Parliament key evidence Flashcards
How many MPs is the House of Commons made up of?
650
Around how many peers is the House of Lords made up of?
800
How many Hereditary Peers are in the Lords?
92
Give an example of MPs going against and not representing their party
in 2019 Boris Johnson faced a rebellion over the Brexit deal from his own MPS - he removed the whip from the 21 MPs who voted against him and this meant that these MPs were no longer part of the Conservative Party
Give an example of MPs using their own conscience when making a decision
In 2014, Nicky Morgan voted against the Marriage Act, saying that her Christian faith was part of the reason, and that she said that she had received more letters from her constituents asking her to vote against the bill than for it
Give an example of an MP representing their constuency in parliament
in 2022 Mark Menzies gave a speech in parliament criticising the governments plans about fracking due to the impact it would have on his constituency
Give an example of Prime Minister Question times as an example of Scrutiny and give a negative of the method of scrutiny
in 2022 Liz Truss faced difficult questions from Keir Starmer following the dropping of her economic plan and a 40 year high inflation rate
PMQs can often be more theatrical than in-depth questioning with MPs looking for media headlines rather than scrutiny
Give an example of a select committee as an example of parliamentary scrutiny and give the issues of the method for scrutiny
in 2017 David Davis said to the Brexit Select Committee that Parliament would get a vote on Brexit but it might be after the UK had left - this led to his department issuing a clarification that Parliament would get the vote
The government has 2 months to reply to select committee reports but it does not have to take on their suggestions
Give an example of the legislative process as a way of parliamentary scrutiny
give the issues of it as a method of scrutiny
in 2022 all Conservative MPs voted for the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act Bill and all the Labour MPs voted against it
Party whips can limit the amount of scrutiny that takes place
Give an example of opposition days as a way of parliamentary scrutiny
give issues
there are 20 days in parliament calendar in which opposition can choose subject for discussion
in 2022 Labour used an opposition day to bring a vote on fracking which was one of the factors leading to Liz Truss’ resignation
however, votes taken on opposition days are not usually binding and opposition doesn’t choose the days
Give an example of a successful private member’s bill
the Live Music Act of 2012
Describe the features of the Wright Committee Reforms in 2010
- reducing number and size of select committees
- electing the Chairs by secret ballot
- creating the Backbench Committee to schedule backbench business
what percentage of select committee recommendations are accepted by government
40%
