Parliamentary Law Making

Question 1

What is meant by parliamentary supremacy?

Answer 1

It means having the most amount of power

Question 2

Parliamentary supremacy means parliament have the right to…

Answer 2

• make, change or abolish any law they want
• overrule any other law
• they cannot change laws they made (they cannot be bound by themselves)

Question 3

Why do parliament have parliamentary supremacy? Why are they supreme?

Answer 3

Because we vote them in

Question 4

Who makes up parliament?

Answer 4

House of Commons
House of Lords
The king- Royal Assent

Question 5

What type of law does parliament make?

Answer 5

Statutes or acts

Question 6

Other than parliament who else can make law?

Answer 6

Judges
Local authorities

Question 7

What are the three types of bills and their definitions?

Answer 7

1. Private Members’ Bills- introduced by individual MPs who are NOT in Government (often called backbenchers)
2. Public Bills- Laws on an important public matter that affect the whole country
3. Private Bills- There are laws that only apply to a private individual or legal entity

Question 8

What is the legislative process? With definitions of each stage

Answer 8

1. Green Paper- consultation phase. It sets out the general aims of the Bill and invites responses
2. White Paper- green paper turns into white paper. White paper is the firm proposal for a law based on the consultation
3. House of Commons-
   First reading- formality where the title of the bill is read to the house
   Second reading- the minister explains the purpose of the bill. A debate is had on the bill. A vote is then held on the bill.
   Committee stage- slightly different depending on if the bill begins in the House of Commons or House of Lords. In the commons, between 16-50 MOs examine each clause of the bill and think of potential problems that could be caused
   Report stage- the committee reports back to the house with any suggested amendments. These amendments are then debated and either accepted or rejected
4. House of Lords- after all these steps are completed in one house, the whole process repeats in the second house. The difference is that in the House of Lords, the whole house would be the committee rather than just 16-50 MPs in the commons. Then it’s passed back and forth like ping pong.
5. Monarch- finally l, the king gives royal assent to a bill to make it law. The king only gets to see the short title when giving assent and does not have to physically sign it.