UK Parliament

Question 1

What is Parliament?

Answer 1

The British legislature made up of the House of Commons, The House of Lords and the Monarch.

Its job is to scrutinise the work of the government and represents the diverse interests of the United Kingdom

Question 2

What is the House of Commons?

Answer 2

The primary chamber of the UK legislature, directly elected by Voters

Question 3

What is the House of Lords?

Answer 3

The second chamber of the UK legislature, not directly elected by voters they are unelected.

Question 4

What is the structure and the role of the HOC?

Answer 4

There are 650 MPs within the house of commons, who are elected to the commons using FPTP. The vast majority of MPs are backbenchers. There are 120 members of government ( so called ‘pay roll’ vote who are bound by collective responsibility) As Labour is the largest opposition party, they form the Official opposition, with a shadow cabinet and shadow government ministers.

Question 5

What are the relative powers of the HOC?

Answer 5

• Can pass or repeal any bill. Sovereignty effectively lies in the commons
• Passes the government budget
• Can bring a government down through a confidence vote

Exclusive powers include passes the budget and bring a government down through a confidence vote
E.g. James Callaghan in 1979 lost a vote of confidence

Question 6

What are the relative powers of the Lords?

Answer 6

• Can delay ( non finance ) legislation for up to a year
• Can veto delegated legislation
• Can veto the extension of parliaments terms for up to 5 years

Veto = a constitutional right to reject a decision or proposal made by a law making body

Question 7

What are the functions of the Commons?

Answer 7

• Representation of constituents
• Scrutiny through departmental select committees and the Liaison committee
• PMQS takes place in the commons
• Legitimisation of the law making process- as MPs are elected

Question 8

What are the functions of the Lords?

Answer 8

• Examining secondary legislation and making reccomendations for further considerarion

Question 9

What are the functions of both chambers?

Answer 9

• Debating legisation and voting on legislative proposals
• Propsoing amendments to legisation
• Calling the government and ministers to account
• Debating the key issues of the day
• Private members can introduce legislation of their own

Question 10

What is a life peer?

Answer 10

They have their place for life their title cannot be inherited.
Since the blair reforms these are now the vast majority of peers, these have had a succesful career before becoming a peer

Question 11

What is a hereditary peer?

Answer 11

Hereditary peers are people who became a peer when a parent died, and who can pass it on to their oldest child.

The Blair reforms left a ‘rump’ of 92 hereditary peers.
When one of these dies, there is an election (only hereditary peers are able to vote!), to replace them.

Question 12

What are bishops?

Answer 12

The Lords spiritual are the bishops of the Church of England who sit in the class of Lords.
26 Bishops reprsent the church of england.
They re wary of getting involved in ‘politics’ but may speak out on what they see as moral issues. For instance, the Archbishop of Canterbury recently spoke out about the government’s Illegal Migration Bill.

Question 13

What are cross benchers?

Answer 13

These peers do not take a party whip. They are seen as more independent (although the often vote with the government side

Question 14

What are party whips?

Answer 14

These are officials in each party who remain party discipline on behalf of the party leaders. The Whips office is an essential part of how the commons runs. Whips can be one line, two line or three line, A three line whip is a must vote instrution

Question 15

What is the speaker?

Answer 15

Speaker is an impartial chair of proceedings . Stands as an independent MP who was once elected.

Question 16

What does a speaker do ?

Answer 16

• Arranges parliamentary business with the leaders of the main political parties
• Decides which amendments can be debated
• Ensures that proper procedures are followed and presides over debates
• Elected by a secret ballot of all members of the chamber
• Responsible for the administration of the chamber, appointing staff, setting salaries and maintaining the buildings
• Chooses which members speak in debates. The speaker can suspend members if they are abusive or disobedient.

Question 17

Who is the current speaker?

Answer 17

Sir Lindsay Hoyle

• In Feb 2024, he was widely criticised and he apologies for his role in accepting amendments to a SNP motion ( calling for an important ceasefire in Gaza) on their opposition day. This broke precedent and when conservatives withdrew from the debate the SNP were not able to vote on their own motion.
• Hoyle has taken ministers to task for leaking policy announcements to the media before announcing them in parliament

Question 18

What is confidence and supply?

Answer 18

The rights to remove the government and to grant or withhold
funding. Also used to describe a type of informal coalition agreement where the minority partner agrees to provide these things in exchange for policy concessions.

Question 19

What is the sailsbury convention?

Answer 19

The convention whereby the House of Lords does not delay or block legislation that was included in a government’s manifesto.

Question 20

What is parliamentary privilege ?

Answer 20

The right of MPs or Lords to make certain statements within
Parliament without being subject to outside influence, including libel law.

Question 21

What are legislative bills?

Answer 21

Proposed laws passing through Parliament.

Question 22

What are public bill committees?

Answer 22

Are committees responsible for looking at bills in detail.

Question 23

What are backbenchers?

Answer 23

MPs or Lords who do not hold any government or shadow government (Opposition) office.

Question 24

What are select commitees?

Answer 24

Committees responsible for scrutinising the work of government, particularly of individual government departments

Question 25

What are the oppostion?

Answer 25

The MPs and Lords who are not members of the governing party or parties.

Question 26

What are front benchers ?

Answer 26

Front benchers are MPs who have been invited by the PM to join the government as senior ministers, junior ministers or permanent private secretaries and are all bound by collective ministerial responsibility.