UK Parliament Flashcards
How many members of the lords are cross benchers?
183
How many bishops are in the HofL?
25
What are the 6 functions of the commons?
Representation
Legislation
Legitimation
Providing government
Debate
Scrutiny
How many women are in the HofC?
1/3 / 35%
What’s the gender divide in Lib Dem MPs and Labours? (2019)
Both have more women MPs
Lab: 104/202
Lib Dem: 7/11
In the commons, what % are ethnic minorities?
10%
What % of the UK are an ethnic minority?
13%
What % of people voted conservative in 2019?
43%
What’s a constituency surgery?
When public go to ask questions for their MP
When were e-petitions set up and how many signatures are needed to be debated?
2015
100000
How has the previous speaker Bercow, scrutinised the government?
- He stopped May re-introducing her unamended Brexit deal in the commons.
- Criticised government attempt to dominate parliamentary time.
What are Parliamentary duties of MPs?
- speaking in Parliament during debate
- asking questions during PMQs
- introducing Member bills on topics of concern to their constituents
- lobbying other organisations (local council) and individuals on behalf of constituents.
What are private member bills?
Bills introduced by MPs & Lords who are not gov ministers.
E.g Homelessness Reduction Act 2017
What are the roles of select committees?
Scrutinise gov
Make recommendations about issues like education and the environment. (Given to head minister in that issue)
What are bill committees?
Committees which act on a temporary basis to scrutinise in detail new laws being proposed.
What is the word used where PM gives peerages to their friends/supporters?
Cronyism
What are examples of Cronyism?
- Cameron put 14 friends into the lords
- Blair cash for peerage scandal
- Johnson attempted to give Patterson Peerage
- Johnson attempted to put his father in the lords
What was the Windrush scandal 2018?
Members of the Windrush gen were being threatened by the Home Office with deportation despite spending most of their life in UK, as they didn’t have specific documents to prove status.
What did the Home Affairs Committee scrutinise the gov?
- They launched an inquiry with Amber Rudd.
- The chair of the committee wrote to her, stating there were some inaccuracies in evidence given.
- She resigned stating she had misled MPs.
- They recommended a fund for people affected with the Windrush scandal. They continued to pressure the gov, by criticising how long it took and the little few it helped.
How many opposition days are there per parliamentary session?
20
What MP introduced the HofL act 2014?
Byles
What do Three line whips cause?
Tyranny of the majority.