Parliment Flashcards
How many resignations did Corbyn face in Feb 2017?
28
The 2010-2015 parliament was the most rebellious since when
1945
How many CON MPs helped to defeat plans to extend sunday trading hours, when was this?
27 backbenchers
March 2017
What did UCL find was true about substantiative policy amendments?
60% of substantiative policy change amendments were traceable to parliamentary pressure
12 bills analysed from 2005-15
How were select committees changed in 2010?
Now elected
Who selects the members for public bill committees? What effect does this have?
Party Whips, so MPs selected are oftern less rebellious
What did the Higher Education Bill (2004) see?
72 Labour MPs rebelled (17% party) but none were on the public bill committee
From 2000-2010 how many non-government amendments were proposed and how many were successful?
17,468 proposed
88 successful 0.5%
During the 2015-16 session how many bills did the Lords consider, how many amendments were made?
78 bills considered
1254 amendments made
Name a significant amendment made by the Lords
Dubs amendment 2016
How impactful was the Dubs amendment?
Abandoned by May in 2017 after just 200 unaccompanied children welcomed, with 150 more pledged to be welcomed.
How many amendments did the Lords make to the 2017 EU (notification of withdrawal) Act?
2 but both later defeated in the commons
Since 2002 what has happened in regards to the PM and Liaison committee?
2 meetings per year
Which doctor and MP who had previously been critical of gov. health policies was made Chair of Health Committee in 2014?
Sarah Wollaston
What % of recommendations across 7 committees were found to have been acted upon between 1997-2010?
44%
What action did David Cameron controversially take out without seeking parliamentary approval?
2015 Drone strikes in Syria
Why was summer recess broken in 2014?
To debate a motion on striking ISIS in Iraq
House of Commons
650 MPs
442 Men, 208 Women
52 Ethnic minority
House of Lords
791 Lords
676 life peers, 89 hereditary peers, 26 lord spirituals
585 men, 206 women
48 ethnic minority
How many times did the house of Lords defeat 2018 EU withdrawal bill?
14 times
How many times was article 50 defeated in the Lords in 2017?
twice
Between 2010 - 2015 how many times did the Lords vote against the gov?
48 times
Expertise in the Lords
Lord Hogan-Howe former chief of Police, Lord Walton former president of British Medical Association
Name an Act defeated in the Lords?
2012 Welfare reform Act
How many conservative MPs voted against/abstained in the vote on 2013 Marriage (same-sex couples) Act
136 voting against
40 abstaining
Parliament Act 1911 and 1945
Could only delay legislation by one year, no longer VETO
How many times does something have to be rejected to become ineffective?
3 times
How many amendments did the Lord’s suggest for the 2012 Welfare Reform Act?
7 amendments
Name an act the Lord’s delayed
2004 Fox Hunting Act
Salisbury Convention
Will not vote down anything in a mandate
Name an example of successful committee action
In 2010 Margaret Hodge, Public Accounts Committee chair, held Starbucks to account over tax paid in the UK
Backbench phrase
“would you like to step outside and say that?”
Backbench Business Committee
Formed in 2010
Able to choose topics of debate 45 days a year
How many urgent questions did Bercow and Martin grant?
Bercow (2009-2014) 150 urgent questions granted
Martin (2004-2009) less than 50
An example of a time the cabinet managed an emergency
2017 Westminster attacks
Example of cabinet committees
National Security Council
Home Affairs Committee
Economic Affairs Committee
Scotland Committee
Social Justice Committee
Name a key decision the cabinet made
Whether or not to hold a 2017 GE
Stages of a Bill
HC: First Reading
Second Reading and Vote
Committee Stage
Report Stage and Third Reading
HL: Process repeated
Then bill is given Royal Assent by Monarch and becomes law
Burkean Idea
MPs decide what is best for constituents who put their trust in them
Delegate Model
MPs are a mouthpiece to constituents
The Doctrine of Mandate
MPs represent their party which was elected with a mandate on a manifesto
In February 2017 how many resignations did Corbyn face?
28 resignations
In March 2017 how many CON helped to defeat a bill? What bill was this?
In March 2017 27 CON backbenchers helped to defeat a bill which would have extended sunday trading hours
What did UCL find in relation to the impact of parliamentary pressure on bills?
Analysed 12 bills from 2005-2015 and found that 60% of substantive policy change amendments were traceable to parlimentary pressure
How are select committees now more independent?
Chairs are elected
Who selects the members of public bill committees - what is the impact of this?
Selected by party whips so often less rebellious
