Structure and Form of Parliament

Question 1

How many MPs sit in the House of Commons?

Answer 1

650

Question 2

How many seats are required to win a majority in the House of Commons

Answer 2

326

Question 3

How many peers sit in the House of Lords?

Answer 3

800 - 92 of which are hereditary

Question 4

What are the whips?

Answer 4

The enforcing members of the party that ensure that party members vote on legislation that the prime minister wants to pass - they generally have dirt on many of the MPs within their party in order to punish rebellious members

Question 5

What are frontbenchers?

Answer 5

Cabinet members, and shadow cabinet ministers

Question 6

What are backbenchers?

Answer 6

Ordinary MPs who are netiehr ministers nor shadow ministers

Question 7

What are shadow ministers?

Answer 7

Members of the opposition government

Question 8

What is the role of the speaker?

Answer 8

To try and keep order in parliament, and ensures that the rules of Parliament are upheld (e.g. you can’t say that another MP has lied), deciding who gets to speak, how long they get to speak for, and when a debate should end and it be voted upon

Question 9

What are hereditary peers?

Answer 9

Members of the HOL that are there because of their ancestry - 92 remain

Question 10

What are life peers?

Answer 10

People that have been appointed to the HOL, generally based on merit, or proximity to the government e.g. Charlotte Owen appointed to the HOL at 30

Question 11

What are Lords Spiritual?

Answer 11

Bishops/Archbishops - 26 exist

Question 12

What is a bicameral government?

Answer 12

A government that has two separate chambers

Question 13

What is financial privilege?

Answer 13

Established in both statute and convention, the commons insists it has preeminence in financial matters

Question 14

Give 2 examples of statute that protect financial privilege?

Answer 14

1. Resolution passed in 1671 - “all aids given to the King by the Commons ought not to be changed by the lords”
2. Resolution passed in 1678 - “all aids and supplies are the sole gift of the commons… which ought not to be changed, or altered by the House of Lords”

Question 15

Give an example of how convention protects financial privilege

Answer 15

If the HOL makes an amendment that has spending implications and the HOC overturns the amendment the Lords is expected to respect the Commons financial privilege and not insist on the amendment

Question 16

Is it possible for the HOL to influence fiscal policy?

Answer 16

Yes; the house of commons can choose to accept amendments suggested by the HOL, and often does so accepting 610 amendments, and rejecting just 56 from 2000-2010

Question 17

Give an example of when the convention protecting financial privilege broke down

Answer 17

1909 People’s Budget causing a constitutional crisis

Question 18

What was the result of the HOL’s rejection of the 1909 People’s Budget?

Answer 18

Parliament Act (1911)

Question 19

How did the Parliament Act (1911) limit the powers of the HOL?

Answer 19

• Money bills must be presented for Royal Assent one month after being sent to the Lords
• Non-money bills can only be delayed for 2 years

Question 20

How did the Parliament Act (1949) further limit the powers of the HOL?

Answer 20

Limited the delay to just 1 year

Question 21

What did the Salisbury Convention delcare?

Answer 21

The HOL should not oppose bills that are featured in the government’s manifesto

Question 22

Why is the Salisbury Convention being questioned?

Answer 22

1. Lords are questioning whether the party manifesto has as much legitimacy as it once had as there are:
   - Low voter turnouts
   - Slim majoirites
   - Low voter shares
   - Coalition governments
   - Supply and Confidence agreements
2. The HOL is much more diversified and representative that what it was in 1945, and thus can object to parts of the party’s manifesto more objectively

Question 23

Give 2 powers of the HOL

Answer 23

1. The ability to propose legislation
2. The ability to veto/amend secondary legislation

Question 24

How many times have acts been passed without the Lord’s approval?

Answer 24

Only 7 bills (including the 1949 Parliament Act) have passed through parliament without the support of the House of Lords

Question 25

Give 3 reasons why the House of Lords is a valuable asset?

Answer 25

1. Peers come from a variety of backgrounds with expertise relevant to a wide range of policy areas
2. They are able to scrutinise more efficiently than the House of Commons, as they do not have constituencies to represent, or rules limiting debate
3. The Commons largely relies on the HOL to scrutinise secondary legislation which it does not have time for

Question 26

What is a key power that resides solely in the House of Commons?

Answer 26

The Power to dismiss the executive - a motion of no confidence can only be raised in the commons