Topic 2 Parliament Flashcards
What are the 6 features of the Hoc?
650 MPs- constituency
Frontbench and backbench MPs
Select committees
Legislative committees
Party whips
Speaker
Who makes up the frontbench MPs?
Gov ministers, leading spokespersons from opposition parties
How many frontbench MPs are there?
About 150
How many backbench MPs are there?
About 500
Who are members of select committees?
Backbench MPs
What are select committees?
Permanent committees with various roles
What are legislative committees called?
Public bill committees
What are legislative committees?
Temporary, scrutinise proposed legislation and propose amendments
Who are party whips?
Senior MPs
What is the role of party whips?
Keep party discipline, inform MPs about parliamentary business, discipline dissident MPs
What is the role of speaker?
Elected by MPs, neutral, keeps order
What is an example of when a speaker would ask an MP to withdraw a comment?
Calling another MP a liar
What are 3 features of the HOL?
Non-elected peers
Bills scrutinised by whole house
3 types of peers
What are the 3 types of peers in the HOL?
Life
Hereditary
Lord spiritual
How many hereditary peers are there?
92
What are hereditary peers?
Inherited title and pass peerage on, replaced by other hereditary peers when die
What are life peers?
Appointed for life by party leaders
What are lords spiritual?
Senior bishops of church of England
How many life peers are there?
687
How many lords spiritual are there?
26
Who are 2 examples of competent Life peers in the HOL?
Baroness Lawrence
Baroness Benjamin
Who is Baroness Lawrence?
Made life peer in 2013, work against racism and crime
Who is Baroness Benjamin?
Previously tv presenter, contributor to uk arts and culture
What is a crossbencher?
Member of HOL with no party allegiance
What is a non-affiliated member of the HOL?
Does not associate with any other group, including cross benchers
What are the 6 functions/powers of the HOC?
Legitimation
Gov accountable
Scrutiny
Constituency representation
Interest representation
National debate
What is legitimation?
Process of making proposed laws legitimate by granting consent (on behalf of people)
What are 3 ways the HOC can make the gov accountable?
PMQs
Select committees
Vote of no confidence
What is scrutiny?
Ensure proposed legislation is fair, clear and does not discriminate against minorities
Who is an example of an mp that represents domestic violence charities?
Jess Philipps, MP for Birmingham
What are 2 examples of great issues of national debate?
NHS waiting times
Ukraine War
What are the 4 functions/powers of the HOL?
Revising
Delaying
Secondary legislation
National debate
What is revising legislation?
HOL scrutinise carefully, contains experts
What are the HOL delaying powers?
Delay legislation for a year
What is secondary legislation?
Minor regulation within major laws, HOL spend time approving
What are 5 powers/functions of the HOC only?
Examine/approval of gov financial affairs
Veto of legislation
Vote of no confidence
Select committees
Final approval of amendments to legislation
When does a bill become an act of parliament?
Signed by monarch
What are the 4 types of bills?
Public
Private
Hybrid
Private members
What is a public bill?
Proposed by gov (most bills)
What is a private bill?
Proposed by organisation
What is a private members bill?
Proposed by mps
Where do most bills start?
HOC
What are the first 4 stages of the legislative process?
First reading
Second reading
Committee stage
Report stage
What happens in the first reading of a bill?
MPs informed about bill/proposed legislation, not debated yet
What happens in the second reading of a bill?
Main debate, if passed move to more detailed scrutiny
What happens in the committee stage of a bill?
Bill committee scrutinises and may propose amendments
What happens in the report stage of a bill?
Debated again with all passed amendments included
What are the last 4 stages of the legislative process?
EVEL vote
Third reading
Passage to other house
Royal assent
What happens in the EVEL vote?
If bill declared English, only English MPs may vote on issue
What happens in the third reading?
Final debate, last chance block legislation
What happens in the passage to the other house?
Pass to HOL, scrutinise with same procedures as HOC but as whole house
What is the royal assent?
Formal passage of bill into law
What is parliamentary privilege?
Right of MPs/lords make certain statements within parliament without subject to outside influence (can’t be sued) -freedom of speech
How does parliament interact with the executive?
Backbench MPs/peers
How can a backbench mp represent an outside interest/cause?
Campaigning/lobbying/speaking
How can a backbench mp develop policy on a particular issue?
Member of committee formed by own party
How can a backbench mp act to try and regress grievances of constituents against a public body?
Lobbying ministers/government officials
What can a backbench MP speak in when national or constituency interests can be aired?
Backbench debates
What can a backbench MP have active membership in on a particular issue?
Campaign committee of MPs
What can a backbench mp take part in often with groups of MPs and abroad?
Fact finding missions
What is an example of an mp using their parliamentary privilege?
Lib Dem mp named Ryan Giggs as having been person protected by gagging order on press about 2011 affair
How is the significance of backbench MPs limited even in committees?
Committees proportional to seat distribution so if gov has large majority the committees have large gov majority
What are 3 powers that keep most backbenchers in line most of the time?
Patronage
Party loyalty
Whips
What are the 5 key roles played by backbench peers?
Represent sections of society in parliament
Represent important political causes- publicity
Scrutinise legislation
Call gov to account
Sitting on committees investigate aspects of gov policy
How can peers in the HOL call the government to account?
Every gov department has frontbench representative in lords
How are members of select committees selected?
Secret ballot within parliamentary groups since 2010
What is an example of an mp being selected for a select committee based on expertise?
Sarah Wollaston was GP on health select committee
What are select committees responsible for?
Scrutinising a gov department
What do small committees focus on?
aspects of gov work
How do select committees operate?
Less formal, more effective manner
What is the oldest and arguably most influential select committee in the HOC?
Public accounts committee (PAC)
What does the public accounts committee (PAC) scrutinise?
Value for money of public spending and hold gov to account for delivery of public services
What are the 5 reasons the public accounts committee is so powerful?
Chair = member of main opposition party
Chair has great prestige and higher salary
Chair and members elected by MPs
Members act independently
high profile in media
What is the significance of members of the PAC being elected by MPs?
Not controlled by party leaders
What is the significance of the members of the PAC acting independently?
Mainly ignore their party allegiances
What is an example of a key PAC investigation?
2015 effectiveness of cancer care by NHS
What was the result of the investigation into NHS cancer care by the PAC?
Gov launched review into cancer treatment and set up independent cancer task force to improve delivery of cancer treatment by 2020
What do departmental select committees do?
scrutinise work of a gov department in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, fairness and value for money
How many departmental select committees are there?
19
How are members of DSCs elected?
By MPs on party basis- proportion of seats determined by party representation
What is the membership of DSCs?
Varies between 11 and 14
What do DSCs largely act independently of?
Party allegiance
What is often the nature of DSC and PAC reports?
Unanimous conclusions
Who are the reports and recommendations of DSCs presented to?
HOC and receive considerable publicity
Which groups can the PAC and DSCs call witnesses from?
Ministers, civil servants, pressure group reps, experts
What are 2 other select committees in the HOC?
Liaison Committee
Backbench Business Committee
Who is the liaison committee made up of?
All chairs of departmental select committees
What does the liaison committee do twice a year?
Questions PM extensively over key aspects of gov policy
What does the backbench business committee do?
Determines business of house for 35 days a year, decided what backbenchers debate on those days
What is an example of the culture media and sport select committee having a major impact?
Into press standards and phone hacking, held high profile interviews, led to leveson inquiry and some police investigations
What is an example of the business energy and industrial strategy committee having a major impact?
In 2016 highly critical of sir Philip Green, said he had to solve problems with BHS pension scheme
According to a study in 2011, how many recommendations from select committees are accepted by the government?
40%
What is the official title of the second largest party in the HOC (opposition)?
His majesty’s opposition
What are the 4 roles of the opposition?
Force gov to explain/justify policies/decisions
Highlight gov shortcomings
Present alternative proposals to gov (if appropriate)
Ready to be alternative gov in case current gov defeated in next election
What are 2 big set events where the opposition are called on to oppose/respond to the government’s proposals?
Queens speech
Governments budget
How many days are given to opposition parties to set subjects for debate?
20
What must ministers answer at PMQs?
Written questions from MPs and peers
When are PMQs?
Every Wednesday at midday for 30 mins
