Parliament Flashcards
What does Parliament consist of ?
House of Commons and the House of Lords
Who must approve a bill to become an Act of Parliament?
HOL and HOC
Under what act states that there must be a General Election every 5 years?
under the Fixed-term Parliament Act 2011
At the end of 2010, who did the HOL consist of?
- 90 hereditary peers
- c650 life peers
- the most senior bishops in the Church of England
How many Peers are there in the HOL?
c800 , c170 women
Pre-2009 how many judges sat in the House of Lords?
12 judges
Who nominates life peers?
the PrimeMinster
Who awards titles of life peers?
the Monarch
Who were most life peerages given to ?
former politicians who retired from the HOC
Infamously , who was made a life peer after retirement in 1980’s?
Margret Thatcher
Before 1999, how many members of the HOL were there, how many hereditary ?
1,100 members, 750 of whom who were hereditary peers
To decide exactly what reforms should be made, what was set up to consider how many members of the HOL should be selected?
the Royal Commission (known as Wakeham Commission)
After the HOL Act 1999, how many peers were left hereditary?
92
What did the Wakeham Commission report in 2000 and recommend? (2)
- that one third of the House should be elected
- there should be a limit on the system of political patronage whereby the PM nominates peers
- that an independent HOL Appointments Commission should be able to reject poorly qualified nominees and appoint ‘peoples peers’
What did the Wakeham Commission Report 2000 recommend about an Independent HOL Appointments Commission ?
That they should be able to reject poorly qualified nominees and appoint ‘peoples peers’
When was the House of Lords Appointments Commission set up?
2001
When were the first ‘peoples peers’ appointed to the HOL?
When the HOL Appointments Commission was set up in 2001
Who were ‘peoples peers’ supposed to be ?
ordinary people who had been recommended by other ordinary people
What was the problem with the ‘peoples peers’?
that the list was mainly of already famous people rather than ‘McJoe Public’
What was the HOL 1999 supposed to be ?
supposed to be a temporary solution while the Government consulted on the final makeup of the HOL
What does the Government announce at the start of each parliamentary session?
the Government announces what particular law it intends to introduce during that session in the Queen’s Speech
Why is European Union law passed in the UK?
In order to bring UK law in line with the European law
What is an example when European Union law has been implemented on a specific
- European Regulation or Directive
- when UK law does not conform with the Treaty of Rome?
- case of the Consumer Protection Act 1987
- such as the Sex Discrimination Act 1986
What are other influences of parliamentary law-making?
-proposals for law reform by law reform agencies, commissions or inquiries into the effectiveness of existing law
Give an example of when a specific event has led to formulating the law?
Dunblane massacre in March 1996 16 young children and their teacher killed. Led to an inquiry on gun ownership
What was the result of the Dunblane massacre in March 1996 where 16 children and their teacher were killed?
By March 1997 , passed the Firearms (amendment ) Act 1997 banning private ownership of most handguns
Give an example of when a terrorist incident led to formulating law?
terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre New York September 2001 , UK Parliament passed the Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001
What is an example of when pressure groups have led to Governments bowing to public opinion?
the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 giving disabled people certain rights in relation to employment , shops, hotels and other services
What did the Hunting Act 2004 ban due to pressure group the ‘League against Cruel Sports’ ?
hunting foxes with dogs
What did the pressure group ASH do along with public and medical opinion?
enforced strict laws in 2007 against smoking in public places
