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.
What does the Parliament Act 1911 and 1949 mean ?
Commons can pass bills without approval of the Lords
How many statute incidents related to COVID alone?
200
What was the first defeat for Blair?
2005, 49 Labour MPs defied whips by defeating his 90 day detention for suspected terrorists.
What was the biggest defeat of any British gov?
jan 2019, EU withdrawal agreement 2018 voted down by 230 votes
How many total commons bills received royal assent in 2017-19?
52/56 (93%)
How many total lords bills received royal assent in 2017-19?
15/93 (16%)
How many questions does the leader of the opposition get in PMQs?
6
What is the shadow cabinet?
Senior team chosen by leader of the opposition to mirror the cabinet gov
Two examples of royal prerogative.
- Blair~ asked for parliaments permission Iraq war 2003 (convention)
- May joined US led attacks in 2018 due to use of chemical weapons. Didn’t consult Parliament.
Define parliamentary privilege.
Protects MPs and peers from being sued for slander in place of Westminster
Define unanimous.
all agree
What department did May set up in 2016? What was then created in response?
- Department for Exiting EU. A select committee to monitor its work.
Define partisan.
Strong supporter of party/cause/individual.
Who was the chair of the Health and Social Care committee 2014-19?
Dr Wollaston- former GP.
What is the Liaison Committee?
Compromises of all chairs if every select committee and regularly questions the PM 3x a year.
What is the format of the Liaison committee?
22 con
12 lab
1 SNP
Why can the Liaison committee be seen as a potential fail?
- Oct 2019, Boris failed to attend on 3 occasions, and wrote a handwritten note saying he is busy
- Not entrenched
What convention did Cameron set up in 2013?
PM consults Parliament when committing British forces to military action.
What did the Liaison committee talk about in March 2023?
Sunak grilled on small boats, childcare and HS2
What are the stages of a bill through Parliament?
- FIRST READING - Presented in Parliament
- SECOND READING- main principles of bill debated. Vote taken
- COMMITTEE STAGE- considered by HofC public Bills committee. Each bill has a select committee to scrutinise.
- REPORT STAGE- bill and any amendments are debated and voted
- THIRD READING- debated
- ROYAL ASSENT
What are two examples of the gov ignoring the lords?
- In Jan 2020, lords made 5 amendments to EU Withdrawal Bill, but gov ignored all.
- Lords rejected the Sexual offences bill 2000 (equalising age of consent) twice, but the speaker Martin allowed it to be sent for royal assent.
What is a ‘one off’ select committee?
important issues on a certain topic e.g. Ready For ageing 2013- talks about jobs, pensions, health and social care.
How long does the government have to respond to each select committee report?
2 months
What are some flaws in the lords peerage appointment process?
- cash for peerage scandal 2021
- In total, 22 of the conservative party’s main financial backers have been given peerages since 2010.
- Together, they have given an estimated £54 mil. 16 conservative treasurers gained a seat from paying.
What’s the name of the leader of the pressure group liberty from 2003-16 who was appointed by Cameron as a lord?
Chakrabarti (chak- rab-arti)
Who proposed the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017?
- Blackman a conservative MP.
- Got crossbencher support from Lord Best.
What are examples of House of Commons select committees?
- The Public Accounts Committee
- Departmental select committees (e.g Treasury & Home Affairs)
What is the Public Accounts Committee?
- Examine public finances and scrutinise the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness.
- Conducts investigations into various aspects of government spending and holds the gov to account for delivery of public services.
What is an example of a Public Accounts Committees investigation?
2020: Investigation into gambling regulation and the issue of problem gambling the vulnerable
What are two examples of Departmental select committee reports?
- 2018, Home Affairs
- 2020, Transport
What was the 2018 Home affairs Committees investigation?
Investigated the causes and issues surrounding the Windrush scandal that denied many of the Windrush generation and their descendants fundamental rights.
What was the 2020 investigation into gambling regulation from the Public Accounts Committee?
- Were highly critical of the gambling commission and the department for digital, culture and media and sport for failing to understand the impact of gambling and it’s weakness to standing up to the gambling industry.
- Recommended the Department and commission should investigate the patterns and impact of problem falling and produce plans on how to tackle this issue.
What was the impact of the 2020 gambling regulation Public Accounts committee investigation?
- In 2020, the gov proposed to ban the use of credit cards on online gambling sites to prevent people incurring large debts.
What % of the Lords come from an ethnic minority background?
7%
What % of the Lords are women?
29%
