Parliamentary Law Making (PLM) Flashcards
Parliamentary Supremacy
P can make/abolish laws, overrule laws, change their own laws BECAUSE they are democratically elected and representative of society
Parliament is made up of:
House of Commons
House of Law
The monarch
Who can make law?
Parliament - statutes
Judges - common law (precedent)
Public bodies e.g. local councils
House of Commons
650 elected MPs
usually represent a political party or an individual candidate
House of Lords
800 peers
including hereditary and life peers, and 26 senior bishops
5 main influences on P
political influences
public opinion/media
pressure groups
lobbyists
law commission
Political influences
manifestos published by political parties
these set out political ideas/aims
once voted into government, they put these plans into action and can make them law
Public opinion/Media
if there are strong opinions from the public on issues, laws may be created by government to deal with it (not always good decisions as they are rushed)
e.g. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991
these opinions often stem from the media
Pressure groups
groups bring specific matters to people’s attention
2 types: sectional and cause
sectional: represent a section in society and their interests e.g. law society represents lawyer’s interests
cause: focus more on specific causes than groups of people e.g. league of cruel sports - against fox hunting (Hunting Act 2004 banned this)
Lobbyists
try to get individual MPs to support their causes
Law Commission
independent group of legal experts who identify problems within the law, conduct research into how to fix the problems, and then propose these ideas to P e.g. Consumer Rights Act 2015
Types of Bills
Private Members’ Bills
Public Bills
Private Bills
Private Members’ Bills
usually introduced by individual MPs - often called ‘backbenchers’
e.g. Abortion Act 1967
Public Bills
laws on important public matter that affect the whole country (usually introduced by the Government)
e.g. Legal Aid
Private Bills
laws that only apply to a private individual or legal entity
e.g. The Faversham Oyster Company Bill 2016
Legislative Process
1) Green paper
2) White Paper
(HoC)
3) First Reading
4) Second Reading
5) Committee Stage
6) Report Stage
7) Third Reading
(House of Lords)
(Monarch)
Green Paper - First Stage
Consultation page - sets out general aims of the Bill and invites responses
White Paper - Second Stage
firm proposal for a law based on the green paper consultation
First Reading in HoC - Third Stage
formality - title of Bill is read to the House
Second Reading in HoC - Fourth Stage
purpose of Bill is explained by minister + debate is held on the Bill
vote is then held on the Bill
Committee Stage in HoC - Fifth Stage
between 16 to 50 MPs examine each clause of the Bill and think of any potential problems that could be caused
Report Stage in the HoC - Sixth Stage
committee reports back to the House with any suggested amendments
these amendments are accepted or rejected after a debate
Third Reading in HoC - Seventh Stage
final vote on the Bill after each amendment has been accepted or rejected
House of Lords - Eighth Stage
All steps are repeated in the HoL - the whole House is the committee
If the HoL changes anything, the Bill goes back to the HoC and repeats - this is called Pingponging
Monarch
The King must give royal assent to a Bill to make it Law
the King can only see the short title and doesn’t need to even sign it
