UK Government - Parliament Flashcards
Peer…
A member of the House of Lords is often referred to as a peer. A peerage is a title granted by the king
Reserved Powers
Powers which are significant but are expected only to be used in extreme circumstances
Party Whip…
An MP appointed by the party leader to ensure party discipline
Backbencher
An MP that does not hold any government position.
Parliament is…
The highest form of political authority in the UK
The government must be…
either drawn from the House of Commons or House of Lords
In Parliament there is…
no strict separation of powers as the executive is drawn from the legislature.
It is often claimed that the government can dominate Parliament because…
Most members of Parliament will be government supporters.
Government must be accountable…
- The PM and ministers appear in Parliament to justify their decisions
- In extreme circumstances Parliament can remove a government through a vote of no confidence
Parliament is said to be…
legally sovereign
Legal sovereignty means
Parliament is the source of all power
Parliament can restore tom itself all delegated powers
Parliament is not bound by it’s predecessors
Parliament cannot bind it’s successors
Political sovereignty refers to…
Where political power lies in reality
It could be argued that political sovereignty lies with
The government (with a large majority especially)
The people (referendums)
The HofC consists of how many constituencies?
650
The vast majority of MPs are members of…
A political party
MPs are divided into…
Frontbench and Backbench MPs
MPs do much of there work in…
Committees
Legislative Committees…
Scrutinise legislation
Select Committees…
Hold the government to account
The House of Commons is presided over by…
the Speaker
Functions of the Commons…
Legitimation, legislation, scrutiny of government and legislation, representation, national debate
How many members of the Lords are hereditary peers?
92
How many Lords Spiritual are there?
26
What is the name of the members of the Lords that are appointed?
Lords Temporal
A Lords convention is that…
Party numbers should roughly reflect the numbers in the Commons
All parliamentary business goes through the Lords, so…
There must be government ministers in the Lords
The equivalent of the Commons Speaker is…
The Lords Speaker
Functions of the Lords
Introducing legislation
Scrutiny of legislation
National debate
The unwritten rule that the Lords must not obstruct any measure in a government’s manifesto…
Salisbury Convention
Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949…
Established that the Lords could only block financial legislation for a year.
Private Bill…
When an organisation wants to do something that law currently forbids it can apply for a private bill. For example building a new road
Private Members Bill…
Presented by individual or group of MPs/Peers. Chosen by ballot. Gets a first reading
Public Bills
Presented by the government and expected to pass. Preceded by a white paper.
Green Paper…
Government consultation document that invites feedback from both inside and outside Parliament.
White Paper…
Presented to Parliament outlining a government bill. The proposal in a white paper are debated and ironed out
Division…
The name used in Parliament for a vote.
First 3 stages of the passage of a bill through Parliament…
1.First reading (formal)
2.Second reading (debate and vote)
3.Committee stage (consider the details of bills, call witnesses and the whole house votes on amendments)
The other 3 stages of the passage of the passage of a bill through Parliament.
- Report stage (whole house debates the bill and amendments again - followed immediately by third reading)
- Transfer (transfers from the Commons to the Lords or visa versa. Steps 1-4 happen again)
- Assent (the monarch signs the bill making it law - formality)
Prime Ministers Questions (PMQs) happen…
on a Wednesday for 30 minutes
How many questions does the leader of the opposition have at PMQs?
- The leader of the next largest party gets 2
As well as party leaders who else gets to ask questions at PMQs?
Backbenchers
Select Committees are…
A small group of MPs who investigate a specific issue
A Select Committee’s findings are…
Public and the government are expected to respond
Parliamentary Privilege…
The right of MPs and Lords to make statements in Parliament without being subject to law
Opposition…
MPs and Lords who are not members of the governing party.
Official Opposition
The largest party in opposition to the government
Opposition are not in a strong position to hold the government to account unless…
The government majority is small
How many days are opposition allocated to propose subject for debates?
20 - 17 for the official opposition…3 for the next biggest party
The fund to help opposition parties carry out their business is called…
Short Money
Which code ensures the opposition gets fair coverage?
The Ofcom Broadcasting Code
Evidence for the significance of backbenchers….
- Rebellions
- The creation of the backbench business committee
- Urgent questions
Urgent questions…
Allow MPs to ask questions about urgent issues that the government must answer immediately
Backbench influence is limited by
- The power of patronage
- Government majority
- Attention to an issue does not always mean action
