6. Parliament

Parliament

the British legislature made up of the House of Commons, House of Lords, and the monarch

House of Commons

primary chamber of the UK legislature, directly elected by voters. 650 members

House of Lords

second chamber of the UK legislature, not elected by voters. ~800 total members - 92 hereditary peers and 26 Lords Spiritual (bishops)

bicameral

a legislative body made up of two chambers

Opposition

MPs and Lords who are not members of the governing party

Backbenchers

MPs or Lords who do not hold any government office

Party whip

a party official appointed by the party leader whose role is to maintain party discipline and loyalty, and to inform

Speaker

an MP elected by all other MPs who presides over the proceedings of the House of Commons. expected to be impartial

Life peer

a prominent member of society who is granted a peerage, which entitles them to attend the House of Lords for life

Crossbencher

members of the Lords who are not members of any political party (different from non-affiliated)

Legislating

the function of making, amending, and passing laws

Scrutiny

the close examination and investigation of government policies, actions, and spending

Commons: Oral Questions + PMQs, select committees, refusal to pass legislation, vote of no confidence, examining legislation

Lords: Much more limited than the Commons. Don’t usually scrutinise Ministers but do scrutinise legislation (advantage due to expertise), ‘committee stage’ of a bill

Representation

representing constituencies, groups, national interest, or social representation

Salisbury Convention

the convention whereby the House of Lords does not delay or block legislation that was included in a government’s manifesto

consent

the idea that a proposed law or decision by the government is formally consented to by the people - vital in a democracy. in the UK, the elected Parliament grants consent on behalf of the people

ballot

the means by which an MP may introduce a Private Member’s Bill with the opportunity for full discussion and debate with allocated time

Ten-minute Rule Bills

a means of introducing private members’ legislation by making a ten-minute speech introducing the issue for consideration

presentation

a means of introducing Private Members’ Bills by notifying the House and then presenting the title of the bill with no discussion or comment

Private Members’ Bills

bills introduced by backbench MPs

secondary legislation

(sometimes called delegated legislation) legislation made by a member of government that does not need to pass through normal parliamentary procedures. normally made by government ministers

The Parliament Acts

The Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949

• Acts that significantly reduced the powers of the Lords. Removed their power to block or veto legislation and only delay primary legislation for up to 2 years (reduced to 1 in 1949)

• Also lost powers to delay/amend financial bills

confidence and supply

the right to remove the government and to grant/withhold funding. also used to describe an informal coalition agreement where a minority partner agrees to provide these things in exchange for policy concession

legislative bill

proposed law passing through Parliament

the three types of legislative bills

• Private Bills - a bill presented to Parliament by members of the public, usually concerning private interests

• Private Members’ Bills - presented by individual or groups of MPs, not backed by government

• Public Bills - presented by government (most bills)

division

the Parliament name for a vote

White Paper

a document outlining the main intentions and terms of a Public Bill. presented to Parliament up to a year before it is converted into a bill. debated and voted on by Parliament, and any potential problems are identified

Public Bill Committee

comittee responsible for looking at bills in detail

Parliamentary privilege

the right of MPs or Lords to make certain statements within Parliament without being subject to outside influence, including the law

Select committee

committee responsible for scrutinising the work of the government, particularly individual departments