Parliament

Question 1

Factors behind increased effectiveness of the House of Lords in checking the powers of the executive

Answer 1

Party Balance - no majority in the Lords so cross-party support required

Enhanced legitimacy - post House of Lords Act 1999

Questions arising over Salisbury Doctrine - periods of coalition or when the government has less than 33% support of the electorate

Increasing support of back-bench MPs of the governing party for amendments to government proposals

Question 2

Functions of parliament

Answer 2

Legislation
Oversight
Debate
Recruitment of ministers
Representation

Question 3

Stages of parliamentary legislation

Answer 3

First reading (presentation)
Second reading (first debate)
Committee stage (scrutiny by public bill committee)
Report stage (second debate)
Third reading (third debate - no amendments permitted)
House of Lords stages

Question 4

Parliamentary scrutiny

Answer 4

Parliamentary questions

Opposition party - opposes government and acts as alternative government-in-waiting

Select committees

Question 5

Examples of parliamentary debate

Answer 5

Iraq 2003

Syria 2015

Question 6

Representation

Answer 6

Delegate model
Trustee model
Constituency representation
Party representation
Descriptive representation

Question 7

Exclusive powers of the House of Commons

Answer 7

The right to insist on legislation
Financial privilege (money bills)
The power to dismiss the executive (motion of no confidence)

Question 8

Conventions regarding the relationship between the two chambers

Answer 8

The Salisbury Doctrine
Reasonable time
Secondary legislation

Question 9

Factors affecting the legislative-executive relationship

Answer 9

Size of government’s parliamentary majority

Extent of party unity

Question 10

Elements of parliamentary privilege

Answer 10

Freedom of speech - can’t be arrested

Exclusive cognisance - right of each house to regulate its own internal affairs without interference from outside bodies

Question 11

Roles of the whips

Answer 11

Ensure that MPs attend parliamentary votes or approve of their absence otherwise

Issue instructions on how MPs should vote - strictest instruction = “three-line whip”

Enforcing discipline within the parliamentary party - provide assurances, make offers and issue threats

Question 12

Categories of members of the House of Lords

Answer 12

Hereditary peers
Life peers
Lords Spiritual (26)

Question 13

Aspects of legitimacy

Answer 13

Input legitimacy - concerns the composition of an institution and its responsiveness to citizens’ concerns as a result of participation by, and representation of, the people.

Output legitimacy - concerns the quality and effectiveness of an institution’s performance and outcomes for the people

The Commons has input legitimacy, because it is democratically elected, whereas the Lords has output legitimacy because of the production of better legislation as a result of its scrutiny and revision procedure

Question 14

Evidence of government dominance limiting parliament’s effectiveness in making and scrutinising law

Answer 14

Private members’ bills have little chance of success without government backing
Executive controls parliamentary timetable - guillotine motions
The “payroll vote” - ministers required to support the government or resign
Party discipline - whip system

Question 15

Salisbury Convention

Answer 15

The convention whereby the House of Lords does not delay or block legislation that was included in a government’s manifesto

Question 16

Parliament Acts (1911 and 1949)

Answer 16

Restricted the veto power of the House of Lords from an indefinite time period, down to two years then to one year
Transformed the Lords from a vetoing chamber into a revising chamber

Question 17

Functions of the House of Lords

Answer 17

Veto legislation from the House of Commons (for up to a year)
Propose amendments to bills passed by the Commons

Question 18

Legislation which has been blocked by the Lords but then passed unchanged in the following session of parliament

Answer 18

Hunting Act (2004)

Question 19

Example of a select committee

Answer 19

Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee
2016
Mike Ashley
Phillip Green

Question 20

Pro effectiveness of select committees

Answer 20

Overall function of scrutinising the policies and actions of government, questioning ministers and civil servants
40% of select committee recommendations are accepted by the government

Question 21

Anti effectiveness of select committees

Answer 21

A government with a Commons majority will hold a majority in committees, reducing scrutiny on government
Government can ignore recommendations of committees e.g 2013 ban on pesticides suggested by the Environmental Audit Committee

Question 22

Backbench Business Committee

Answer 22

Created in 2010
Has given MPs greater opportunity to shape the parliamentary agenda by allowing them to pitch debate ideas to the committee
Has led to debates shaping the parliamentary agenda - EU referendum / release of documents of Hillsborough
Government able to ignore motions passed in such debates - e.g lowering the voting age to 16

Question 23

Pro parliament as an effective check on the power of the executive

Answer 23

Has weakened the executive’s control over the parliamentary timetable by the creation of the BBBC and the greater use of urgent questions
Backbench MPs of the governing party’s greater willingness to rebel has produced greater checks on the executive
Reformed House of Lords is a more effective revising chamber
Select committees have become more influential - 40% acceptance rate of recommendations

Question 24

Anti parliament as an effective check on the power of the executive

Answer 24

The executive exercises significant control over the legislative timetable
Government defeats are rare
Government can resort to the Parliament Act to bypass the opposition from the House of Lords
Government able to ignore the recommendations of select committees

Question 25

Ethnic diversity of the House of Commons

Answer 25

BAME MPs rose from 41 to 52 at the 2017 General Election

Only 8% of the house, compared to 14% of the population

Question 26

Example of the government acting upon the recommendation of a select committee

Answer 26

2017

Work and Pensions Committee recommendations on Concentrix benefits scandal