The Structure And The Role Of Parliament Flashcards
House of Commons membership
Most members of parliament are called backbenchers
Backbenchers are MPs that do not sit in the two front benches in the house of commons. All political parties have backbenchers
The MPs who sit on the front benches in the house of commons are members of the government, cabinet ministers, members of the shadow cabinet and the opposition party’s leadership team
The speaker in the house of commons is an MP who manages and chairs debates in the chamber. The speaker is elected by other MPs
House of Commons selection
The house of commons is the lower house in the bicameral system of the UK , which is where Members of Parliament (MPs) sit
MPs are elected to the house of commons at a general election
People vote from a list of candidates standing in their constituency in Parliament
The winning candidate represents the constituency in parliament
Constituencies are areas that the UK has been divided into
There are 650 constituencies in the UK
Each constituency has one MP in the house of commons
Peers
Members of the house of lords include life peers, hereditary peers, archbishops and bishops
Peers are known as ‘Lord Tempral’
Most members of the house of lords are life peers, meaning that they are a lord for their lifetime but cannot pass the title on to their children
There are 676 life peers as of 2018
Members of the house of lords used to all be hereditary peers , meaning that they inherited their title as a lord from their family
The House of Lords Act 1999 reduced the number of hereditary peers to 92
Lord spiritual
Other members of the house of lords are archbishops and bishops
Bishops and archbishops are known as ‘Lords Spiritual’
There are 26 archbishops and bishops who are members of the house of lords
The lord spiritual come from the church of England
House of Lords selection
The house of lords appointments committee can appoint members to the house of lords who are not aligned with any party
Any members of the public can nominate a person to be reviewed for membership selection by the committee
The prime minister can appoint members to the house of lords through using the power of patronage
Gordon Brown (prime minister from 2007 – 2010) appointed Lord Sugar to the house of lords in 2016
David Cameron appointed Ed Llewellyn, his former chief of staff, as a member of the house of lords in 2016
Party leaders of the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats can use political lists to include people their party want appointed to the house of lords, and act in the party’s interest
Functions of the House of Commons: intro:
The house of commons has a number of key functions including legislation, scrutiny, representation , debate, providing minsters for government and legitimisation
Function : Representation
MPs must protect the needs and interests of people in their constituency in Parliament
MPs speak on behalf of their constituents in parliamentary debates and make voting decisions on laws which appeal to their constituents
Function: Legitimation
Legitimation is a function of the house of commons where it must approve all bills which make laws and has the power to support or question the government In the actions it takes
Function : debate
Debate is a function of the house of commons
MPs debate major issues of importance to voters and the country
Law making
House of commons makes legislation (laws) that are binding to all UK citizens
The constitution states that under parliamentary sovereignty, parliament is the ‘supreme’ law-making authority in the UK
Function : scrutiny
Scrutiny of the executives is when the party in government is held to account for their actions
MPs can question government ministers on actions they have taken and have the power to remove ministers and government from power
Function : providing ministers
The house of commons provides ministers to form the government
All ministers must be MPs, including the prime minister
Minsters are chosen from the house of commons by appointment by the prime minister
Ministers make up the cabinet , and shadow minsters in the opposition make up the shadow cabinet
