The Scrutiny of legislation and holding government to account Flashcards
What 9 factors hold government to account?
- Commons committees
- Prime Ministers Question
- The vote of no confidence
- Early day motions and debates
- the Commons Liaison Committee
- Frontbenchers
- The official opposition
- backbenchers
- whips
In comparison to what are Committees in the HOC often said to pale in comparison to?
to their counterparts in the US House of Representatives
How are Congressional Committees in the US far better than Committees in the HOC? (4)
- better resourced
- large body
- dedicated support staff
- number of additional powers such as subpoena
What is the power ‘subpoena’ which is retained by US Congressional Committees in the US?
the right to demand that witnesses are brought forward and evidence is made available
What does the term ‘ad hoc’ mean?
created for a particular purpose as necessary
What are Public Bill Committees formed to do?
They are formed to consider specific pieces of legislation and disband when their work is complete
What does the membership of Public Bill Committees usually average between?
15-25 members
How are members of the Public Bill Committees appointed?
They are appointed by the Committee of Selection
What can the government apply to limit the time that a bill spends in committee?
a guillotine
What does a guillotine do that a government can apply during the Committee Stage ?
this limits the time that a bill spends in committee
What means that amendments are unlikely to succeed without government support?
the fact that the composition of the committee will reflect that in the Commons which will have a majority government means that with the whipping system, a committee will need government support
What type of committees are not involved in the passage of legislation?
select committees
What is the role of departmental select committees?
They have the role of scrutinising the work of specific government departments
When were select committees established?
1970’s
Which two reports proposed widening and strengthening departmental select committees?
- Norton Report 2000
- Newton Report 2001
When did the Wright Committee call for the strengthening and widening of departmental select committees ?
ahead of the 2010 general election
Of the non-departmental select committees, which one is the most high profile?
the Public Accounts Committee
What is the role of the non-departmental select committee, the Public Accounts Committee?
it has the role of ensuring value for money in government
When does PMQ’s happen?
every Wednesday for 30 minutes
When was the 30 minute weekly slot introduced?
during New Labours first term in office
What did the 30 minute weekly slot replace?
the twice weekly 15 minute slots previously timetabled on Tuesdays and Thursdays
What was the single longer slot imposed by Tony Blair supposed to offer?
the opportunity for more lengthy and meaningful questioning of the PM
What are PMQ’s seen as rather than real politics?
theatre
What does PMQ’s allow the backbenchers and leading opposition figures to do?
to raise issues that concern their constituents and thereby hold the PM and their government to account
What does PMQ’s allow frontbenchers the opportunity to do?
to make a name for themselves
What did Lib Dem leader Vince Cable in 2007 say to Gordon Brown?
that he had transformed from ‘Stalin to Mr. Bean’
What is a vote of no confidence?
This is a formal vote taken in the Commons in response to the motion that the Commons has no confidence in the government of the day
When there is a vote of no confidence, what is the convention for the PM to do? (2)
It is convention for the PM to request the dissolution of Parliament and a general election
When did James Callaghan’s government lose a vote of no confidence?
1979
What do early day motions do?
they call for a Commons debate on a named issue
Who can propose and add their names to early day motions and thereby raise their concerns with government?
any MP’s
What is a problem with early day motions?
there is little time for the issues raised to be debated formally
What is a positive of early day motions?
they provide one more way in which constituents’ grievances can be vented though their elected representatives
What are the rules of e-petitions?
an e-petition securing in excess of 100,000 signatures will be considered for debate in the Commons
How many people signed the e-petition to stop Trump’s UK state visit which Theresa May ignored?
1.25m
What is an example in 2011 when an e-petition was debated in the Commons?
motion calling for a referendum on continued UK membership of the EU
What power do the Commons Liaison Committee not have which is held by US Congressional committees?
the power to subpoena witnesses to appear before them
How many times did Tony Blair agree to appear before the Commons Liaison Committee?
twice a year
What is the composition of the Commons Liaison Committee?
comprises the chairs of the various Commons departmental select committees
Where do the Commons Liaison Committee meet?
at Portcullis House in Boothroyd Committee Room
What is a problem with the meetings of the Commons Liaison Committee?
They are fairly infrequent
What is a positive of the Commons Liaison Committee?
they provide a genuine opportunity for MP’s to question the PM outside of the theatre that is PMQ’s
Who are frontbenchers?
Those are members of Parliament who hold senior positions in government (ministers)
What is the role of frontbenchers?
To be spokesperson for their particular area of policy
Who is Government legislation normally introduced by?
the relevant minister
Who are the shadow cabinet?
those who are drawn from the leading figures on that party’s front bench
What does the Official Opposition receive?
they receive public money known as ‘short money’
What was ‘short money’ named after , which is given to the official opposition?
the former Leader of the Commons , Edward Short
What is short money given to do?
to help cover the costs of holding the government of the day to account
How much did the Labour party receive in short money in 2011/12?
£6 million
In what year did Labour receive £6 million in short money?
2011/12
Under the House of Commons Standing Order SO14, how many opposition days are granted to the opposition ?
20 days
Under what power are the official opposition given 20 ‘opposition days’
the House of Commons Standing Order SO14
What are opposition days?
these are days in which the official opposition can determine the topic of debate
How many of the 20 days are allocated to the second largest opposition party?
3
Who are backbenchers?
this refers to all the MP’s who do not hold frontbencher responsibilities in their party as ministers (shadow) or party spokesman on a given issue
What are the 4 roles of MP’s?
1) Representative
2) Loyal party
3) Watchdog
4) Legislator
What do most MP’s hold ?
hold a regular surgery where they meet their constituents and gauge local opinion
Why is it thought that MP’s should ‘toe the party line’?
as most MP’s are elected by virtue of their party label rather than as result of any personal appeal
Which 2 MP’s are examples of ‘watchdogs’ who prioritise the role of holding the government to account?
- Tony Benn
- Dennis Skinner
How do MP’s have the role of a legislator?
as for a Bill to become an Act it must be passed through the HOC and so MP’s ultimately have the power to kill government legislation
What is the name of a bill introduced by an MP who does not hold a government position?
a Private Members Bill
What is an example of a well known Private Members Bill?
the Aboriton Act 1967
Why are there few Private Members Bills?
due to government domination over the available time in Parliament
When are Private Members Bills most commonly introduced?
-Under the Ten Minute Rule
In the 1940’s how long did MP’s on average spend as an MP?
5 years
What are the 3 main advantages of the job as an MP which has seen an increase in how long people remain MP’s ?
- salaries and allowances improved
- more sociable working hours
- comfortable offices in Portcullis House
What is the current salary for an MP
£74,962
What have the benefits as MP’s resulted in?
career politicians
Which 3 former special advisers to the Commons reflects the trend of MP’s entering the HOC with no prior career outside of the world of politics?
- Ed Balls
- Ed Miliband
- David Miliband
What is the role of the government whips?
to ensure that government maintains a majority in votes taken in Parliament
Who is the current chief whip
Gavin Williamson
What does the chief whip have the status of?
a senior minister
What does the chief whip attend?
cabinet meetings
What method do chief whips employ?
a ‘carrot and stick’ approach
What was John Major’s meteoric rise to the post of PM said to be because of?
because of his unerring loyalty in the Commons
What is the whips ultimate sanction?
to remove the whip from an MP
What does it mean when the whip is removed from an MP?
the MP is thrown out of the parliamentary party leaving them vulnerable to deselection in their constituency
How many MP’s under John Major had the whip withdrawn for disloyalty over votes relating to the provisions of the Maastricht Treaty in 1994?
8
What were the 8 MP’s who had the whip withdrawn from disloyalty over votes relating to the provisions of the Maastricht Treaty dubbed as in 1994?
the “whipless wonders’
Why did 8 MP’s have the whip withdrawn under John Major in 1994?
for disloyalty over votes relating to the provisions of the Maastricht Treaty
What do items underlined three times mean?
this means the party demands the MP to attend and vote in a particular way
