Parliamentary Law Making Flashcards
Parliamentary supremacy
They are the most powerful law makers
They have right to:
Make, change or abolish any law
Overrule any other law
Cannot be bound by themselves
Why are they supreme:
They are democratic and therefore representative
Who makes up Parliament
Queen, House of Commons, House of Lords
Who else can make laws?
EU(regulations and directives), Judges(precedents) & council/public bodies(delegated legislation)
What makes up HOC
650 elected MPs
Represent a political party or individual candidate
What makes up HOL
92 hereditary peers
640 life peers
26 senior bishops
Judges no longer sit here(moved to Supreme Court)
Influences on parliament: political
- manifesto of a party
- when voted into gov they then take action and turn these into law
Influences of parliament: public opinion/media
-strong public opinions
Eg. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991
Media gets attention of public & parliament
Influence on parliament: pressure groups
-group with a common issue that want to bring it to attention
Sectional:
Represent a section of society
Cause:
Focus on specific causes, not groups of people
Influence on Parliament: lobbyists
Individuals talking to an MP to try and get them to support your cause
MPs could ask question in HOC
Influence on Parliament: law commission
Group of legal experts who research into issues within the law and propose reforms to Parliament
Political influences a&d
- Predictable which laws will be made
- government majority makes it easy to pass Bills
- new gov may undo this work
- small majoritys/coalitions won’t be able to pass laws freely
Public opinion/media a&d
-easy to know what matters to society
- parliament may be rushed into bad law
- media may manipulate the news and public opinion
Pressure groups a&d
-can be very large and raise a lot of awareness
- groups may just be a loud minority
- might be two opposing groups
Lobbyists a&d
- anyone can be lobbyist
- can lead to bribery
Types of Bills
1.Private Members Bill
Introduced by individual MPs who are not in Gov
Eg. Abortion Act 1967
2.Public Bills
Introduced by mostly Gov
Laws on important public matter that affect whole country
Eg.legal aid sentencing and punishment of offenders act 2012
3.Private Bills
Laws that apply only to a private individual or legal entity
Eg. Favershan Oyster Fishery Company Bill 2016