Structure and role of parliament

Question 1

functions of parliament

Answer 1

• legislation
• scrutiny of the government
• representation
• debate

Question 2

how does parliament scrutinise the executive

Answer 2

• PMQs
• parliamentary debates
• select committees

Question 3

advantages of PMQs

Answer 3

• give positive publicity to the opposition
• keep prime ministers and ministers on their toes
• allow unwanted questions to be asked of the PM

Question 4

disadvantages of PMQs

Answer 4

• most q’s are designed to praise their own party, rather than truly question the executive
• punch and judy politics
• very male and testosterone fuelled

Question 5

advantages of parliamentary debates

Answer 5

• televised so the public can watch which improves transparency
• can change the way MPs of peers vote

Question 6

disadvantages of parliamentary debates

Answer 6

• many use their speeches to impress their own party leadership to advance their career
• few minds and votes are changed as most MPs vote along party lines

Question 7

advantages of select committees

Answer 7

• govt. must respond to reports within 60 days
• can call witnesses to give evidence. inaccurate evidence can lead to resignation, eg. Amber Rudd after accidentally misleading the Home Affairs Select Committee over the Windrush scandal in 2018
• reports are often influential, eg. in 2018 the Health Select Committee recommended a number of ways to reduce child obesity, and within a month the govt. announced changes like stopping sales of sweets/fatty food snacks at supermarket checkouts in

Question 8

disadvantages of select committees

Answer 8

• the governing party always has a majority
• governments can and do ignore reports. they only have to reply rather than enact, eg. govt. rejected most recs made by the Work and Pensions Select Committee about universal credit

Question 9

the legislative process

Answer 9

1. first reading - introduction to parliament
2. second reading - main opportunity for debate and proposal of amendments
3. committee stage - goes to public bill committee where more changes can be proposed but they are unlikely to happen (only 0.5% of changes proposed by the opposition are accepted)
4. report stage - any changes from the committee stage are discussed and voted on, last chance for further amendments
5. third reading - no further changes made, final vote before royal assent (if it has gone through all stages in both houses)
6. consideration of amendments - each house considers eachother’s amendments before royal assent

Question 10

Rwanda bill

Answer 10

• proposed by tories, UKSC ruled it was unlawful but govt. got around it by making legislation declaring rwanda a safe country
• now been passed, showing parliamentary sovereignty
• HoL passed five amendments to the bill - started another round of ping-pong

Question 11

Committees are effective - 2015 studies

Answer 11

Studies from 2015 have estimated that 30-40% of committee recommendations end up as government policy

Question 12

theories of representation

Answer 12

• burkean/trustee
• delegate
• mandate

Question 13

burkean/trustee theory

Answer 13

• proposed by Edmund Burke
• MPs should vote with their judgement