UK parliament Flashcards
when do PMQs take place?
30 minutes on Wednesday afternoon
what did Speaker Bercow do at PMQs?
call more backbencher
what did Corbyn do at PMQs
asked questions sent in by public
how many written questions were there in 2015-2016 vs oral questions?
35,000 written and 3600 oral
examples of special privileges held by leader of opposition?
right to ask 6 questions at PMQs, right to respond first to Prime ministers major statements
who is short money available to?
parties with over 1 seat and 150000 votes
how much did labour receive in short money in 2015-2016 and what did the conservative government propose?
they received £6.8 million and conservative government proposed reduction in funding
how often do opposition choose topic for debate?
20 days a year, with 17 allocated to official opposition
example of opposition party setting agenda through choosing topic to debate
2009 liberal democrat motion on British citizenship for Gurkha veterans produced government defeat on opposition motion
what did internal divisions cause Corbyn to do?
allow Labour MPs free votes on crucial issues such as air strikes in syria and renewal of Trident in 2015-2016
how many select committees were there in 2016?
21
examples of select committees with sub-committees?
Treasury Select Committee and Foreign Affairs Select Committee
example of select committees being chaired by those with experience in that area
health select committee has been chaired by former secretary of state for health Stephen Darrel and former GP Sarah Wollaston
how many meetings were held and how many reports were produced by departmental select committees in 2015-2016
held 700 meetings and produced almost 100 reports
example of high profile select committee inquiry
Health Select Committee inquiry 2011 into public health identified problems with the coalition governments proposals for NHS reform. It helped persuade the government to make significant changes to health and social care bill
what did a study by the Constitution Unit (2011) find
that government accept around 40% of select committee recommendations, many of which proposed limited policy change
what have select committees been able to do since 2008?
hold pre-appointment hearings for public appointments to 60 positions. Do not have power to veto appointments.
example of select committees not being listened to about appointments?
In 2016, Amanda Spielman became head of Ofsted despite the Education select committee expressing concern about her expertise.
How many emergency debates were there 2010-2016 and 2 examples of them
4 in 2010-2015, 4 in 2015-2016 e.g on European refugee crisis and Uk steel industry
what are debates which had many contributions?
debates before 2003 invasion of Iraq and 2015 Syria Bombing
who must emergency debates be approved by
Speaker and MPs
what has caused increase in number and range of issues debates in commons
introduction of sessions in Grand Committee rooms, deal with non controversial issues, select committee reports and motions chosen by the BBBC. amendments cannot be tabled or votes held on these debates (113 days in 2015-2016)
which topics selected by BBBC shaped parliamentary agenda
referendum of EU and release of documents on the 1989 Hillsborough disaster both debates in 2011
example of government ignoring motions passed in grand committee room debates
motion to lower voting age to 16
how did the government change the BBBC in 2012?
changed the way BBBC members are elected so that they are now elected within party groups rather than be whole house, making it more difficult for MPs with record of independence to get on committee
what did Blair government survive due to getting a majority of 167 at 2001 election vs when did they first suffer a defeat?
large rebellions from Labour backbenchers on Iraq, tuition fees and foundation hospitals. government faced its first defeat within months of its majority being cut to 65 at 2005 general election
examples of minority governments?
conservative 2017-2019, Wilson government 1974
what did the Conservative-LibDem coalition majority of 79 permit and which bills did this cause to fail?
permitted Lib Dem’s to abstain on some votes eg tuition fees and nuclear power. caused 2 bills to fail: rebel conservatives blocked House of Lords reform and Lib Dem’s blocked revision of constituency bound areas
what has given backbench MPs more opportunity to scrutinise government?
strengthening of select committees, creation of BBBC and greater use of urgent questions
examples of MPS rebelling
coalition MPs rebelled on 35% of votes between 2010 and 2015, 91 conservatives opposed House of lords reform Bill in 2012. In 2003, 139 Labour MPs rebelled on vote on invasion of Iraq
example of government withdrawing measures if whips expect significant rebellion
labour made concessions in 2008 plan to abolish 10% income tax band and conservatives dropped tax charges in 2012 and 2015
what do whips do?
ensure MPs attend parliamentary divisions, issue instructions to MPs on how to vote, enforce discipline.
examples of MPs having whip withdrawn
2003 George Galloway expelled from Labour party for urging UK troops to refuse to fight in Iraq. Clare Short resigned Labour whip in October 2006 to sit as independent MP. Corbyn had whip suspended in 2020
reasons parliamentary scrutiny may have increased?
creation of BBBC, election of select committees and members, mechanisms for citizens to petition parliament, prime ministers obliged to get parliamentarysupport before calling an early election
how is pre legislative scrutiny done?
green paper/white paper, draft bill published and scrutinised by select or joint committee - 75 published 1997-2010 and 35 2010-2015
example of committee recommendations leading to redrafting
coalition bills on recall of MPs
what prevents committees from effective pre legislative scrutiny?
committees have limited time and government can ignore objections
stages of legislation?
first reading, second reading, committee stage, report stage, third reading, house of lords stage
how many times has the government been defeated at second reading since 1945
twice
what happens at committee stage?
bill sent to a public bill committee - new committee for each bill (22 in 2015-2016), finance bills and bills of constitutional significance scrutinised in committee of whole house
example of something being defeated at report stage and consequences?
John Major government lost report stage vote on Maastricht treaty 1993 but made issue matter of confidence and won by 40 votes
example of ‘parliamentary ping pong’
2011-2012 commons overturned a series of Lords amendments on legal aid and welfare reform
examples of significant private members bills
Murder Act 1965 and Abortion Act 1967 both began as private member bills
how much does uk parliament effect legislation?
UK parliament is a policy influencing legislature - can modify or reject legislative proposals from executives. However limited by dominance of executive, government bills, parliamentary timetable, the payroll vote, party discipline
what are the exclusive powers of the house of commons?
the right to insist on legislation, financial privilege, the power to dismiss the executive
what are the main conventions covering the relationship between the two chambers?
the salisbury doctrine (bills implementing manifesto commitments are not opposed by the Lords), reasonable time (the lords should consider government business within a reasonable time), secondary legislation (the lords does not usually object to secondary legislation)
what did the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 do?
prior to 1911 the house of lords could block bills passed by the commons indefinitely. the parliament act 1911 restricted this veto power to two parliamentary sessions (2 years) and the Parliament Act 1949 reduced this to 1 year
on what occasions has a bill passed unchanged in the following session of parliament despite being blocked by the Lords for a year?
War Crimes Act 1991, European parliament elections 1999, Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000, Hunting Act 2004
when did the coalition government invoke financial privilege?
during the final stages of the Welfare reform Bill in 2012
what issues has the commons claimed financial privilege on?
counter-terrorism (2008), identity cards (2010) and support for child refugees (2016)
what is confidence and supply?
the requirement that the government must be able to command a majority in the house of commons on votes of confidence and of supply (e.g. on budget). Also used to refer to an agreement between the government party and a smaller party in which the latter agrees to support the government on key votes in return for policy concessions
what is a confidence motion?
A motion of confidence in the government. It may be initiated by the government as a threat of dissolution, or used to approve the formation of a new government under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011
what is a motion of no confidence?
a parliamentary censure motion initiated by the opposition which, if passed, requires the resignation of the government
what is the only government defeat on a motion of no confidence since 1924?
March 1979, when James Callaghan’s Labour government lost by one vote
who votes on confidence motions?
the house of commons (not the lords)
when has the salisbury convention come under strain?
in 2006, peers voted against an identity cards bill, despite it featuring in Labours 2005 manifesto
when did the Lords amend secondary legislation?
in 2015, the Lords amended two regulations on tax credits
how many times were the Blair and brown governments defeated in the commons vs the lords?
7 times in the commons, over 400 times in the Lords (many of these defeats occurred on judicial and constitutional matters)
how many defeats in the lords did the coalition government and conservative government 2015-2016 face?
99 in 2010-2016 notably on judicial matters and welfare reform and 60 in 2015-2016
how often were defeats in the lords accepted by Blair and Brown governments?
4 out of 10 (including legislation on religious hatred and anti terrorism)
what did the coalition government do to what bill after facing trouble in the lords and how often did they agree to amendments made by the lords?
the coalition government dropped key provisions from the Public Bodies Bill 2010-2012, including plans to privatise the Forestry commission, after it ran into trouble in the lords, and agreed to 1258 of the 3449 amendments made by the lords in the 2014-2015 session
what has the increased effectiveness of the house of lords in checking the powers of the executive resulted from?
party balance, enhanced legitimacy, government mandate, support from MPs
what are input and output legitimacy and who has them
the commons has input legitimacy (input legitimacy concerns the composition of an institution and its responsiveness to citizens concerns as a result of participation by and representation of people) and the lords has output legitimacy (which concerns the quality and effectiveness of an institutions performance and outcomes for the people)
what are the functions of the house of lords?
providing independent expertise (lords has a number of select committees, four main areas - Europe, science, economy and constitution), scrutinising and revising legislation (committee stage - debating in detail, improves legislation, add clauses, clarifies meaning and removes section), scrutinising government
how active is the house of lords?
statistics in 2010 showed it to be the most active second chamber in the world for sitting for longer and more frequently than anywhere else
how has the size and composition of the House of Lords changed since 1997
before 1999 many hereditary peers took the conservative whip, their removal ended the conservative party’s prominence in he lords. no party now has a majority in the lords. 650 life peerages created between 1997 and 2016. life peers increase diversity and professionalism. women made up 26% in may 2017 vs 9% before 1999
what proposals for reform of house of lords have failed?
free vote, 2003
white paper, 2007
House of Lords bill, 2012
what was the removal of hereditary peers meant to be? i
the first step towards wider reform of the lords but reform has stalled as MPs and peers have been unable to agree on reforms
arguments for the house of lords being wholly elected
a fully elected house of lords would have the legitimacy that can only be derived from democratic elections; it would be more confident in its work of scrutinising and amending government bills, thus improving the quality of legislation; if no party has a majority, as would be likely under PR, it would challenge the dominance of the executive; if elected by PR, it would be more representative of the electorate
arguments against the house of lords being wholly elected
it would come into conflict with the house of commons, as both houses would claim democratic legitimacy; institutional conflict between two elected chambers with similar powers would produce legislative gridlock; an appointed house would retain the expertise and independence of cross-bench MPs; the problems associated with party control in the House of Commons would be duplicated in an elected upper house
arguments for parliament being an effective check on the power of the executive
- the executives control over the parliamentary timetable has been weakened by the creation of the BBBC and the greater use of urgent questions
- backbench MPs provide greater checks on government policy than in the past, with increased incidents of rebellion a constraint on government action
- the reformed house of lords in which no party has a majority is a more effective revising chamber - amendments made in the lords often force government to rethink legislation
- select committees have become more influential with governments accepting around 40% of their recommendations. The election of select committee chairs and members has enhanced their independence.
arguments against parliament being an effective check on the power of the executive?
- the executive exercises significant control over the legislative timetable and MPs hoping to steer legislation through parliament face significant obstacles
- government defeats are rare - most backbench MPs from the governing party obey the whip on a majority of votes
- the government is usually able to overturn hostile amendments made in the House of Lords and can resort to the parliament Act to bypass opposition in the Lords
- select committees have little power. the government is not required to accept their recommendations and often ignores proposals that run counter to its preferred policy
what is the delegate model?
a delegate is an individual selected to act on behalf of the others on the basis of clear instructions. they should not depart from these instructions in order to follow their own judgement or preferences.
what is the trustee model?
MPs are responsible for representing the interests of their constituents in parliament. once elected they are free to decide how to vote based on their own independent judgement on the merits of an issue
what is constituency representation?
MPs are expected to protect and advance the collective interests of the constituency they represent and to represent the interests of individual constituents
what did the Hansard Society’s 2016 ‘Audit of Political Engagement’ show?
that 35% of people were satisfied with the way their local MP was doing their job compared to 29% who were satisfied with MPs in general
what is descriptive representation?
descriptive representation occurs when a legislature mirrors the society it represents
how much of the commons do women make up vs how much of the UK population they make up?
32% of the Commons (2017) compared to 51% of population. Labour tends to have a higher proportion of women than other parties
how have parties tried to increased number of women candidates
all women short lists (used by labour in every general election since 1997 except 2001) and priority lists
number of BAME MPs compared to population
in 2017, 8% of the house vs 14% of population
how is age represented in commons
most MPs in 35-55 age range. Youngest MP elected since 1832 was SNPs Mhairi Black age 20
how is sexual orientation represented in parliament
45 MPs elected in 2017 define selves as LGB. (highest number in world)
how is education represented in parliament
29% of elected MPs in 2017 attended fee-paying school vs 7% of voters. 9/10 MPs uni graduates
how is social class represented in parliament
number of MPs who previously had manual occupations falling. MPs who worked in business more likely to be conservative and those who worked in public sector more likely to be labour
what is a committee of the whole house?
a meeting held in the chamber in which the full House of Commons considers the committee stage of a public bill
what is a public bill committee
a committee responsible for the detailed consideration of a bill
what is a select committee?
a committee responsible for scrutinising the work of a particular government department
what are the core tasks of select committees
strategy, policy, expenditure and performance, draft bills, bills and delegated legislation, post-legislative scrutiny, appointments, support for the House, public engagement
what is the liason committee?
this consists of the chairs of all select committees. It’s most significant meetings are the twice yearly sessions in which the prime minister is questioned on public policy.
what is the public accounts committee
this examines government expenditure to check that value for money is being achieved. It does not consider the merits of government policy. It is chaired by a senior opposition MP.
what is the public administration and constitutional affairs committee?
this examines constitutional issues and the role of the civil service
arguments for select committees being effective in scrutinising the executive?
- Select committees scrutinise the policies and actions of government, conducting detailed examinations of controversial issues
- they question ministers, civil servants, and outside experts and can request access to government papers
- many select committee recommendations are accepted by the government
- the election of chairs and members by MPs has enhanced the independence of select committees
arguments against select committees being effective in scrutinising the executive?
- A government with a majority in the Commons will also have a majority in committees
- Ministers and civil servants may not provide much information when questioned, and access to documents may be denied
- They have no power to propose policy - government can ignore recommendations made by select committees
- some members do not attend regularly; some may be only abrasive when questioning witnesses
arguments for the BBBC being successful?
- It has given backbench MPs greater say over the parliamentary timetable
- It has enabled debate on and raised the profile of, issues that would have otherwise not have been discussed in depth in parliament, including an EU referendum
- Debates initiated by the BBBC have influenced government policy, including those on reducing fuel and beer duty
- It was a successful vehicle for public engagement with parliament, allocating time for debate for topics receiving 100,000 signatures in an e-petition - an innovation that led t the creation of the petitions committee
arguments for the BBBC being not successful?
- The government does not have to respond to, or accept the motions passed after debates scheduled by the BBBC
- The government allocates time for the BBBC debates at short notice and in an ad hoc way
- The government ignored criticism from the BBBC and forced through changes which gave party groups greater say in the election of BBBC members
- Smaller parties are under-represented: 7 BBBC members are labour and conservative and 1 is from the SNP
How many labour MPs broke the whip over iraq in 2003?
121
How many defeats did the Labour government face in the Lords between 1997-2010 and how many in the commons, and how many of these defeats were accepted?
From 1997 to 2010 Labour suffered 514 defeats in the House of Lords, whereas it only faced six in the House of Commons, and although the commons could in theory overturn these defeats, as they have more power, four out of ten defeats in the Lords were substantially accepted by the Blair and Brown governments.
What is an example of a government changing legislation after running into trouble in the Lords?
The Coalition Government dropped key provisions from the Public Bodies Bill 2010-12, including plans to privatize the Forestry Commission after it ran into trouble at the Lords.
What is an example of a committee in the Lords?
There is currently a Lords COVID-19 Committee that have investigated four issues related to COVID-19. This is something that the Commons does not replicate.
What is an example of the financial privilege of the Commons stopping the House of Lords voting on something?
The Finance Act 2021 was debated for a total of 2 hours and 22 minutes in the Lords, and it was not referred for Committee Stage and was never voted on, as they do not have financial privilege.
When is the last time a government defeat has occured at second reading?
1986 (when the Sunday Trading Bill was defeated by 14 votes)
What is an example of a government defeat under Johnson’s minority government?
3 September 2019: The Government was defeated 328–301 on an emergency debate motion on the European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 6) Bill that would force the government to request an extension to Brexit negotiations.
What is an example of a government defeat in which EVEL would have made a difference if applied but wasn’t?
The government was defeated in 2016 on plans in the Enterprise Bill to relax Sunday trading laws in England and Wales. If SNP MPs had not voted against them, they would have been approved.
