Parliament (UK Gov 2)

Question 1

Bicameral

Answer 1

(Of a legislative body) having two chambers

Question 2

Structure of the HoC

Answer 2

-650 MPs elected by FPTP (Fixed by 2020 Parliamentary constituencies act)
-governing party sits on speakers right and opposition parties sit on left
-frontbenchers= cabinet and shadow cabinet
-backbenchers=all other MPs

Question 3

Speaker

Answer 3

-independant MP who sits at the front of the commons and regulates debate (maintains order)
-elected by MPs in a secret ballot
-current speaker= Sir Lindsay Hoyle (criticised in 2024 for making Labour amendments to an SNP motion on Gaza)

Question 4

Whip

Answer 4

Either:
-an MP who ensures other MPs in their party attend votes and vote in accordance with party lines
-an instruction issued by the party for its MPs to vote in a certain way

Question 5

3 line whip

Answer 5

A whip in which deviating from it could result in serious consequences (must be followed)
-recent example= 2023 Conservative one on negotiating a Brexit deal with NI

Question 6

Parliamentary privilege

Answer 6

-freedom of speech
-exclusive cognisance (the happenings of parliament are not impacted by other institutions, such as the courts)

Question 7

MP salary

Answer 7

-April 2024= just over £90k
-was £75k in 2016

Question 8

Types of peers

Answer 8

-Hereditary peers
-life peers
Lords spiritual

Question 9

Current makeup of lords (2024)

Answer 9

-786 peers total
-90 hereditary (out of 808 eligible)
-26 spiritual
-670 life peers

Question 10

Party distributions in the lords (2024)

Answer 10

-34% conservative
-22% labour
-24% crossbench (no party affiliation)
-10% Lib Dem

Question 11

Controversial peerages

Answer 11

-Michelle Mone under Cameron
-Doreen Lawrence (Stephen Lawrences’ mum) under Blair
-Charlotte Owen under Johnson

Question 12

Features of the Westminster model (5):

Answer 12

-parliamentary sovereignty
-ministers are accountable to parliament
-fusion of government and parliament
-independent judiciary
-representative democracy

Question 13

Factors giving the Commons power over the Lords (6):

Answer 13

-1911 and 1949 Parliament acts (can only delay bills for 1 year- has only been used 7 times!)
-Financial privilege (Lords cannot make decisions on “money” bills (taxation and government spending))
-Salisbury convention
-Reasonable time convention (lords shouldn’t take longer than 60 days to scrutinise)
-Secondary legislation (by convention the Lords shouldn’t stop it going through)
-Confidence and Supply (only MPs can vote for confidence in the government and give permission for supply bills- if they reject them the government resigns by convention)

Question 14

Functions of parliament (5):

Answer 14

-scrutiny and accountability of the government
-representation
-debate
-recruitment and training of ministers
-legislating

Question 15

Types of primary legislation (and an example of each):

Answer 15

-public (applies to all) e.g 1998 HRA
-private (applies to some) e.g. none have passed since 1987
-hybrid (elements of public and private) e.g. 2017 High speed rail act

Question 16

What is primary legislation

Answer 16

An act of parliament

Question 17

What is secondary legislation

Answer 17

A law passed by a government minister with permission granted by a primary legislation
-e.g 2022 Building safety act

Question 18

What is a PMB and what are the types

Answer 18

A bill proposed by a backbencher
Quite usuccessful (2019-2021= 3.7% pass)
Types:
-ballot (e.g Liz Truss’ one to ban trans women using female toilets 2023- didnt pass)
-10 minute
-presentation

Question 19

Filibustering

Answer 19

The act of delaying the passing of a bill

E.g. Christopher Chope tried to delay upskirting bill in 2018

Question 20

Filibustering

Answer 20

The act of delaying the passing of a bill

E.g. Christopher Chope tried to delay upskirting bill in 2018

Question 21

The legislative process

Answer 21

-1st reading (ceremonial)
-2nd reading (proper debate)
-committee stage
-report stage
-3rd reading
-passes onto other house to go through same process
-royal assent

Question 22

Models of representation

Answer 22

-trustee/ Burkean (MPs decision is the best)
-Delegate (MPs should do what voters say and act as delegates of their constituencies

Question 23

Descriptive representation by gender, race, oxbridge and LGBTQ

Answer 23

As of 2019:

-34% parliament female (vs 51% pop)- 1979=3%
-10% BAME (vs 18% pop)
-23% oxbridge (vs 1% pop)
-7% LGBTQ (vs approx. 5% pop)

Question 24

Public bill Committee

Answer 24

-committee made of 15-60 MPs
-composition reflects that of the house
-includes at least one minister and one whip

In the way you could argue that they don’t provide as effective scrutiny and there could be bias

Question 25

Grand committee

Answer 25

-house of lords only
-members have expertise and there’s a less effective whipping system
-decisions have to be unanimous

E,g, Scottish grand committee

Question 26

Types of parliamentary question

Answer 26

-Oral/written Qs (addressed at the end of every day on a rotation)
-PMQs (every Wednesday- very performative e.g. starmer and Sunak over Rwanda “punch and Judy politics”)
-Urgent Qs

Question 27

Select Committes

Answer 27

-11 MPs with nobody from the payroll vote
-can bring anyone in for questioning (e.g Cummings for party gate and Osborne in 2010 on the economy (although he just blamed labour lmao)
-elected by secret ballot since 2009 Wright Reforms

Question 28

Backbench business committee

Answer 28

-established under 2009 Wright reforms
-members elected by secret ballot
-given 35 days of a parliamentary session to debate issues important to backbenchers or public petition

E.g. debate in 2011 deemed the hilsborough deaths as unlawful

Question 29

Opposition days

Answer 29

-17 to official opposition
-3 to other parties

E.g labour used one in 2020 to debate extension of free school meals into Covid

Question 30

Debate in the lords

Answer 30

-less effective whipping system
-speaker nominated at the start of debate
-usually a neautral motion (doesn’t result in a vote)

E.g. Genetic tech and breeding bill debate involved 9 farmers, 2 science professors and 3 former ministers of agriculture (expertise)

Question 31

Peel convention

Answer 31

Government ministers should be from the Commons or the Lords

hence why sunak made Cameron a lord in 2024 and Brown gave peerages to 10 people to form is “government of all talents”

Question 32

How does government dominate parliament

Answer 32

-control over majority of the parliamentary timetable
-elective dictatorship like Blair and Johnson
-whips
-loyalty from those on the payroll vote