Parlimentry Law Making - Finished Flashcards
What is a Bill
A proposal for a new Law
What are the 2 documents proposed before a Bill is made
Green Paper
White Paper
What is a Green Paper
Document issued by the government
- Contains proposals for debate and discussion about legislative proposals
Are there any initial discussions for a Green Paper
Yes
- The green paper gives people inside and outside an opportunity to give feedback
Why are there discussions initially about the concept of a Green Paper
It brings in different views and aspects from different people
- Ensures the best variant of the bill is chosen
What colour paper is the Green Paper printed on
Unsurprisingly, it is printed on pale green paper
What is a White Paper
The next document issued by a government department
- Contains detailed proposals for legislation
What is the difference between the Green and White Paper
The White paper is more informative and descriptive about the legislative proposal
What is significant about the White Paper stage
It is the final stage of the paper before it enters the Parliament in the form of a bill
Who proposes the Bill in parliament
The minister responsible for the department must introduce the bill
Which House is the bill usually introduced in, and to who?
House of Commons to the rest of Parliament
How many stages does a Bill go through (exclusing the paper process)
6
Name the 6 stages a bill goes through to become a Law
First Reading
Second Reading
Committee Stage
Report Stage
Third Reading
Royal Assent
Explain the FIrst Reading
Aims and title off the bill are read out. No debate
Verbal vote to decide whether it goes to second reading
If the First Reasing is successful when does the Second reading take place
Often set as the next day
Explain the Second Reading
Main policy areas of the bill are debated by the whole House
Led by minister that proposed the bill
Vote taken, if majority agrees, goes to committee stage
What is significant about the Committee Stage
Usually, if a Bill passes the Committee Stage, it is unlikely that the bill will fail to become an Act of Parliament, although the nature of the bill might change, following amendments
Explain the Committee Stage
Up to 50 mp’s conduct a line-by-line examination of each and every cause of the bill
Mp’s that expertise in the area of bill are chosen
A vote before report stage
Why do MP’s in the Committee Stage examine the Bill, line by line
They debate each and every line, in order to refine the language used and to amend any problematic issues that present themselves.
Explain the Report Stage
Committee reports back to the whole House on the issues raised in the Committee Stage and on any amendments made
Additional amendments if necessary
Another vote to go to 3rd reading
Explain the Third Reading
Final review of entire bill.
This stage is often a formality, as most of the issues would have been addressed at earlier stages. After a successful vote, the bill then passes to the House of Lords, where the same stages are repeated, albeit with a few differences
Are there any differences in the process of the Bill in the House of Lords
Yes, apart from the first and second readings, the process is different
Explain the Royal Assent
The monarch, or rather someone appointed on her behalf, signs off on a bill, bringing it into law
At what time following the Royal Assent stage does the Bill become a Law
On the day that assent is given, the bill will usually become law at midnight, unless there needs to be a delay
What is a Private Bill
Bill’s that only affect individual people or cooperations, rather than the public at large
Outline 1 advantage of the Bill Process
Person
Democratic - It is dominated by the elected government (at least every 5 years), with MPs in the House of Commons who are elected to make laws and to represent the views of their constituents by the public
Ensures that people of high legal expertise are creating the bill with knowledge of the public’s concerns and views
Outline 1 advantage of the Bill Process
Time
Lengthy - Due to the process of a law being made being long with multiple attempts to spot out any misclarifications it can allow the bill to be as efficient as possible and thorough
Give a disadvantage of the processs of making a Bill
Slow and time consuming - The Bill must go through many stages of consultation then debate in both Houses – First Reading, Second Reading, Committee Stage, Report Stage and Third Reading, which takes many months, and is not appropriate when laws need to be made quickly
What is the movement of the bill from house of common to house of lords and vice versa referred to as
The ‘Ping Pong’
