Structure of house of commons/lords

Question 1

What is the structure of the House of Commons

Answer 1

• It is known as the ‘lower house’ and is the elected half of parliament:
• There are 650 members of parliament:
• There are frontbench Mps
• Backbench Mps
• Select committees
• Legislative committees
• Party Whips
• The speaker

Question 2

What are frontbench MPs

Answer 2

They are senior and junior government ministers with leading spokespersons from opposition parties

Question 3

What are Backbench MPs

Answer 3

These are MPs that aren’t frontbenchers (500)

Question 4

What are select committees

Answer 4

They are permanent committees of backbench MPs, theyre elected by all MPs: They scrutinise the work of all government departments

Question 5

What are legislative committees

Answer 5

These are also known as public bill committees:

They are temporary committees that scrutinise proposed legislation and propose amendments to improve legislation.

There are usually 20-40 members that are chosen by party Whips

Question 6

What are party Whips

Answer 6

These are senior MPs who seek to persuade backbenchers in their own party to vote the way the party wants them to, ensuring party unity

Question 7

What are speakers

Answer 7

Speakers presides over disputes in the house of commons and takes decisions on parliamentary procedure.

Question 8

What is the structure of the House of Lords

Answer 8

The house of lords is known as the ‘upper house’ and is the unelected half of parliament and contains 800 peers:

• Hereditary peers
• Life Peers
• Lord spirituals
• The lord speaker

Its main role is to examine and revise legislation from the house of commons

Question 9

What are hereditary peers

Answer 9

These peers have inherited the title from their father and in most cases the title passes on to their sons.

Due to the house of lords act in 1999 it removed the entitlement of most of the Peers to sit and vote in the house of lords and reduced the number of Peers to 92

Hereditary peers can be created by the Prime minister with 3 being created by Margaret Thatcher

Question 10

What are Life peers

Answer 10

They are appointed for life by party leaders (prime minister) under his powers of patronage and an appointments commission.

Their titles cant be passed on and make up majority of the house of lords

They were created under the life peerages act in 1958

They are former politicians but majority are experts in certain fields.

Question 11

What are lord spirituals

Answer 11

As the church has always been linked to the government with Henry Vlll making himself head of church, and with there being 26 archbishops and with the queen being head of state and church.

They bring a religious voice to the government EG: Sunday trading bill
They deal with anything with morals attached

Question 12

What is the lord speaker

Answer 12

They preside over debates in the house and maintain discipline

Question 13

What is the legislative process for the House of Commons

Answer 13

First reading- MPs are informed about bill or propose legislation.

Second reading- Debate on bill, followed by vote

Committee stage- If the commons vote in favour, a public bill committee is formed to consider it line by line, this committee can propose amendments.

Report stage- The bill is debated again

Third reading- There is a final debate and last opportunity to block legislation

Passage to the other place- Theyre passed onto House of Lords

Royal assent- The monarch signs the bill into law, and its now an act of parliament

Question 14

What types of legislation passes through parliament

Answer 14

Public bills
Primary Legislation
Secondary legislation
Private members bills
Private Bills

Question 15

What are public bills

Answer 15

These are bills presented by the government. They are expected to pass successfully into law

Question 16

What is primary legislation

Answer 16

These are known as ‘Ministerial orders’. Under powers granted in primary legislation, ministers or other bodies may make minor regulations on their own. Most orders arent debated in parliament but parliament has the option of vetoing (right to reject) such legislation

Question 17

What are private members’ bills

Answer 17

Backbench MPs may enter a ballot allowing five of them each year to present their own proposed piece of legislation. These rarely pass into law unless they receive the support of government. There is usually not enough parliamentary time

Question 18

What are private bills

Answer 18

These bills are presented by individuals or organisations outside government and parliament. They apply to parliament for permission to take certain action which are currently forbidden (Usually building or land use)

Question 19

What functions do peers perform

Answer 19

• They represent different sections of society in parliament, including ethnic, age, hospital patients and different professions,
• They advocate in favour of important political causes, ensuring that they are given as much publicity as possible: Typical causes are environmental issues, human rights, animal welfare.
• Peers that have expertise play a valuable role in examining proposed legislation.
• As every government department has a frontbench representative in the lords, it gives peers the opportunity to call government to account.

Question 20

What are the functions of the House of Commons

Answer 20

Scrutiny role
Legislative role
representative role

Question 21

What is the scrutiny role in HOC

Answer 21

This involves examining the work of the government and holding it to account for its actions. Scrutiny can entain criticising government actions, forcing ministers to explain policy and can dismiss a government through a vote of no confidence

Question 22

What is the Legislative role in HOC

Answer 22

Any proposed legislation is examined by MPs.
They make amendments to improve the legislation and to protect the interest of minorities.

Legislation introduced in the house of commons can be killed by the guillotine motion.

Question 23

What is the representative role in HOC

Answer 23

Mps are expected to ensure the interest of their constituencies are protected. They have to represent their constituencies.

Question 24

What are the functions of the House of Lords

Answer 24

It also has a scrutiny, legislative, representative role but its more limited as its conducted differently.

Question 25

What is the scrutiny role in the HOL

Answer 25

The lord’s can’t veto a piece of legislation but it can force the government to re-present it the following the next year.

This power of delay forces the government to think again and possibly add amendments to make the legislation acceptable.

Question 26

What is the Legislative role in the HOL

Answer 26

The lords revise bills from the House of commons. As the house of lords is full of experts they provide an important role in passing legislation.

Question 27

What is the representative role in the HOL

Answer 27

Its gained a reputation for standing up for the rights of minorities and vulnerable groups.

Question 28

What are the powers of the house of commons

Answer 28

• It can approve or reject proposed legislation
• It can dismiss a government through a vote of no confidence
• It can order ministers to answers questions on the floor of the house, in a select committee or in writing.
• It can amend legislation
• It order debates on important national issues or in a crisis or emergencies
• Backbench MPs can introduce Private members bills for consideration

Question 29

What are the powers of the house of lords

Answer 29

• It can delay the passage of legislation up to a year
• It can amend legislation although they can be overturned in the house of commons
• It can order a government minister to answer questions on government policies and decisions
• It can debate issues of great national concern

Question 30

Strengths of House of lords

Answer 30

• Upper chamber contains expertise that help decide legislation EG: Lord winston on the science and technology committee who is a professor and medical doctor.
• They Scrutinise with debates, question time and select committees.
• They have security of tenure and salary so they cant be scrutinised on their opinions and threatened to be kicked out
• They have more time as theres no guillotine motion

Question 31

Weaknesses of House of lords

Answer 31

• They lack legitimacy as they arent elected
• Lords are inferior to the commons in Law due to the parliament act of 1911 and 1949
• They can only delay legislation for a year.