the uk parliament

Question 1

what is parliament made up of

Answer 1

house of lords and house of commons

Question 2

what is parliament

Answer 2

has the role of the legislature, role of making laws in the UK

Question 3

summary of the house of commons

Answer 3

where members of parliament sit
mps elected to house of commons in general election
(650 mps from 650 constituencies)

Question 4

explain membership of house of commons

Answer 4

most backbenchers, do not sit in front two benches in the house of commons,

mps who sit in front benches at house of commons are members of government, cabinet ministers, members of shadow cabinet, opposition party’s leadership team

speaker in house of commons, is mp who chairs and manages debate in the chamber - speaker elected by other mps

Question 5

makeup of house of lords

Answer 5

peers, hereditary peers, archibishops, bishops

upper house

peers known as lord temporal

life peers- lord for their lifetime, but canoot pass title on to their children

678 life peers as of 2018

(1999 house of lords act reduced hereditary peers to 92)

lords spiritual, archbishops and bishops, (26) come from church of england

lords temporal is hereditary peers and life peers
lord spiritual is archbishop and bishops

Question 6

explain house of lords selection

Answer 6

house of lords appointment committee can appoint members to house of lords who are not aligned with any party (any member of public can nominate a person to be reviewed for membership selection by committee)

or

(prime minister can appoint a member to house of lords through powers of patronage examples. gordon brown appointed by lord sugar in 2009.

party leaders of conservative , liberal, labour use political lists to include people in their party wants appointed to the house of lords - and act in party’s interests

Question 7

list the functions of the house of commons

Answer 7

legislation
scrutiny
representation
debate
provides ministers for government and legitimisation

Question 8

how does house of lords provide ministers

Answer 8

provides ministers to form the government
ministers in house of commons chosen by appointment of prime minister
- ministers make up cabinet, shadow ministers in opposition make up shadown cabinet

Question 9

debate in house of commons

Answer 9

debate major factor in house of commons
- MPs debate major issues of important to voters and the country

Question 10

representation in house of commons

Answer 10

mps protect needs and interests of people in their constituency in parliament

mps speak on behalf of their constituents in parliamentary debate, make voting decisions on laws which appeal to their constituents

Question 11

law making in house of commons

Answer 11

they make legislation (laws) binding to all uk citizens

constitution says, under parliamentary sovereignty, parliament is supreme law making authority

Question 12

legitimation in the house of commons

Answer 12

has to approve of all bills which becomes laws , has power or support to question government in the actions it takes

Question 13

scrutiny in the house of commons

Answer 13

scrutiny of executive, the party in government is held account for their actions

mps can question government ministers theyve taken, have power to remove ministers and government from power

Question 14

house of commons being effective at representation

Answer 14

house of commons represents all of uk’s geographical regions
mps spend time in their constituencies meeting people, visit local businesses, hold regular surgeries where constituents can discuss their concerns

mps represent constituents interests in debates and votes,

example- mp ken clarke voted to give parliament a vote on any brexit deal reached , his constituents voted to remain which goes against conservative policy

Question 15

house of commons on lawmaking being effective

Answer 15

inhouse of commons , law is debated before being passed,

e.g. data protection act e.g. governmetn legislation increasing regulation of personal data

Question 16

house of commons on law making- private member bills

Answer 16

private member bills are introcued by mps and become laws if they pass through law making process
e.g. cit of london corporation act 2018, private members bills - city of london to have greater management of open spaces in london

Question 17

house of commons on legitimation- effectiveness,

Answer 17

house of commons reviewing important decision that impacts people in the uk , used it legitimacy function to stop, change, question government action

2013, house of commons voting against military intervention in syria which was proposed by house of lords

Question 18

effectiveness of scrutiny from house of commons

Answer 18

house of commons hold government and ministers to account through question time, ministers provide answers to actions to government (pmqs every wednesday pm questioned by leader of opposition and other mps )

Question 19

how do select committees exert scrutiny

Answer 19

departmental select committees scrutinise government department work and ministers,,
asks more in depth questions that question time,

e.g nick hurd home office minister questioned by housing, communities, local government committee, on support provided for people affected by the grenfell tower fire

home affairs select committee investiagte disagreement in 2011 between theresa may who was home secretary then and brodie clark a civil servant on uk border force failings

Question 20

house of commons exerting scrutiny through individual ministerial responsibility

Answer 20

convention of individual ministerial responsibility holds all ministers in government accountable for actions of themselves and their department

e.g. amber rudd resigned as home secretary after she misled house of commons over her department targets for removing illegal immigrants from uk

Question 21

functions not fufilled for representation- house of commons

Answer 21

house of commons failing to represent uk social makeup
age- 52 percent of mps in house of commons asof 2017 aged over 50, 2 percent of mps under age 30

ethnicity - 8 percent of mps in 2017 from ethnic minority backgrounds, 14 percent of uk population is from ethnic minorities

education - 23 percent of mps from oxford or cambridge

gender- in 2023, 225 female mps elected,

Question 22

functions not being fufilled for law making- house of commons

Answer 22

making laaws take a long time, bill has to pass a number of stages before becoming a law

e.g, assault of emergency workers act 2018, increasing protection for workers in emergency services took over a year to pass through parliament and become a law

private members bills often fail to become a law - only two private member bills have passed into law since 2017 general election

Question 23

functions not fufilled in law making due to party whips- house of commons

Answer 23

mps cant freely debate and vote on laws, [arty leadership tells them to follow onto party line
government and party leaders can use party whips (mps appointed by each party to force bills into parliament)

three line whip- instruction for mps to vote in a certain party-approved way

e.g. used by conservative party leadership to order mps to vote for triggering article 50, to begin process of uk leaving eu

Question 24

functinos not being fufilled in legitimation- house of commons

Answer 24

house of commons have legitimated governemtnaction not in the interests of people in uk

e.g. iraq war legitimated by house of commons despite lots of public opposition, over 750000 protested in london on a single day in feb 2003 against war

Question 25

functions not being fufilled- scrutiny- house of commons

Answer 25

questio time, pmsqs lacking effectiveness to properly scrutinise gov

ministers avoid directly answerings quesitons
pmws nicknamed punch and judy - poltiics become political shouting match rather than tool to hold government to account

mps often ask planted questions to make government and party leaders look strong to public

Question 26

functions not being fuilled- scrutiny and select committees- house of commons

Answer 26

select committee scrutiny being ineffective at holding gov to account when ministers unhekpful in providing evidence when questioned

2016 boris johnson, foreign secretary at the time - accussed of waffling by committee chairof foreign affairs select committee during questioning

Question 27

functions of house of lords- law making

Answer 27

proposes amendments to bills during law making process which are considered in house of commons

they can delay the passage of a bill through parliament if they dont agree

lords can defeat commons by notpassing a bill, and send it down back to parliament- lords can defeat secondary legislation

Question 28

functions of house of lords- investigating public policy

Answer 28

ivestigates and debates public policy

select committeees conduct investigations into public policy , hears evidence from range of people e.g. experts in policy area and ministers

from 2016 and 2017, house of lords produced 41 reports on policy areas e.g. brexit, autonomous vehicles

Question 29

functions of house of lords - representation

Answer 29

peers representing people in society, who are less well represented in public

represent expertise from society, range of different professional backgrounds
- also represents different polticial views

-consevratives 250 peers, labour 187, lib dems 98

185 cross benchers who dont align themselves with any party

Question 30

function of house of lords- government scrutiny

Answer 30

scrutiny of gov takes place through written and spoken questions to government, debates over policy

Question 31

effectiveness of law making function in house of lords

Answer 31

bills debated in depth
passed through a number of processes in house of lords

lords provide experts providing input intodebate and committe reviews in bills

lord krebs- zoologist, expert in field of science, former president of british science association

lord mandelson, past poltiical expertise, government roles for labour party, secretary of statte under gordon brown’s government

Question 32

effectiveness of scrunity function in hol

Answer 32

questining of gov for 30 mins from monday to thursday

each gov departmental has a lord that questions it

lord submits written questions to gov
(between 2016 to 2017, over 7000 written and spoken put to gov)

makes sure gov with a large majority held to account by debate, proposing amendmnet to bill

Question 33

effectiveness of scrutiny 2 in hol

Answer 33

no single party controls house of lords
increases no partisanship in chamber

life peerages- lords do not need to worry about losing position if disobeyed a whip

dont have constituencies, spend more time in parliament scrutinising gov

Question 34

eg of hol interventions

Answer 34

2015- house of lords voted to delay cuts to tax credits, in response: proposed cuts delayed and modified in autumn statement the next month

eu withdrawal bill defeated in the lords total of 17 times by oct 2018

hol forced to make legislation changes, making a meaningful vote for parliament , make sure eu environemntal law still applying to uk after brexit

Question 35

represention effectiveness in hol

Answer 35

reduced number of hereditary peers so cutting down those who simply inherited title

lords sprititual women act 2015, diocesan bishops - she then joins next vacany for bishops, in hol until 2025

members in hol advcate for diverse groups, baron bird for homeless people

debate issues of importance to public, e.g. brexit

Question 36

representative function not being fufilled in house of lords

Answer 36

members not elected by the public

chamber does not directly represent citizens as hoc does

92 hereditary peers who have intertied title and peerage e..g lord strathclyde, earl of sandwich

majority of other peers appointed by party leaders through powers of patronage

over half of members over 70

church of bishops onlly in hol, no representation for other religions

Question 37

law making function not being fufilled in hol

Answer 37

hol cant stop legislation it disagrees with, can only delay and propose amendments to it

2017- house of commons reject 2 amendments made by hol to a bill which enabled uk to start negoatiations to leave eu

parliaments act 1911 and 1949, prevents hol from passing legisaltion, and from debating a money bill (bills involving gov spending or tax)

salisbury convention means hol unable to oppose policies in manifesto of elected gov

Question 38

scruntiy function ineffective in hol

Answer 38

some members dont fufil role, just turn up to claim their expenses

large amount of expenses claimed by 277 peers
, (even tho they spoke 5 times or less between 2016-2017)

hol has same difficulties as hoc when posing written and spoken questions to government

Question 39

is uk parliament law maker

Answer 39

is the uk legislature,
executive controls the order paper and make laws

proposed laws then put into parliament who either consents to them (then becomes acts) or doesnt

Question 40

why do private member bills rarely pass

Answer 40

pmbs introduced by mps , become laws if they pass through law making process

dont usually pass unless they have full support from government

like all legislation, needs majority to pass, if no government drive then it will slip off agenda until put forward again, - restricted time for these bills to be discussed , mps dont vote out of fear of lack of scrutiny

Question 41

departmental select committees

Answer 41

permament bodies checking executive power

Question 42

deparmental select committees being effective vs ineffective

Answer 42

effective- permamnet bodies checking executive power

ineffective
ignored due to lack of credibility and worth, processes adopted by parliament not held with high esteem by public, increasingly sidelined in media, e.g. it was a private citizen going to court to trigger article 50 , pmqs seen as punch and judy poltiics, concerned with more poltical point scoring

Question 43

summary of the power of the house of commons

Answer 43

The House of Commons has a number of exclusive powers including removing government members, rejecting and amending legislation, approving amendments to bills and approving the government’s budget.

Question 44

the power of the house of common to remove the government

Answer 44

can remove the government through a vote of no confidence

-motion put forward by mps for a vote in the house of commons on whether house still has confidence in the government

-if vote of no confidence is successful, period of 14 days for a new government to form and win a confidence motion

• if no new government forms and wins a confidence motion, a general election takes place

vote of no confidence removed the government of prime minister james callaghan 1979

Question 45

powers of house of commons - legislation

Answer 45

house of commons has law making powers

has power to vote against legislation by voting against it and has final approval over any proposed amendments to bills by the house of lords

Question 46

power of house of commons -select committees

Answer 46

has power to examine the government

able to call on members of the government to answer questions from the committee on the work that the government is doing

Question 47

power of house of commons - government budget

Answer 47

house of commons has the power to approve of government finances and reject/ amend governments budget

hoc - will debate budget put forward by the government - and theance bill passes through the legislative process to become law

house of commons have primary role in passing finance bills - have exclusive power to amend them

house of lords is able to amend or reject a finance bill

Question 48

power of the house of lords

Answer 48

The House of Lords’ powers are to debate and vote on bills, and propose amendments to them for the House of Commons to consider. The House of Lords can also delay legislation from being passed.

Question 49

power of house of lords - legislation

Answer 49

has power to propose and revisions to bills which the house of commons can review

house of lords can scrutinise legislation in detail through debates and select committees

parliament act 1949 - give house of lords power to delay a bill by up to one year , but house of lords dont have power to reject a bill

house of lords - has power to veto secondary legislation, altthough this power is barely used (constitutional right to rejecta proposal)

Question 50

relative powers of the houses

Answer 50

The House of Commons and House of Lords share many powers, but the House of Lords is less powerful than the House of Commons. This means that the House of Commons has primacy.

Question 51

similar powers between lords and commons

Answer 51

both scrutinise government and holds it to account
both chambers debate and vote on bills
bill must go through a reading in both chambers and pass in both chambers to become a law

Question 52

greater power lying in commons compared to lords

Answer 52

lords can only propose amendments, commons have final say on the amendments to bills

salisbury convention- lords dont have power to oppose bills proposed in government’s election manifseto

commons can ovverule legislation but lords can only delay it from being passed

only commons can bring down gov in a vote of no confidence

commons has more power over public finances

commons has a public mandate, lords in unelected

Question 53

a bill

Answer 53

A bill is legislation that has been proposed. A bill becomes a law by going through several stages. These stages must happen in both chambers of parliament.

Question 54

first reading in legislative process

Answer 54

first reading - announcement a particular bill has started the legislative process

bill becomes available to be viewed and scrutinised by everyone

Question 55

second reading in legislative process

Answer 55

debate in chamber over the bill, members of lords and commons decide if it should be accepted in principle

case in favour is outlined by gov minister, then a member opposite responds alongisde backbenchers,- theres a debate

following debate over a bill, vote takes place, if successfull bill moves forward- if chamber votes against bill then it is defeated

Question 56

committee stage of legislative process

Answer 56

committee considers the bill and examines it in process
-committee decides whether to make changes, remove or add any clause within bill- consider amendments to bill proposed by gov or members of house of lords/commons

in commons- standing committee reviews bill, (made up by mps from different parties) - most of committee members of a party in government

standing committee reviewing bills is public bill committee

committee stage in house of lords, involves memebers who wish to participate , often happens in main chamber of the house

Question 57

report stage of legislative process

Answer 57

discussion of amendments that have been made in committee stage

• takes place in main chambers of lords and commons
  -chamber agrees or rejects proposed amendments by voting or more amendments can be added

Question 58

legislate process- third reading

Answer 58

discussion of bill and what is in it

amendments no longer made in house of commons

house of lord amendments can be made only if amendments have not been considered in previous stages of process

after discussion members of chamber vote on whether they approve of the bill

Question 59

legislative process after the third reading

Answer 59

after third reading stage,

bill returns to the chamber when it began for the consideration of amendments

lords and commons consider amendments made by the other chambers which they agree or disagree with

bill goes between both chambers until an agreement is reached over wording of the bill

if agreement not reached between lords and comons, bill fails to become a law

Question 60

legislative process- royal assent

Answer 60

bill must be approved by monarch for bill to become a law- termed by an act of parliament

agreement of monarch gives royal assent to bill- and is a formality- action taken just to comply with convention or custom

Question 61

interaction of commons and lords during law making

Answer 61

There are several interactions between the two houses when legislation is made. The House of Commons has primacy over the House of Lords in the making of laws by Parliament.

Question 62

interaction of commons and lords in law making- exchange of amendments

Answer 62

both exchange amendments to bills
termed ‘ping pong’ - important form of interaction

exchange of amendments take place after third reading stage- requires both chambers to agree on amendments made to bill, and its final wording so it can be a law

Question 63

interactions between commons and lords- salisbury convention

Answer 63

states house of lords not to oppose passing legislation which is in manifesto government was elected on

• hol not allowed to vote against bill in second reading stage, cant introduce amendments changiing meaning of bill from how government intended in its manifesto

-eg of house of commons having primacy over law making compared to house of lords

Question 64

interaction of house and commons-financial legislation

Answer 64

house of commons greater power than house of lords when making financial laws,

parliament act 1911, doesnt allow lords to amend money bills relating to gov spending and taxes- which can only be changed in house of commons

e.g. finance act 2018, financial law passed by parliament without house of lords making any amendments

Question 65

interacitons of lords and commons- reasonable time

Answer 65

convention that house of lords review laws relating to government policy within a reasonable period of time

house of lords took a long time to start committee stage of 2002 health bill
- 4 month delay for it to become a law

Question 66

interactions of lords and commons- secondary legislation

Answer 66

lords have power to reject secondary legislation, (laws created by ministers adding detail to existing acts of parliament)

but there is a convention that house of lords should not reject secondary legislation(this amends existing laws to ensure they can operate practically and better in society)

house of lords have rarely stopped secondary legislation in the past - did this when voting against cutting tax credits as part of tax credits regulations 2015 act

Question 67

interactions between commons and lords- strathclyde review

Answer 67

this in 2015 reviewed relationship between commons and lords

review recommended hol should not be able to stop secondary legislation from passing
(instead ask house of commons to rethink proposal)

called- to review into whether secondary legislation can only be passed through house of commons law making process

Question 68

what are backbenchers

Answer 68

Backbenchers are MPs in the House of Commons and members of the House of Lords that are not part of the government or the opposition party’s leadership team.

Question 69

backbenchers as representatives

Answer 69

represent ukcitizens through impacting on laws and scrutinising government

backbenchers in house of commons represent interests and views of citizens in their constituency

Question 70

backbenchers on government policy and legislation

Answer 70

backbenchers in house of commons represent constituents interests
, should vote on legislation in a way meeting their constituents interests

house of lords backbenchers look to improve legislation

all backbenchers can speak on legislation through parliamentary debate

can participate in voting in favour/ against legislation

theyre members of standing committees which review bills in detail

they can put forward private members bills

Question 71

backbenchers and government scrutiny

Answer 71

scrutinise gov, hold them accountable for their actions

question government mininsters during question time , and pm during pmqs on policies and actions to ensure they’re held to account

they make up chair and select committees which scrutinise gov departments

can write questions to ministers about issues impacting their constituencies which ministers have to reply to

Question 72

backbenchers and party delegates

Answer 72

backbenchers expected to support their party in parliament

backbenchers of the party in gov expected not to overly criticise the government, follow party line when voting

backbenchers of oppositon party have role to oppose government through criticism in ministers questions, voting against government policies

Question 73

backbenchers and parliamentary privilege

Answer 73

parliamentary privilege enable backbenchers to carry out their roles
- e,g, in representing their electorates interests and having free speech

• ensures mps and memeber of lord and commons can freely debate on issue without intereference

-privilege gives ackbenchers legal immunity over what they say in parliament

e,g, mps use parliamentary privilegeduring ryan giggs affair- to name footballer who had been taken out an injuction over an affair

Question 74

significance of backbenchers

Answer 74

Backbenchers can have a significant role, but party whips can reduce this, as well as how willing the government is to support private members’ bills and select committees

Question 75

significant role of backbenchers- rebellions

Answer 75

backbenchers often make up the majority of the parliament- theyre important for passing legislation

backbenchers use their vote to express support of discontent with government

they can change the direction of government policy- 2012, 91 conservative backbenchers voted against coalition government plans for house of lords reform

Question 76

significant role of backenchers- constituency

Answer 76

important voices for their constituencies to be heard

• sepnd more time in their constiuenciesbecause they are not ministers

rebelling backbenchers often prioritise their constituecny

Question 77

significant role of backbenchers
other

Answer 77

changing public policy to introduce public member bills

backbenchers in committtees can hold government to account and research policies

Question 78

backbenchers not having a significant role

Answer 78

party whips have a lot of power over backbenchers which reduces liekelihood of a backbench rebellion

if threeline whip is enacted, backbenchers have risk of being removed from their party,, and having to sit as an independent in parliament if they vote against party’s position

private members bills are rarely successful,especially in government does not back them

select committees are often ignored by the government

Question 79

select committees

Answer 79

A select committee is a group of MPs or House of Lords members that investigates and scrutinises government work and other public organisations in the public interest.

Question 80

composition of select committees

Answer 80

made up of members from acroos parties
to represent balance of parties in the house

home affaris select committee,6 conservative mps, 4 labour mps, 1 snp mp, reflecting conservative and labour have most seats in house of commons

Question 81

select committees on scrutiny of government

Answer 81

mainly scrutinises gov and the work that is does
select committee scruntinising each government department
e.g. education select committee, scrutinises department for education,
defence select committee scrutinises the ministry of defence

some house of commons select committees investigate issues requiring them to scrutinise multiple government departments
- public accounts committee, cross department select committee, investiagtes how all gov departments use taxpayers money

Question 82

select committees on scutiny of goverment p2

Answer 82

select committees call on government ministers to be questioned by committee and give evidence

e.g. phillip hammond - chancellor of exchequer from 2016 to 2019, sat before treasury select committee, to answer questions about uk’s financial agreement with eu as part of brexit deal

they conduct inquiries,where they collect spoken and written evidence, write reports which have recommendations for future government action

Question 83

select committees on scrutiny of public institutions

Answer 83

question public institutions onnwether what theyre doing is in public interest

business innovation and skills committee quesitoned mike ashley, owner of sports direct, over working conditions in sports direct shops

-rupert murdoch, ceo of news cooperation, question by culture, media and sport select committee, when news of world (newspaper owned by a news cooperation) hacked people’s voicemails to get information for stories

Question 84

select committees on investigating policy

Answer 84

hol select committees investiagate proposed laws and public policy

may produce reports publishing their findings

hol select committees include members of the lords who are experts in certain fields, can investigate and analyse policies

main house of lords select committees,
eu, economic affairs, constitution, communicatins, science and technology, and the international relations committtee

Question 85

advanatges of select committees 1

Answer 85

can highlight government weakness and put pressure on government on deciding how they should act on certain issues

e.g. housing, communities and local government select committee report 2018, on improtance of private rented sector encouraged government’s build to rent programme

• increased number of homes available for rent

Question 86

advantages of select committees 2

Answer 86

ask public officials and government ministers many lengthy questions

e,g, nick buckles, chief executive of security company G4S, described company’s ecurity at 2012 olympics as a ‘humilating shambles’ after lengthy questioning by the home affairs committee after G4S failed to provide enough security

Question 87

disadvantages of select committees

Answer 87

do not have power over legislation, not able to make changes to the laws

cannot force government ministers to appear before them, which weakens how well they can scrutinise

questions not always effective in examining issues in depth

majority of mps on a select committee- are members of a party in governemnt, which can limit mps criticisms of government ministers

Question 88

role of opposition

Answer 88

The official opposition is the largest party in Parliament which is not the government. The opposition mainly scrutinises the Government’s work and holds it to account.

Question 89

how does oppositon exert effective scrutiny

Answer 89

uses question time, adjoiurnemnt debates and pmqs to challenge the executive and hold them to account
e.g. labour leader jeremy corbyn used pmqs to ask pm questions submitted by the public

opposition often opposes government legislation, tries to stop it from passing, votes against it to demonstrate discontent

if oppositon gets support from smaller parties they can stop bills from passing

Question 90

opposition acting as an alternative government

Answer 90

presents itself as the best alternative to the government - so they can attract voters and support outlining a clear choice for voters

Question 91

opposition and shadow cabinet

Answer 91

opposition usualy puts forward a shadow cabinet with shadow ministers

shadow cabinet made up of mps who represent areas like healthcare, jobs, treasury, home office- not in an official govenrment capacity
- means different policies can be researched, representatitives from shadow cabinet can debate government cabinet ministers

shadow cabinet tries to demonstrate that it is a government in waiting

Question 92

opposition and debate

Answer 92

opposition raises issues for debate and debate with government on legislation in committee stage, second reading in legislative process

opposition members make up all parts of a committee, member of opposition chairs the public accounts committee

opposition can scrutnisegovernment policies and oppose them in parliament

Question 93

significance of opposition

Answer 93

Different factors affect the significance of the opposition party - the size of the government’s majority, the unity within each party, and the clearness of the alternative government.

Question 94

significane of oppositon in terms of size of majority

Answer 94

size of governemtns majority impacts on how strong an opposition can fufil its roles

oppostion often fails to defeat government legislation if government has a large majority

e,g, theresa mays governemtn did not hahve majority, relied on confidence and supply deal with democratic unionist party
mays government was vulnerable to labour oppositon
-if labour could get enough votes and encourage other parties to vote against government, government legislation may not pass

-tony blairs gov 1997, had majority of 179 seats- so coservative oppositionhad less power

Question 95

signifficance of opposition in terms of unity

Answer 95

unity within each party impacts on the oppositons significance

a united opposition or divided government gives opposition more chance of successfully voting down government legislation

Question 96

significance of opposition in terms of providing an alternative

Answer 96

offers a clear alternative to voters, policies will often differ from those in governemnt

if opposition pary’s policy is not radically different from the main party, they can either gain support (if voters like the government party) or lose supporters(if voters are looking for an alternative)

Question 97

ministerial question time

Answer 97

Question time gives members of the House of Commons and Lords the chance to question the government and hold ministers to account for their department’s actions.

Question 98

ministers qquestions

Answer 98

take place for an hour every day in parliament

ministers must attend and answer questions about their department put forward by other mps

ministers qiestions ensure ministers are fuly aware of their departments work and acting in interest of uk citizens

Question 99

prime ministers questions

Answer 99

takes place every wednesdya for 30 mins

mps wuestion prime minister on issues they must answer

oppositon leader asks 6 questions of the prime minister and then other mps from all parties can ask follow up questions

pmqs important way of scrutinising the government and receiving direct answers

pm does not know question in advance so must briefed in detail on major issues in the public interest

Question 100

nature of prime ministers questions

Answer 100

prime ministers questions is often unruly- arguably more point scoring than effective scrunity of prime minister and government

pmqs named punch and judy politics, because it becomes a shouting match between politicians in front of the media

mps from government party can ask prime minsiter planted questions to make government and pm appear strong in front of voters
e.g. pm david cameron aides sent emails round to conservative mps suggesting questions for them to ask at pmqs including the benefits of the government’s economic policies

Question 101

hung parliament

Answer 101

2017 general election, returned a hung parliament, a parliament where no single party has an outright majority

Question 102

problems with hung parliament for backbenchers

Answer 102

backbenchers more significant when government does not an overall majority
as every vote can threaten the passing of legislation and rebellions become disastrous

e.g. rebellions from labour mps from iraq war, sometimes involving over 40 rebels- yet parliamentary majorities of blairs government migitated against this- rejected blairs course of action over iraq

or small rebellions led by tory rebels under may premier ship- hindered gov legistion

Question 103

parliamentary privilege and backbenchers

Answer 103

lets backbenchers carry out their role

represents electorates interests through having free speech

backbenchers given legal immunity over what they say in parliament

labour peer using parliamentary privilege in 2018 to name a business accoused of sexual harrassment and bullying- sir phillip green

debate on whether this practice is abused, uncessary or vital for uk constitution