Society and institution 8

lobby

try to influence the opinions of MPs and Lords

petition

formal process involving sending a written appeal to an MP to be presented to the Commons

legislation

possible future laws or passed laws

committee stage

period after a proposed law has been discussed by Parliament when it is looked at in detail by a group of people

bill

proposal for a law currently under discussion

Select Committee

committee that checks and reports on some aspect of government work

scrutining

looking very closely at something

briefing

informational material or concise instructions

rallies

large political meetings or demonstrations

ultimately

in the end, finally

be down to

be the responsibility of

set out

presented or written down in the correct format

Hansard

the official record of parliamentary business

present

to make something known formally

constituents

people living in a constituency who voted or can vote for an MP

Speaker's Chair

seat occupied by the MP with responsibility for controlling how parliamentary business is done

observations

official comments or remarks

substantive

of significance, importance, or real substance

policies

official plans or courses of action

cross departmental boundaries

deal with or affect different government departments

Environmental Audit

closely examining the environmental consequences of government decisions

allegations

complaints or claims that have not yet been proven

conduct

behavior or manner of acting

shadow

follow closely to see how a job is done

wide-ranging

covering many subjects, diverse

expertise

high level of knowledge or skill

constitution

full set of fundamental laws and principles of a country