Parliamentary Law Making Ch3 Y1 Flashcards
What are the two houses of parliament?
House of Commons and House of Lords
What is a Green Paper?
A consultative document on a topic the governments is proposing to reform, which seeks the views of interested parties
What is a White Paper?
A document which lays out how the government is going to reform the law
What are the benefits of Green and White Papers?
They allow time for consideration, to avoid knee jerk reactions
How does the government propose new legislation?
By introducing a bill
What are the two ways for a private MP (not in government) to introduce a bill?
The 10 minute rule - where any mp can make a speech of up to 10 minutes
Ballot - 20 private MP’s can introduce a bill each parliamentary system
what are each of the stages a bill must go through to become law?
First Reading - Only the title is read
Second Reading - The bill is debated and voted on
Committee stage - a detailed examination of the bill is undertaked by a committee
Report Stage - The committee reports its findings and its ammendments are accepted or rejected
Third Reading - Debated and voted on (formality as it always passes)
Then goes to the other house and goes through the same stages any ammendments must be approved by the other house
Royal Assent - Monarch gives approval to the bill, and it goes into effect at midnight (unless the bill states a particular date)
What are the advantages of Parliamentary law making?
Democratic - made by elected representatives
Broad reform - can reform whole areas of law in one act
Consultation - allows time for consideration
What are the disadvantages of Parliamentary law making?
Time constrained - lack of parliamentary time
Lengthy Process - it can take months
Complexity - Can be very long and complex, difficult to understand
What are the influences on parliament?
Political - what was in the governments manifesto
Public opinion / Media - Strong public opinion and media coverage can force the government to act such as banning XL Bullies
Pressure Groups - campaing on particular interests to get public / government atttention
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Political Influence?
Advantages:
Doing what they were elected on the basis of doing.
Disadvantages:
If a different party is elected at the next GE, they can repeal or alter any existing legislation
A small majority restricts what bills can get passed
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Public opinion and media influencing parliament
Advantages:
Can accelerate pressing (in the eyes of the public) issues Media can criticise the government
Disadvantages:
Kneejerk reactions Media can manipulate public opinion
What are the 2 types of pressure group
Sectional Pressure groups
Cause Pressure groups
What is a sectional pressure group?
a group that campaigns on the interests of a particular group of people
Examples include: Trade unions, The law society and the British Medical Association
What is a cause pressure group
A group that campaigns around a specific cause
Examples include: Environmental groups, Amnesty International, GreenPeace
