Parliamentary Scrutiny and Government Accountability

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the mechanisms through which the UK Parliament scrutinizes the government, the role of the House of Commons and House of Lords, and the limitations of these processes.

Scrutiny

The process by which Parliament holds the government to account by examining government bills, policy, failings, and actions.

Bill Committee

A cross-party committee in the House of Commons where every Government Bill is scrutinized and where MPs can try to make amendments.

Contaminated Blood Scandal (2023)

An instance where the government suffered a defeat as MPs voted to amend a bill to force the payment of compensation to victims.

FPTP Electoral System

The system used in the UK that usually results in the government having a majority of seats in the House of Commons, which limits Parliament's ability to hold the government to account.

Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs)

A 30-minute session held every Wednesday where MPs have the opportunity to challenge the Prime Minister on the performance of the government.

Supplementary Questions

Direct follow-up questions allowed during PMQs that help prevent the Prime Minister from avoiding difficult questions.

Political Point-scoring

A criticism of PMQs, suggesting it is increasingly regarded by the media as an opportunity for performance rather than genuine scrutiny.

Leader of the Largest Opposition Party

The individual permitted to ask 6 questions during PMQs, while the leader of the second-largest opposition party asks 2.

Wealth Inequality Statistics

In the UK, the bottom $10\%$ of the population owns less than $5\%$ of wealth, while the top $10\%$ owns a staggering $57\%$.

Peers

Members of the House of Lords who are appointed rather than elected, allowing them to scrutinize bills without the pressure of constituency work.

Lord Winston

A specific example of a scientist peer in the House of Lords who provides expert scrutiny in particular areas such as medicine.

Parliament Act 1949

A law stating that if the Lords reject a bill passed by the Commons, the Commons can reintroduce and pass the bill a year later without the Lords' consent.

Financial Privilege Convention

A convention that prevents the House of Lords from amending or voting on any financial bills.