The UK Parliament Flashcards
legislative+executive, role, reform
Functions of parliament
- making legislation
- scrutinising the executive
- sustaining government
- representation
- financial scrutiny
- redress of grievances
- debating major issues
What does making legislation include?
- the biggest focus in a new government
- passing through a lengthy process in the HOC and HOL before reaching the statute book
- members given an opportunity to debate the principles of the bill, and details of the legislation
- opportunity for MPs to table amendments to get concessions from government
- delegated legislation does not have to pass through rigorous process, but orders laid before MPs
What does scrutinising the executive include?
- scrutiny by questions to ministers, PMQs, opposition days (when opposition decide what is discussed in the Commons for the day)
- necessary when government has significant majority
What does sustaining government include?
- ensuring that the government can govern due to having a majority of the seats in the Commons, and the ability to legislate through giving party MPs the whip
- the recruitment and training of ministers in junior roles of opposition to create the future ministers and cabinet members
What does representation in parliament include?
- political parties attempt to represent the people who elect them and reflect their views
- individual MPs attempt to represent the people in their constituency
- MPs are held accountable for representation of their constituents
- discussion about how representative parliament is overleaf
What does financial scrutiny include?
- scrutiny of public spending
- the Budget (annual finance bill) has to be passed in order for taxation and spending to continue
- many parliamentary committees oversee matters such as government spending
- parliament have on-going control of public finances
What does redress of grievances include?
- one of the earliest purposes of the Commons to hear problems of the people
- citizens can go to parliament and lobby their MP about a particular issue that concerns them
- some MPs take up these causes and try to persuade government to change the law based on them using procedure of private members’ legislation
What does debating major issues include?
- the discussion of major issues
- when parliament is the focus of the nation’s attention during emergency
- if crisis emerges during parliamentary recess, members may demand parliament to be recalled for debate
selecting members for the House of Lords
- no maximum number
- PM can nominate
- hereditary peers: family- inherited title who have been lords throughout history
- life peers: chosen by the PM to be a lord
- lord spiritual: bishop or archbishop in the Church of England
House of Lords Reform
1909- ‘people’s budget’ by Chancellor George was damaging to upper classes so HOL voted against it, but Lords cannot vote against Salisbury Convention (1946)
1911 Parliament Act- power to veto replaced by 2 year delay
1949 Parliament Act- power to delay 2 years reduced to 1 year
1958 Parliament Act- introduced life peers
1999 HOL Reform- removed majority of hereditary peers to 92
2014 HOL Reform Act- Lords could be removed if they had a prison sentence, disqualified for poor attendance, could resign or retire
2015 HOL (explusion and suspension) Act- House could expel/ suspend members
2015 Lords Spiritual (women) Act- female church of england bishops could become lord spirituals
2017 Burns Report- recommended reducing number of Lords to 600 through two-out one-in approach to appointing members
Roles of HOL members
- debate legislation sent from the Commons
- initiate legislation
- delay legislation
hold general debates - lords with more experience and expertise than the commons, and don’t represent anyone
- lords are not elected so are said to lack legitimacy
Executive powers of the HOC
- vetoing legislation
- approving government budgets
- vote of no confidence can dismiss a government and trigger a General Election
- representing constituencies
Positives of the HOL
- less party discipline (whips) so members can make their own decisions
- more scrutiny takes place than in the HOC
- Lords are appointed due to their expertise that they can contribute to legislation
- more time to devote to debates
- offering ammendments
- more independent as government lacks majority in the HOL, and many peers are crossbenchers
Negatives of the HOL
- 1911 and 1949 Acts make the Lords less powerful than the Commons, as they can’t reject legislation
- Salisbury convention means the Lords can’t affect financial bills or bills related to the manifesto
- Lords is unelected (lacking mandate)
- media focus on HOC instead of HOL
- committees include HOC members, so HOC has a greater degree of scrutiny than the HOL
- debates in HOL largely symbolic
- Lords cannot be held accountable
- anachronistic (92 hereditary peers)
- members of Church of England entitled to sit (arch/bishops)
- too many members compared to US counterpart (Senate)- 800
- cronyism (appointments due to PM’s opinion)
options for HOL reform
- abolition
- elected
- appointed
- no change
- party appointed, party elected (hybrid model)
NO CHANGE as HOL reform positives
Lords has proved to be effective and it would be unwise to make reforms which could have unknown circumstances
NO CHANGE as HOL reform negatives
undemocratic and unrepresentative due to appointments. This undemocratic institution should not be involved in the legislative process
ABOLITION as HOL reform positives
removal of the HOL for a unicameral system like Denmark and New Zealand
ABOLITION as HOL reform negatives
HOC already demonstrated they would vote against a unicameral system 2007- majority 253 in favour of retaining appointed chamber (removing HOL would involve more work for the HOC)
ALL-ELECTED CHAMBER as HOL reform positives
more democratic and therefore house would be more accountable, providing legitimacy, and a more effective check on the legislative
ALL-ELECTED CHAMBER as HOL reform negatives
HOL could mirror the HOC, serving no purpose if one party had a majority in 2 houses, they would lack scrutiny. Removal of significant opposition could make gridlock between chambers with different party majorities
ALL-APPOINTED CHAMBER as HOL reform positives
help to bring back high quality members into the legislative process and avoid giving too much power to the second chamber- consultative so as not to obstruct effective government. Appointments could be challenged ******
ALL-APPOINTED CHAMBER as HOL reform negatives
preserves the undemocratic nature of the HOL, as the government could appoint people who agree with their views.
HYBRID MODEL as HOL reform positives
combination of the advantages of both systems, having elected and appointed members