Parliament pt 1 (Dr Furniss) Paper 2

Parliament Topic List

Structure and role of House of Commons and House of Lords – selection of members, main functions and extent to which functions are fulfilled

Comparative powers of HoC and HoL and debates about relative powers of two Houses

Legislative process – different stages of a bill, interactions between Commons and Lords including Salisbury Convention

Ways Parliament interacts with Executive – backbenchers, select committees, role of opposition, ministerial question time

House of Commons: selection of members

• MPs are elected in general elections

• Uses First Past the Post (FPTP) system

—> First-Past-The-Post is useful because it is simple, gives quick results, and usually produces stable governments with clear local representatives in the House of Commons.

• 650 constituencies → 1 MP each

• Usually forms the government (majority party)

House of Commons: main functions

1. Law-making (legislation)

• Introduces, debates, and votes on bills

• Most bills come from the government

• Can amend and reject legislation, if majority vote no.

2. Scrutiny (checking government)

• Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), MQs, Urgent Questions, Emergency Debates

• Select committees investigate government departments

• Debates and questions hold ministers accountable

3. Representation

• MPs represent constituents’ interests

• Raise local issues in Parliament

4. Financial control

• Approves taxation and government spending

• Budget must pass through Commons

House of Commons: extents their functions are fulfilled

Strong in Theory:

• Elected → democratic legitimacy
  MPs in the House of Commons are chosen by the public, giving them strong democratic authority, meaning they have the right to make laws and hold the government accountable.

• Can remove government (vote of no confidence)
  The Commons can force a government to resign through a vote of no confidence —> suggests strong control over the government in theory.

Weak in practice:

• Executive dominance
  Government is usually formed by the majority party, so it can control votes in the Commons —> meaning most government bills pass easily, limiting real scrutiny.

• Party discipline (whips)
  MPs are pressured by party whips to vote along party lines. Rebelling can harm careers, so MPs often support the government even if they disagree → reduces independence.

• Limited time for scrutiny
  Parliament has restricted time to debate bills.

House of Lords: selection of members

• Unelected chamber

• Types of members:

  • Life peers (appointed by PM/House of Lords Appointments Commission)

  • Hereditary peers (only 89 remain)

  • Bishops from the Church of England

House of Lords: main functions

1. Revising legislation

• Scrutinises and amends bills from Commons

• Provides detailed, expert review

2. Delaying legislation

• Can delay most bills for up to 1 year

• Cannot permanently block Commons

3. Scrutiny

• Debates government policy

• Select committees investigate issues

House of Lords: extents their functions are fulfilled

Effective in scrutiny:

• Lords are not elected, so they don’t rely on voters. Meaning they’re less influenced by party pressure and more willing to challenge the government.

• Members often have expertise
  Many peers are experts, so they can carefully analyse laws and spot problems.

Limited power:

• Cannot block laws permanently
  The Lords can delay bills by a year under the Parliament Act 1949, but the House of Commons has the final say.

• Because members are not elected, they have less democratic authority than the Commons.

• Commons can override
  Under the Parliament Acts 1949, the Commons can force laws through without Lords’ approval.

House of Lords and House of commons comparative power

1. Legislative Power

• The House of Commons is dominant:

  • Can pass, amend, or reject any bill.

  • Can pass laws through without Lords approval using the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949.

• The House of Lords:

  • Can scrutinise, amend, and delay legislation.

  • Cannot permanently block most bills—only delay them up to a year.

2. Financial Power

• House of Commons:

  • Has full control over taxation and public spending.

  • Financial bills (money bills) can become law without Lords’ approval after one month.

• House of Lords:

  • Has very limited power over money bills.

  • Cannot amend or block them effectively.

3. Composition & Legitimacy

• House of Commons:

  • Elected, so has democratic legitimacy.

• House of Lords:

  • Unelected (appointed and hereditary peers), so less democratic authority.

Legislative Process: Stages of Bill

1. First Reading

• The bill is formally introduced to Parliament

• Only the title is read out

• No debate or vote at this stage

2. Second Reading

• First real debate on the main ideas and principles of the bill

• MPs discuss whether they agree with the overall purpose

• Ends with a vote —> If majority reject , the bill goes no further

3. Committee Stage

• Bill is examined line by line in detail —> done by a Public Bill Committee

• Amendments (changes) can be proposed and voted on

4. Report Stage

• Bill returns to the whole House of Commons

• MPs can debate and vote on further amendments
  —> Gives all MPs a chance to make changes

5. Third Reading

• Final chance to debate the bill (usually shorter and focused)

• MPs vote on the final version —> If passed, it moves to the House of Lords

Interactions between the House of Commons and House of Lords

• Both the House of Commons and Lords must agree on the final version of the bill

• If they disagree → “ping pong” (bill moves back and forth with changes)

• Commons has the final say and can override the Lords

Salisbury Convention

The Lords will not block bills that were in the government’s election manifesto