Parliament Nathan

HoL composition

• 92 hereditary peers

• 16 lords spiritual (high ranking members of the CofE)

• 650-700 life peers - including experts e.g. lord bird (big issue founder) BUT cronyism (Charlotte Owen, Shaun Bailey)

Functions of HoL

Legislation:

• Expertise used to scrutinise legislation (amendments proposed ect); considered ‘revising chamber’

• HoL successfully amended bills inc 2008 counter terrorism bill (removed 42 day detention w/o charge) BUT can give in (e.g., safety of Rwanda act) or HoC can invoke 1949 parliament act (e.g., Hunting act 2004)

Scrutiny:

• committees scrutinise areas of policy (e.g., EU) and secondary legislation

functions of the HoC

Legitimisation:

• HoC votes on budget and all legistlation - legitimises these decisions

• Convention forHoc to authorise military action (legitimised by representatives of public) BUT undermined by Mays bombing of Syria

• Gina Miller Case → parliament voting on Brexit deal; legitimised international agreements

Legistlation:

• all legistlation must be approved by HoC BUT debates essentially a formality hen gov has a large majority (Blair only defeated 4 times)

Scrutiny:

• pubic bill committees scrutinise legislation and offer amendments to wording BUT members chosen by whips (rarely steps out off the party line)

• Select committees scrutinise govt departments

Representation:

• accountable to constituents, so peruse local interests (e.g., McDonnell opposition to 3rd Heathrow runway) and local casework

• 41% female, 14% ethnic minority, 10% LGBTQ+ - reasonably representative of British demographics

Bills

• Government bills introduced by government

• PMBs can be introduced through ballots ect (2009 Autism act) BUT vunerable to filibuster (Gyimah with Turing bill)

Stage of bills

1st reading → 2nd reading (main principles debated) → committee stage (PBC with proposed amendments) → report stage (allows further amendments) →3rd reading → royal assent

Impact of backbenchers in HoC

• Scrutinise ministers during QTs

• Can dismiss executive (Votes of no confidence)

• Not bound by collective ministerial responsibility (can vote with conscience)

  BUT

• Only significant when Govt has no/small majority

• Often whipped against voting with conscience