Parliamentary Law Making Flashcards
What is a bill?
A proposal for a new law or a proposal for changing an existing law
Government bills
Introduced by government, likely to become law as government business takes priority in parliament-animal welfare(kept animals)bill 2021
Public bill
Affects everyone in the country, usually introduced by the government-European union(withdrawal)act 2018
Private bill
Affects only individual people or companies-university of London act 2018
Private members bill
Bills introduced by individual MP’s, either done by ballot or the 10 min rule-abortion act 1967
The legislative process
1.Green paper, white paper, draft bill 2.First reading 3.Second reading 4.committee stage 5.report stage 6.third reading 7.other house/ping pong stage 8.royal assent
Parliamentary law making
Laws in the UK are made by the elected representatives of the people in the form of parliament
Draft bill
A draft bill puts the proposals into formal legal language
First reading
A formal procedure where thr name and main aims of the bill are read out
Second reading
The main debate on the bill and MP’s vote on it
Committee stage
Detailed examination of each clause
Report stage
The committee reports back to the house if there have been amendments at the committee stage. The. Amendments are debated on and accepted or rejected
Third reading
The final vote on the bill
Other house
Process repeated in the other house
Ping pong stage
If the House of Lords make amendments, the bill must go back to the commons for approve, it returns to the lords
Royal assent
Monarch gives approval for the bill to become an act of parliament
Commencement
An act of parliament comes into force on midnight of the day it is given royal assent-unless another date has been set
Strengths
Lengthy, can be sped up-coronavirus act, thorough, democratic-voted on
Limitations
Lengthy, same process for changing and amending a law, can be forced to vote a certain way, very little laws made or amended by parliament
