PARLIAMENT AND LEGISLATIVE FUNCTION

WHAT ARE THREE STAGES OF THE UK LEGISLATIVE PROCESS?

-THE SECOND READING

-COMMITTEE STAGE

-THIRD READING

WHAT IS THE SECOND READING?

THE FIRST MAIN DEBATE ON A BILL WHERE MPS AND THE LORDS VOTE ON WHETHER OR NOT THEY SUPPORT THE IDEA OF THE BILL

GIVE AN EXAMPLE

KIM LEADBETTER WAS ABLE TO GET HER ASSISSTED DYING BILL THROUGH THE SECOND READING INPARLIAMENT AS A PMB IN 2024

WHAT IS THE COUNTER?

A SUCCESSFUL SECOND READING DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MAKE A BILL SIGNIFICANT IT MAY STILL COLLAPSE

EG. THE ADB IS BEING DELAYED IN THE LORDS AS OF 2026

WHAT IS THE COMMITTEE STAGE?

THIS IS WHERE A PROPOSED BILL IS LOOKED AT IN DETAIL WHICH INCLUDES: AMMENDMENTS AND SCRUTINY CLAUSE BY CLAUSE

GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF A BILL AT THE COMMITTEE STAGE

THE POLICING, CRIME , SENTENCING AND COURTS BILL 2022 AT COMMITTEE STAGE LASTED FROM MARCH TO JUNE IN WHICH AREAS SUCH AS POLICE POWER OVER PROTESTS AND SERIOUS VIOLENCE REDUCTION ORDERS WERE CONSIDERED.

WHAT IS THE COUNTER?

GOVERNMENTS WITH LARGE MAJORITIES CAN LIMIT THE NUMBER OF AMMENDMENTS THAT CAN BE ADDED

EG. THE CONSERVATIVES INHERITED 80 SEAT MAJORITY FROM 2019 LIMITED THE NUMBER OF OPPOSITION AMMENDMENTS

WHAT IS THE PASSAGE TO ANOTHER HOUSE?

THE IDEA THAT IN A BICAMERAL SYSTEM THE BILL HAS TO GO TO THE OTHER HOUSE WHERE THE WHOLE PROCESS TAKE PLACE AGAIN.

GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF THIS?

DURING THE LORDS STAGE OF THE SAFETY OF RWANDA BILL 2024 THE LORDS DEFEATED THE GOVERNMENT 7 TIMES ,PASSING AMMENDMENTS TO THE BILL SAYING MINISTERS SHOULD HAVE POWER TO SAY RWANDA IS NOT A SAFE COUNTRY.

WHAT IS THE COUNTER?

UINDER THE 1911 ANDS 1949 PARLIAMENTARY ACTS THE COMMONS CAN BYPASS THE LORDS.

What is the House of Lords Stage?

The bill has to pass in the exact same way in the HOL

What is Parliamentary Ping Pong?

The Back and Forth whereby if the HOL makes amendments to the bill it has to go back to the government who then look and see if they approve and this theoretically happens until the end of the parliamentary session

What is Royal Assent ?

When the bill gets formally passed by the queen but this is automatic today

‘PARLIAMENT IS EFFECTIVE AT ITS LEGISLATIVE FUNCTION’ WHAT PREMISES WOULD YOU USE?

-ITS ABILITY TO PASS LEGISLATION QUICKLY IN CRISIS

-ABILITY TO SCRUTINISE THE GOV TO RAISE THE QUALITY OF LEGISLATION

WHAT IS THE COUNTER TO PASSING LEGISALTION QUICKLY?

GIVE THE EXAMPLE

LEGISLATION PASSED QUICKLY LIMITS SCRUTINY

-THE CONSULATATION STAGE FOR THE INTERNAL MARKETS BILL 2020( TRADE IN DEVOLVED ASSEMBLIES) WAS ONLY 5 WEEKS LONG WHEN THE DEVOLVED ASSEMBLIES WEREN’T SITTING.

WHAT IS THE EXAMPLE TO SHOW PARLIAMENT CAN SCRUTINISE LEGISLATION?

THE HEALTH SELECT COMMITTEE REVIEWED LEGISLATION RELATING TO THE BANNING OF SMOKING IN PUBLIC AREAS . THEY PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO REMOVE THE EXEMPTIONS FOR PUBS AND CLUBS AND THE BILL PASSED IN 2006.

WHAT IS THE COUNTER?

THE RWANDA 2024 PASSED DESPITE LORDS SCRUTINY

What are three ways the government can control the legislative process?

-Timetabling power

-Secondary legislation

-Committee stage

What is timetabling power?

The government uses their timetable to limit the time parliamentarians get to debate and amend bills

What is the best example to show this?

-In 2019 Boris introduced the EU withdrawal agreement with a tight programme motion but parliament rejected it to avoid rushing the bill After the December 2019 general election, the bill was reintroduced in January 2020.This time, the government used its timetabling powers to ensure all stages of the bill were completed in just five days, drastically limiting parliamentary scrutiny

What is the committee stage power?

-When public bill committees are set up the composition is based on the proportions in parliament so if the majority parliament has 60% of the seats they get 60% of the seats in committees

-Whip power

What is the best example of this?

-After the 2019 general election, Conservatives held an 80 seat majority which was reflected in public bill committees

-For example, on a 18-member Public Bill Committee, Conservatives typically held around 10–11 seats, while opposition parties shared the remaining 7–8 seats.

What is the best example of whip power?

-Sarah Wollastan case

What is the best example for secondary legislation ensuring dominance in the legislative process?

What is the counter?

-Covid 19 case

-George Osborne case

What are three ways the government can be limited in the legislative process?

-MP’s can vote against at 2nd reading

-Committee stage amendments by the Lords

-Parliamentary Ping Pong

What is the best example of a bill was rejected at second reading?

What is the best example for Lords committee?

What about parliamentary Ping Pong?

-Theresa May loss by 230 votes

-George Osborne

-Hunters Act

What happened in the Hunter’s Act?

-In 2002 the Hunter’s Act faced strong opposition in the Lords with them voting 153-114 in favour of their amendments to reduce the strength of the ban on using hunting dogs and delaying the bill for upto two years

What was used in the end?

The parliamentary acts of 1911 and 1949

What is an example to show their is meaningful engagement by all groups of people in the legislative process?

-During the EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill 2020 the bill passed second reading and went to the Lords where the Committee proposed several amendments, including things like strengthening workers’ rights protections. These amendments were were debated over multiple sittings and sent back to the Commons for consideration

What is the best example to show that parliament cannot pass high quality legislation due to limited scrutiny?

many cases

What are three ways that parliament can scrutinise the executive?

-Select Committees

-Debates

-PMQs

Give evidence to show that select committees are effective?

-Following her statement to the Home Affairs Select Committee on the 25th April 2018 that the Home office didn’t have targets for removals of immigration citizens eg. Windrush

-She had to resign after further investigation were done which proved her statements were false

Against?

-Theresa May rejected the request of the Intelligence of Security Committee to interview Andrew Parker ( Head of MI5) in 2013 for their inquiry into the balance between privacy and protection of national security

How can debates be shown to be ineffective in scrutinising the executive?

-During Commons Brexit debates in late 2019, Boris Johnson repeatedly avoided giving detailed answers on key points of the EU Withdrawal Agreement

- Instead he reiterated slogans like “Get Brexit Done” with questions on topics like worker’s rights often deflected or answered vaguely