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75 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What are the three components in Parliament? |
Commons Lords Monarch |
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How are members in the Commons selected? |
650 MPs elected from single-member constituencies using the 'First-past-the-post' electoral system and serve for 5 terms |
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How are members in the Lords selected? |
792 members made up of 26 bishops, 92 hereditary peers (inherited) and 676 life peers (chosen) |
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What is a crossbench peer? |
154 currently - sit on benches that run across the middle of the chamber and appointed by the Lord's Appointment Commission |
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What are the main functions of Parliament? |
Representation Law-making Scrutiny and Debate Providing ministers |
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What happens in the Commons? |
MPs question government ministers Urgent Questions Ministers statements MPs debate and vote Opposition/backbench MPs table adjournment debates |
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What happens in the Lords? |
Unelected revising chamber Peers debate, revise and debate legislation Can be overruled by Commons |
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How is the representation function carried out? |
MPs elected from all regions to represent a range of political traditions and opinions of constituents - age, gender, ethnicity, class etc. |
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How many LGBT MPs are there (2017)? |
45 out of 650 MPs 19 - Labour 19 - Conservative 7 - SNP |
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How many ethnic minority MPs are there (2017)? |
52 out of 650 32 - Labour 19 - Conservative 1 - Lib Dem
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How many female MPs are there (2017)? |
208 out of 650 Labour - 119 Conservative - 67 SNP - 12 Lib Dems - 4 |
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What is the breakdown of education of MPs (2017)? |
51% - Comprehensive 29% - Private 18% - Selective states 2 % - Abroad/Home |
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What percentage of the general population attend private school? |
7% |
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Who is Maria Miller? |
Women and Equalities Committee Chair - six proposals to give parliament more equal female representation |
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What recommendations did the Women and Equalities Committee put forward? |
Legislation to force parties to have a minimum proportion of 45% female parliamentary candidates 45% representation target by 2030 ALL REJECTED |
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Who is Sophie Walker? |
Leader of the Women's Equality Party - "Government has let all women down and continues to stifle true democracy in which all voices are heard." |
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Why did the government reject all six of the recommendations of the W+E Committee? |
Don't believe the best way to improve representativeness would be through legislation + additional regulatory burden |
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What are the strengths of parliamentary representation? |
Most popular choice represented ( 42.4% = 317 seats) Geographically representative Representation improved - BMW / disabled MPs more likely to be elected than in the past 2017 - majority of MPs educated in comprehensive schools |
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What are the weaknesses of parliamentary representation? |
First past the post - 42.4% = 317 but 40% = 262 Smaller parties underrepresented Male, pale and stale 2015 - 7% Labour MPs were working class 92 hereditary peer places |
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How do the commons carry out law-making? |
Propose, amend, debate and reject bills |
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What are some reject government acts? |
Education Act 2011 Marriage Act 2013 Investigatory Powers Act 2016 European Union Act 2017 |
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What is the purpose of the law-making process? |
Confers legitimacy on the legislation and allows it to be scrutinised by MPs |
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What are the stages of the Bill? |
Origin First reading Second reading Committee stage Report stage Third reading House of Lords stage Royal assent |
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What is first reading? |
Bill formally introduced to allow opposition time to consider bill before second reading |
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What is second reading? |
Purposes and main principles of bill are debated, sometimes in committees if bill is non-controversial |
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What is committee stage? |
Details of bill discussed in public bill committee made up of MPs from all parties |
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What is the report stage? |
House considers amendments made in committee and make further amendments before going to third reading (England-only -> Grand committee) |
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What is the third reading? |
Bill considered as a whole -> House of Lords |
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What can happen in the lords? |
Accepted - royal assent Reject - delayed for a year Amend - back to commons |
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What happens at royal assent? |
Formality - Queen signs list of bills and bill becomes Act of Parliament |
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How has EVEL affected law-making? |
Only English MPs take part in committee stage of England-only legislation Grand committee of English MPs Double majority of all MPs required to approve EVEL lords amendments |
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What are the strengths of law-making? |
Commons can amend and block bills Backbench rebellions highlight concers Private member bills are passed despite government reservations |
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What are the weaknesses of law making? |
Government dominates parliamentary agenda - MP majority Governments cqn pads legislation not in manifestos Bills not scrutinised due to high volume of legilsation Government controls statutory instruments - 3'500 approved Lords has limited powers |
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What three ways do MPs and peers scrutinise? |
Questions to ministers (written, oral [2000 annually] and [460 granted] urgent) Select committees Debates |
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Who is the speaker of the house? |
John Bercow |
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What are the two main types of select committees? |
Departmental Cross-cutting (All backbenchers) |
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What is the public accounts committee? |
Chaired by leading member of opposition and investigates extent to which taxpayer is getting good value for money from government spending |
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What are the exclusive powers of the commons? |
Taxation + public expenditure (commons represents taxpayer) Confidence + supply - when party relies on limited agreement with another party |
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What are the distinct powers of the lords? |
Revising chamber - proposes amendments Delay non-financial legislation for one year Veto - if government attempts to prolong life of parliament beyond legal max term |
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What powers are shared by both houses? |
Scrutiny Debating Law making Scrutiny enquiries Propose amendments Delay bills Providing ministers |
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What are the limitations of the powers of the lords? |
No right to delay money bills Salisbury Convention 1945 - won't oppose bills in manifestos No power to veto non-financial bills -> delay for 2 parliamentary sessions |
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What are the reasons for growing assertiveness of the Lords since 1997? |
Removal of hereditary peers in 1999 Dominance of conservative party ended Salisbury can no longer applies if government has no majority Crossbench MPs more likely to assess a bill |
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Why is the commons able to justify its supremacy over the lords? |
The parliament Act Legitimacy |
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What are backbenchers? |
MPs who don't have a ministerial position so occupy the benches in the debating chamber behind their leaders |
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What is the role of the party whips? |
They ensure MPs attend parliamentary votes and for granting leave of of absence of they don't need to attend |
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What is a three line whip? |
Important votes that MPs must attend |
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What ways can ministers respond to questions? |
Oral or written answers, and Prime Minister's questions |
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How effectively does parliament perform its representative function? |
MPs loyalty to their party may conflict with their need to represent a constituency - protected by the ministerial code Unrepresentative |
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What area of parliament does commons have exclusive authority? |
To give consent to taxation and public expenditure |
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What is confidence and supply? |
Informal coalition agreement used in hung parliament when minority partner agrees to vote with government on key issues for policy concessions |
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How is the Lord's power restricted? |
Parliament Acts of 1911 + 1949 - Lords have no right to delay money bills and can only delay non-financial bills 2 parliamentary sessions |
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How is the Lords' power restricted by convention? |
1945 Salisbury convention - lords wouldn't oppose a bill that gave effect to commitment in government's manifesto |
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What powers do the Lord's have? |
Acts as a revising chamber chamber, proposing amendments Delay non-financial legislation for 1 year Force a GE if Parliament tries to prolong it's life beyond 5 years |
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How does the Commons maintain its supremacy? |
Government use its majority to overturn Lords amendments Parliament Act to force a bill through - used 3 times by Blair |
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What is a legislative bill? |
Proposal for a new law or change to an existing law, introduced in either the Lord's or Commoms |
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What is an act of Parliament? |
Bill that has completed all its stages in Parliament and has become law |
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What is a government bill? |
Brought forward by government ministers to change public policy |
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What is a private bill? |
Sponsored by an organisation with the intention of changing the law as it affects that organisation |
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What is a hybrid bill? |
Had characteristics of both a public and private bill - proposes changes to the law which would affect the general public |
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What is a private member's bill? |
Affects whole population, introduced by an individual backbench MP - drawn by ballot |
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What occurs during first reading? |
The bill is made available to MPs but is not debated or voted on at this stage |
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What occurs during second reading? |
Principal of the bill is debated and a vote ma be taken if it is contested |
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What occurs during the committee stage? |
Bill is scrutinized in detail by a public bill committee whose membership reflects the strength of the parties in the Commons |
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What is the report stage? |
Whole house considers amendments made at the committee stage and may accept or reject them. |
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What occurs during the third stage? |
Amended bill is debated and voted on by the whole house. |
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What occurs during the House of Lords stages? |
Bill goes through the same stages in the laws with the exception of the committee stage. Can propose amendments - bill goes back and forth before becoming law. |
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What occurs during royal assent? |
Monarch signs the bill, making it law - formality |
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What is Parliamentary privilege? |
The right of MPs or lords to make certain statements within parliament without being subject to outside influence, including law. |
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How are backbenchers playing a more significant role within parliament? |
Backbench Business Committee in 2010 - 35 days of debate Rise in no. backbench rebellions has increased Increase in use of urgent questions |
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How is the influence of backbenchers limited? |
MPs can draw attention but may not succeed in getting action taken Government has a majority in public bill committees Power of patronage and party loyalty |
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What do select committee do? |
Scrutinise policy, administration and spending of each government department - elected by fellow MPs |
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Why is the work of select committees important? |
Evidence based work Televised hearings Scrutinise legislation Long serving members can accumulate more knowledge Direct influence on gov. policy |
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Why is the work of select committees limited? |
Majority of members drawn from governing party Limited resources High membership turnover rate Accepts only 40% of recommendations Power to summon witnesses is weakened |
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What is the role of the opposition? |
Present themselves as good future leadets Critique ministers Respond to government programme 20 days a year to propose subjects for debate Recover 'short money' |
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What is prime minister's questions? |
Once a week, at 12pm each Wednesday - obliges PM to engage opposition but becomes gladiatorial - better scrutiny by other forms of questions |
