that issue
71
What are adjournment
debates? What are
their strengths and
limitations?
MP's who win a random ballot to have their name drawn to debate on a topic of their choosing
they can then debate for 15 minutes and then allow the minister to respond for up to 15 minutes
72
How, and why, is
Westminster Hall now
used for additional
debates?
In committee rooms, MP's can raise issues which are of concern to them
73
What are Early Day
Motions? What are
their strengths and
limitations?
Petitions that MP's can sign in the near future to secure a free spot in the government timetable.
Can bring attention to an issue
74
What are emergency
debates? How has
their use changed in
recent years?
With the agreement of the speaker an MP can debate for 3 minutes after question time.
If the speaker agrees that it is indeed an emergency then a debate takes place that day or on the next day
75
What are the main
types of non-legislative
debates in the House
of Lords?
general debates initiated by the government
opposition/ backbench debates
questions for short debate
other peers can contribute
76
In what ways have
backbench MPs gained
more influence over
Commons debates in
recent years?
- allocation of time to BBC
- use of Westminster hall
- intorfutio of e-petitions
- the increase in all urgent debates
77
What is the
significance of
Standing Order 14?
What impact does this
have on debate in the
Commons?
except for exceptions the government has full control over the commons timetable
78
Why did the Wright
Committee recommend
the creation of a House
Business Committee?
Why do you think this
was one of the only
recommendations not
to be acted upon?
for front and back bench MP's to negotiate the timetable
this schedule could then be put to a vote giving MP's more influence.
79
What is the convention
of individual ministerial
responsibility?
The convention that ministers are accountable to parliemt for their own conduct
80
How are ministers held
accountable during
parliamentary debates?
They have question time to explain actions
81
What is Question
Time? Which MPs get
to ask questions?
appearing every 5 weeks, ministers take questions on their actions and the actions of their department
82
Why is it arguable that
oral questions are
more about partisan
point scoring than
effective scrutiny?
ministers have time to prepare as they are written in advance.
MP's can ask supplementary questions as well.
These are partisan as making one party look foolish is in the best interests of that party
supplementary questions could be used to catch out a minister
83
What are topical
questions? How have
they improved QT?
A question on any topic allowing MP's to bring any topic to discussion.
84
What is Prime
Minister’s Questions?
What are its strengths
and limitations?
+
opportunity to challenge the executive directly
clear accountability
-
PMQ's is about point scoring
Lots about feeding the media
85
What are urgent
questions? How has
their use changed in
recent years?
questions which are put to parliament as there is no time to wait for relevant ministers questions
86
How are oral questions
different in the House
of Lords?
questions to government as a whole
Questions tabled in advance to ministers from the lords then they are required to attend
87
How do written
questions work? What
are their advantages
over oral questions?
questions guaranteed to a written response.
88
What are Departmental
Select Committees?
Select committee to examine the action of a matching department
this extends onto associated bodies like OFSTEAD
balance reflects the composition of the house of commons
89
How, and why, did the
Commons reform the
selection process for
select committee chairs
and members in 2010?
following write committee reforms, committee chair is now an elected position
members of the committee are chosen by an internal party ballot
90
What functions are
performed by select
committees?
- question ministers
- provide reports on the department
91
What powers do select
committees have?
What are the limits to
these powers?
MP's dont have to answer requests to sit in front of a committee
departments can dismiss reports
free to select topics to investigate
can call people from inside government and outside government
92
How influential are
select committee
reports? What factors
give them influence?
What are their
limitations?
govt has to reply within 2 months
because the minister has the power to implement nothing that the report says the report is produced with the goal of being constructive and supportive to the functioning of government
because MP's can develop lots of expertise they have more influence
93
What is the Public
Accounts Committee?
this checks that the government is spending money efficiently and effectively
led by a member of the opposition party
94
What is the Liaison
Committee?
members are the chairs of the other committeess
they question the PM twice a year
choose select committee reports for debate in Westminster hall
95
How are select
committees different in
the House of Lords?
lords committeess fouc around 6 main committees such as the committee for science and technology
can also set up 'Ad Hock' (or at will) committeess
96
How, and why, is
political representation
impacted by the use of
First Past the Post for
general elections?
General elections using the FPTP system leads to disproportionate results.
97
What representation
issues are raised by
the House of Lords?
What attempts have
been made to address
these issues?
the lords represent no one but themselves.
They cannot be held account through not being re-elected
while life peers are selected because they have some level of experience spiritual peers and hereditary peers have a seat because of their societal position
The House of Lords reform bill in 2012 wasn't passed due to the actions of the liberal democrats, part of the coalition government.
This would have led to a democratic chamber
98
What is the delegate
theory of
representation?
when the MP acts as a mouth-piece for their constituents
99
What is the trustee
theory of
representation?
Burkean model
the MP is delegated to act on their own values and judgment. This is because the MP is seen to have moe underderstanding
100
What is the
party/mandate model
of representation?
when an mp represents the views of the party and votes in line with the party because they were elected based off the results of their parties mandate
101
Why has the use of
referendums further
complicated the
question of how MPs
should represent their
constituents?
MP's felt bound by the outcome of the refendum
102
What are free/
conscience votes?
Why was the free vote
on the Assisted Dying
Bill so controversial?
when there is no party positions on the issue and MP's use their own judgement.
such as the private members bill of Kim Leadbeater on assisted dying
103
What is meant by
‘constituency
representation’? What
are ‘surgeries’?
where constituents can meet their MP and a surgery where they can disucss something important to them
104
How, and why, do MPs
seek ‘redress of
grievances’ for their
constituents’?
when the MP writes on parliamentary paper which carries such weight that that may make the difference between something being done and something not being done
105
What concerns have
been raised about the
impact this
constituency work can
have on Parliament’s
other functions?
MP's may spend too much time on constituency work and not have time to spend on their other roles in representing people
106
What is functional
representation? How is
it different to
constituency
representation?
representing a specific group in society.
107
What are All-party
Parliamentary Groups?
How do they contribute
to Parliament’s
representation
function?
informal group such as the APPG on climate change. Also on the Fawklands.
108
What is descriptive
representation and why
is it argued to be
important?
Representatives should represent ideas and also demographics of their constituency.
Diverse groups of people could then lead to greater and more informed discussion
109
In what ways did the
2024 General Election
make the House of
Commons more
descriptively
representative?
most wimmen MP's ever.
First female chancellor
younger candidates
110
What criticisms are still
made about the
diversity of MPs?
still more educated and more white and older than the population
111
Is the House of Lords
more or less
descriptively
representative of the
population than the
House of Commons?
less
112
Who can become a
government minister?
Members of the House of Commons or Lords (by convention)
113
Why does the fusion of
powers make ministers
more accountable?
Ministers will always be in one house and hence are accountable to the members of that house.
- oral questions
- appear before select committees
- defend govt politicise
114
Why are most ministers
MPs rather than peers?
most senior members are drawn from the House of Commons for mandate however some are from the lords such as lord timpson or David cameron
115
Why is it essential for
the gov’t to include a
number of peers?
- Leader of the House of Lords
makes logistical sense to have government presence in both houses
116
How do the PM’s
appointments powers
compare with the US
President’s?
Well there is a small pool to draw from for cabinet ministers. TM govt had 317 seats which for the 116 members of the govt led to a limited talent pool
The US president can nominate anyone
117
What are the strengths/
limitations of promoting
career politicians into
government?
well some politicians wont be able to bring a perspective from outside parliament
118
What are the strengths/
limitations of appointing
outsiders via the House
of Lords?
some are cross benchers and hence are non political
some outsiders will not want a political role
again the talent pool is reduced
119
In addition to skills and
experience, what other
factors influence
appointments?
- political alligences and positions
- willingness
- skills which make an effective MP does not necessarily make an effective MP
120
What is the payroll
vote? How has its
growth impacted
Parliament?
collective responsibility means that ministers will need to vote in line with the government but if it doesn't then they will obviously resign due to cabinet collective responsibility
This means that the PM can expect up to 115 votes in favour of a bill
has also grown as this applies to PPS
121
How does the fusion of
powers make it difficult
for frontbench MPs to
fulfil all of their duties?
- constituency work is likely to take up a lot of the time which the PM for example is unable to do
122
How many minsters are there
109 paid minesterial posts (max)
no more than 95 in commons
by legislation
123
Redress of Grievance
Redress of grievance means finding a solution or getting justice when someone has been treated unfairly, especially by the government. It allows people to complain about issues and seek a remedy, such as compensation or a change in policy.
For example, if a government policy harms a group of people, they can ask Parliament to review it and make changes.
