Parliamentary Law Making

Question 1

Who are Parliament?

Answer 1

Highest legislative authority in the UK
Check the work of Government
Examines, debates and approves new laws
Consists of House of Commons and House of Lords

Question 2

Who are Government?

Answer 2

Run the country and have responsibility for developing and implementing policy and drafting new laws
Formed of the political party that wins the most seats in the general election

Question 3

How are people elected into the House of Commons?

Answer 3

General elections (every 5 years)
MPs are elected into their place by the electorate who choose by reading the party manifesto

Question 4

Who makes up the House of Lords

Answer 4

Non-elected body consisting of hereditary peers, life peers and Bishops.
Acts as a check on the House of Commons

Question 5

What is the White Paper?

Answer 5

Comes after the consultations have taken place and the Minister has made any amendments
Set of firm proposals which are passed to the Cabinet for approval
Is then drafted as a Bill

Question 6

How are Acts made?

Answer 6

Bill

Question 7

What are the different types of Bills?

Answer 7

Public Bill (affects the whole public)
Private Bill
Hybrid Bill

Question 8

What are Public Bills?

Answer 8

Bills that affect the whole public

Government Bills
Private Members Bills

Question 9

What are Government Bills?

Answer 9

Preceded by green/white paper
Drafted by civil servants
Becomes law if the Government have a majority
e.g. The Human Rights Act 1998

Question 10

What are Private Members Bills?

Answer 10

Introduced by an individual MP who does not have to be a member of the Government
Usually covers non-party political issues
MPs who wish to introduce a Private Members Bill enter their names into a ballot and if pulled out they are given limited time to to talk about it
Or using the ‘10 minute rule’ where they can make a short speech, however this rarely succeeds
Often fails due to a lack of Government support but does raise the profile of issues
e.g. The Abortion Act 1967

Question 11

What are Private Bills?

Answer 11

Proposed laws which affect one particular area of the country, organisation and/or individuals
e.g. The Whitehaven Act 2007

Question 12

What are Hybrid Bills?

Answer 12

Combination of private and public bills
Affect a particular group and the public
e.g. The Channel Tunnel Act 1987

Question 13

How is a Bill turned into an Act of Parliament?

Answer 13

First Reading
Second Reading
Committee Stage
Report Stage
Third Reading
Other House
Roya Assent

Question 14

What happens at the first reading?

Answer 14

The Bill is formally introduced to allow MPs to consider the proposals
No debate or vote
Can start in either House of Commons or Lords (but finance Bills must start in Commons)

Question 15

What happens in the second reading?

Answer 15

Main debate of the Bill
Focuses on the wider issues rather than specifics
A majority vote is required for the Bill to proceed

Question 16

What happens at the committee stage?

Answer 16

Bill is scrutinised in detail by a small committee of 15-60 MPs from different parties in proportion to their numbers in the Commons
They can make amendments to the Bill to reflect the debate in the second reading
For finance Bills, often the full house sits as a committee

Question 17

What happens in the report stage?

Answer 17

After scrutiny from the committee they will ‘report’ back to Parliament to inform of any amendments
These are debated and votes on
Further amendments may also be suggested

Question 18

What happens at the third reading?

Answer 18

House has a final chance to look at the Bill as a whole
Cannot be substantially changed at this point
More or less a formality
If there are no challenges to the if the Bill it will be passed to the other House to repeat the process.

Question 19

What happens at the Other House when turning a Bill into an Act of Parliament?

Answer 19

If one house makes amendments and the other rejects them they are sent back which can create a ‘ping-pong’ effect
According to Parliaments Acts 1911 and 1949, Commons can pass a Bill with the Lords consent in certain circumstances

Question 20

What happens at the Other House when turning a Bill into an Act of Parliament?

Answer 20

If one house makes amendments and the other rejects them they are sent back which can create a ‘ping-pong’ effect
According to Parliaments Acts 1911 and 1949, Commons can pass a Bill with the Lords consent in certain circumstances

Question 21

What happens in the Royal Assent?

Answer 21

The Queen gives her approval
Merely a formality
The Bill then becomes an Act of Parliament

Question 22

Advantages of the Legislative Process:

Answer 22

Democratic (laws are made by elected representatives)
Consultation stage allows for influences on Parliament
It’s a lengthy process in both houses which allows for lots of debate
Must be approved by both houses
Acts of Parliament can be wide ranging

Question 23

Disadvantages of the Legislative Process:

Answer 23

Parliament doesn’t have time to deal with all the reform that are proposed
Has many stages and can take several months
Government controls the Parliamentary timetable
Little time is given to Private Member Bills and they can be voted down by Government
Acts of Parliament can be long and complex