Parliament

Question 1

What are the three elements fo Parliament?

Answer 1

(1) House of Commons
(2) House of Lords
(3) The ‘Queen in Parliament’

Question 2

What is the maximum length of a Parliament? Why?

Answer 2

5 years

s 7 Parliament Act 1911

Question 3

What diid the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 do?

Answer 3

– Introduced fixed-term elections, i.e. creates a five-year period between general elections
– Early elections may only be held in specified circumstances
– Removed the prerogative power of the Queen, on the advice of the PM, to dissolve Parliament and trigger a general election

Question 4

According to the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011, when can an early general election be held?

Answer 4

(i) If a motion for an early general election is agreed either by at least two-thirds of the House of Commons or without division
(ii) If a motion of no confidence is passed and no alternative government is confirmed by the Commons within 14 days

Question 5

When is a general election to be held, according to the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011?

Answer 5

The first Thursday in May in the fifth year after the last general election

Question 6

What are the four main functions of Parliament?

Answer 6

(1) Government formation
(2) Enactment of legislation
(3) Scrutiny of the government
(4) Financial procedures

Question 7

What are the two kinds of Parliamentary Bills?

Answer 7

Public Bills and Private Members’ Bills

Question 8

How are Private Members’ Bills introduced?

Answer 8

– Introduced by Ministers or Peers who are not Ministers
– System of ballots allows 20 successful MPs per session to introduce a PMB
– PMBs usually fail without government support
– PMBs have a huge impact on social/moral issues

Question 9

What are the stages of a Bill as it passes through Parliament?

Answer 9

(1) First reading
(2) Second reading
(3) Committee stage
(4) Report stage
(5) Third reading
The Bill is then sent to the House of Lords, where virtually the same procedure is applied

Question 10

In what four ways can Parliament seek to exercise control over the Government?

Answer 10

(1) Parliamentary questions
(2) Parliamentary debates
(3) Select Committees
(4) Convention of Responsible Government or Ministerial Responsibility

Question 11

What are the benefits of Parliamentary questions as a method of exercising control over the Government?

Answer 11

– Any MP or Peer can ask a question
– There are no forbidden questions
– There is complete free speech in Parliament

Question 12

What are the problems with Parliamentary questions?

Answer 12

– Ministers may refuse to answer questions
– Only political sanctions exist if a Minister refuses to answer a question
– Party system means scrutiny is rarely impartial
– Time constraints (e.g. PMQs is only 30 minutes)
– Real aim is just political point-scoring

Question 13

What is the effect of debates in Parliament?

Answer 13

– Increase scrutiny

– Influence policy

Question 14

What are the five different kinds of debates in Parliament?

Answer 14

– Debates during the legislative process
– The daily adjournment debate (30 mins in HC at end of every sitting day for one MP to raise a topic for debate)
– The emergency adjournment debate
– 20 days each session set aside for opposition parties
– Private Members’ motions (13 Fridays and 4 other half-days in HC)

Question 15

What is the purpose of a Select Committee in HC?

Answer 15

To examine the work of government departments, specifically spending, policies, and administration

Question 16

What is the purpose of a Select Committee in HL?

Answer 16

To examine: Europe, science, economics, communications, and the UK constitution

Question 17

What are the three types of Select Committee?

Answer 17

(1) Joint Committees of Parliament – MPs and Peers meet and work as one committee
(2) HL Select Committee
(3) HC Select Committee – one for each department

Question 18

What are the strengths of Select Committees?

Answer 18

– Increase profile of issues they are investigating
– Good at fact-finding
– More time to question than given to MPs at PMQs

Question 19

What are some weaknesses of Select Committees?

Answer 19

– No legislative or executive powers; publicity is the main weapon
– No sanction to compel attendance
– Limited funding
– Limited time to debate Committee reports (especially in HC)
– Continued influence of party whips

Question 20

What are the three roles of the Queen in Parliament?

Answer 20

(1) To give the Royal Assent
(2) To open and dissolve Parliament
(3) The Queen’s Speech

Question 21

What is the Opposition?

Answer 21

The largest political party in the Commons which is not in government

Question 22

What is the role of the Opposition?

Answer 22

– To oppose the Government

– On rare occasions, consultation

Question 23

What is the role of the Shadow Cabinet?

Answer 23

To scrutinise the work of each government department

Question 24

What is the role of the Speaker?

Answer 24

To chair proceedings in the Commons

Question 25

What are the powers of the Speaker?

Answer 25

– Chooses who speaks next in debates
– Decides how many questions can be asked
– Applies rules of procedure (e.g. language)
– Rules on points of order
– May order an MP to be ejected

Question 26

What would prevent someone from becoming an MP?

Answer 26

– Persons under 18
– Aliens
– Peers of the UK
– Treason
– Limiting Ministerial Appointments
– Certain electoral offences
– Expulsion
– Holders of certain public offices
– People subject to a bankruptcy restrictions order

Question 27

Under the House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975, holders of which public offices would prevent someone from becoming an MP?

Answer 27

– Judicial offices
– Civil servants
– Members of the regular armed forces
– Full-time members of any Police Force
– Members of the legislatures of any non-Commonwealth country
– Members of certain commissions, tribunals, and boards

Question 28

What are the eligibility criteria to vote at general elections?

Answer 28

– Minimum age of 18; and
– Citizens of UK/Commonwealth/RoI; and
– Not subject to any restrictions on the legal incapacity to vote; and
– Registered in the relevant Parliamentary Constituency

Question 29

What disqualifies someone from voting in a general election?

Answer 29

– Aliens
– Peers
– Persons convicted of a criminal offence, whilst incarcerated

Question 30

What is the current voting system? Explain it

Answer 30

First past the post

People get a single vote for who they want to represent their constituency, and whichever candidate gets the most votes wins

Question 31

What is proportional representation?

Answer 31

An alternative voting system that is designed to be more representative of the actual vote

Question 32

What are the advantages of proportional representation?

Answer 32

– Every vote would count, producing seats in proportion to votes
– Fairer because parties get seats in proportion to votes
– More balanced politics because no one party has a clear majority, therefore more coalitions, therefore more ‘moderate’ policies

Question 33

What are the disadvantages of proportional representation?

Answer 33

– More complicated than the current sustem
– PR is a general term; which form of PR?
– Would give an unfair advantage to small parties which could hold the balance of power
– Coalitions lead to political uncertainty

Question 34

What are the three current checks on MPs?

Answer 34

– MPs’ Codes of Conduct
– Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
– Parliamentary Standards Act 2009 and Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

Question 35

What are three areas of controversy within HC?

Answer 35

(1) Electoral system
(2) Issues of trust: MPs’ accountability and expenses
(3) Is the HC representative of the nation in terms of gender, race, class, education, etc.?

Question 36

What are the main functions of HL?

Answer 36

– Legislative: it initiates less controversial legislation
– Scrutiny: it revises Public Bills passed by HC, considered delegated legislation, and generally scrutinises the activities of the Executive

Question 37

What are the methods of scrutiny by the HL of the Executive?

Answer 37

– Lords Questions
– Debates in the Lords
– Lords Select Committees

Question 38

What are the three categories of Peer in the HL?

Answer 38

– Hereditary Peers (92)
– Life Peers
– Lords Spiritual

Question 39

What are the three main things the Parliament Act 1911 changed?

Answer 39

– Reduced life of Parliament from 7 to 5 years
– Lords lost its power to veto ‘money Bills’: it can now only delay for one month
– The power of HL to veto bills was abolished: replaced with a power of delay for two Parliamentary sessions

Question 40

What did the Parliament Act 1949 change about the HL’s power of delay?

Answer 40

Reduced it from two sessions to one session

Question 41

What is the ‘Parliament Acts procedure’?

Answer 41

A Bill may become law after having only been approved by the HC in certain circumstances:

(i) The HL fail within a month to pass a Bill which, having been passed by HC, has been endorsed by the Speaker as a ‘money Bill’
(ii) The HL refuse in two successive sessions to pass a Public Bill which has been passed by HC, provided that one year has passed between its second reading in HC and its third reading in HL

Question 42

Which areas are excluded from the Parliament Acts procedure?

Answer 42

– Private legislation
– Delegated legislation
– Public bills which confirm provisional orders
– Bills to prolong the life of a Parliament
– Legislation that originates in HL

Question 43

When has the Parliament Acts procedure been used by HC to override the HL?

Answer 43

– Welsh Church Act 1914
– Government of Ireland Act 1914
– Parliament Act 1949
– War Crimes Act 1991
– European Parliamentary Elections Act 1999
– Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000
– Hunting Act 2004

Question 44

What are some criticisms of the HL?

Answer 44

– Undemocratic
– Socially unrepresentative
– Poor attendance
– Too many members
– Controversy over dismissal of Peers
– No official retirement age
– A 'relic of a different era'?