Parliamentary Law Making (Paper 2)

Question 1

What are the three institutions of Parliament

Answer 1

House of Commons, House of Lords, and the Monarch

Question 2

Describe the composition and role of the House of Commons

Answer 2

Consists of MPs who are elected at a general election. Political party with most seats in the Commons forms the government. Most Bills start in the Commons and if they vote against the Bill, it is the end

Question 3

Describe the composition and role of the House of Lords

Answer 3

Non-elected body made up of life peers, hereditary peers, and senior bishops. HOL is less powerful than the HOC due to the Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949

Question 4

Name the current Monarch and their function in the parliamentary process

Answer 4

Currently King Charles III, and gives royal assent to a Bill

Question 5

Bills are proposed laws which have been drafted and published. What are the two types?

Answer 5

Public and Private Members Bills

Question 6

What is the difference between public and private members bills

Answer 6

Public Bills are introduced by the government and involve matters of public policy, and Private Members Bills are introduced by individual MPs

Question 7

What is Dicey’s definition of Parliamentary Supremacy

Answer 7

Parliament can legislate on any subject matter with no limits, no Parliament can be bound by any previous Parliament nor can Parliament pass an Act which will bind a successor, and no other body has the right to override or set aside an Act of Parliament

Question 8

What are the three limitations on Parliamentary Supremacy

Answer 8

The effect of the Human Rights Act 1998, Devolution, EU Membership

Question 9

What is a Green Paper

Answer 9

An idea for a new law, consultation document

Question 10

What is a White Paper

Answer 10

Firm proposal for new law

Question 11

Explain what happens during the First Reading

Answer 11

Minister gives information about the Bill, including its name and main aims. Usually no discussion takes place

Question 12

Explain what happens during the Second Reading

Answer 12

Main debate about the main principles of the Bill, not the smaller detail. There is a vote on whether the Bill should proceed to the next stage, must be a majority for the Bill to progress further

Question 13

Explain what happens during the Committee Stage

Answer 13

Detailed examination of the Bill by a committee of between 15-60 MPs. Every line of the Bill is examined and amendments can be made

Question 14

Describe what happens during the Report Stage

Answer 14

Committee reports back any amendments to the House. If there are no amendments, there is no report stage

Question 15

Explain what happens during the Third Reading

Answer 15

Final vote on the Bill, normally a formality as its unlikely to fail at this stage

Question 16

What happens when a Bill is sent to the Other House

Answer 16

Bill goes through the same five stages it did in the other House. Possible ‘ping pong’ effect if changes are made

Question 17

What is meant by Royal Assent

Answer 17

Monarch formally gives approval to the Bill and it becomes an Act of Parliament

Question 18

Describe the political influences on Parliament

Answer 18

Each political party has policies and drafts manifesto before the election. If elected, those influences may become law

Question 19

Role of public opinion/Media

Answer 19

Strong public opinion may lead to a change in the law, e.g. handgun laws following Dunblane

Question 20

Explain the different types of pressure groups and what they do

Answer 20

Sectional groups represent interests of a particular group, such as the Law Society and the BMA. Cause groups promote a particular cause, such as Greenpeace

Question 21

What is meant by the term lobbying

Answer 21

Persuading individual MPs to support their cause