| What are the 3 Main Functions for the House of Commons? | -Scrutiny. Examining the Work of Government and Holding their Actions to Account. Can have Ministers to Explain Policy, Criticise Gov Actions and Dismiss Government via a Vote of No Confidence
-Any Legislation proposed is Examined by MPs. They can make Amendments to Improve such Legislation and Protect Minorities. This goes side by side with Scrutiny Function as Parliament will only Pass Worthwhile Laws, but allow Government to Function.
-Representation. MPs are to Respect the Interests of Constituencies are Respected and Protected. |
| What is Resemblance? | -This refers to how Representative Institutions should be Employed by People that come from a Wide Background and Professional Range, and shares Similar Characteristics. For Example, Equal Number of Men and Women |
| What are the 3 Main Functions for the House of Lords? | -Scrutiny: The Lords can not Veto Legislation but Force Government to Re-Present it in the Following Year. Power of Delay makes Government rethink and attach Amendments to make it Acceptable
-Legislative Function: Lords play a Role in Revising Bills sent from the Commons. Since the Lords have many Experts, it can provide Excellent Insight and Scrutiny
-Representation: Being an Indirect Elected Body doesn't stop the Lords step up for Minorities |
| What are the Main Powers of the House of Commons? | -Approve, or Reject Legislation
-Dismiss Government via a Vote of No Confidence
-Summon Ministers to Answer Questions on the Commons Floor, Select Committee or Writing
-Amend Legislation
-Orchestrate Debates on National Issues, Crisis or Emergencies |
| What are the Main Powers of the House of Lords? | -Delay Legislation for up to a Year
-Amend Legislation, which could be Overturned in the Commons
-Order a Government Minister (IF the Minister is a Member of the Lords) to answer Questions on Gov Policies, Department or Decisions
-Debate Issues of National Concern |
| What are the 3 Limits that have been Imposed on the House of Lords? | -1911 Parliament Act: Lords can not have any Legislative Control over Financial Matters. Only the Commons have the Financial Privilege
-1949 Parliament Act: Lords only can Delay Legislation for up to a Single Year
-Salisbury Convention 1940s: Lords can not Stop any Legislation contained in the Government's Manifesto |
| So Which Powers do
-Both Chambers Share
-House of Commons only have | -Both Share the Power to: Amend Legislation (Lords can be Overturned by Commons)
-Commons can: Veto Legislation, Call Ministers to Account via SC, Dismiss Government, Propose and Amend Budgets, Scrutinise Legislation in a Gov Manifesto |
| What does the Opposition refer to? | -MPs that are not Members of the Governing Party are 'Opposition MPs and Peers'
-'Official Opposition' is the Second Largest Party in the Commons, with the 'Leader of the Opposition' being the Leader of that Party
-'Leader of the Opposition' allows some Privileges, such as Speaking in Debates and be the Main Challenger in PMQ |
| What is the Role of the Opposition | -Force the Government to Explain and Justify Policies and Decisions
-Bring forward how perhaps Poorly the Government is running the Nation
-Come with Alternative Proposals to the Government, if relevant
-Present itself as a Different Government if they become Victorious in a General Election
-Set the Parliamentary Agenda on a Supply Day (Opposition Parties control the Parliament) allowing the Opposition to Debate issues and hold Votes |
| Describe Ministerial Questions | -Secretaries of State as well as Ministers from Gov Departments have to Answer Questions from the Opposition in Shadow Cabinet and Backbenchers relating to their Department Issues |
| Describe Prime Minister's Questions | -Held Every Week, the PM is questioned by the Leader of the Opposition and Backbench MPs |
| Describe Urgent Questions | -Questions from an MP (Opposing Party usually) and seen by The Speaker as Serious Enough for the Public. They need to be Debated Immediately |
| Describe Written Questions | -MPs and Peers directly ask Government Ministers with Written Questions. They can get a much more Detailed Response or for Clarification |
| Explain how Parliament can be seen as Effective in carrying out its Legislative Function? | -Parliament can enact Lots of Bills into Law because of the Fusion of Powers making Government dominate Parliament - Easier to Pass Laws
-House of Commons gives a Myriad ways for Backbench MPs to Influence Decision Making, which can Improve the Legislation Quality. Private Member Bills give Backbenchers the Chance to make Law. Abortion Act and Murder Act were Private Member Bills
-House of Lords allows Legislation to be properly Scrutinised and Examined, producing good Legislative Quality. 2020 saw House of Lords give Amendments to the Agriculture Bill to Increase Safeguards on Food Imports |
| Explain how Parliament can be seen as Ineffective in carrying out its Legislative Function? | -Parliament does not produce Bills with a Good Legislative Quality. Governments with Majorities can Rush Bills through without Adequate Scrutiny
-Government usually Dominates Legislative Agenda, seen from the Little Time given to Private Member Bills. Only 6% become Law
-House of Lords is not Empowered to Revise Laws. Commons can just Ignore the Lords seen from the Amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill 2020 |
| Explain how Parliament can be seen as Effective in carrying out its Representative Function? | -Parliament does Resemble the People. Number of Female MPs went from 118 in 2001 to 220 in 2019. Number of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Increased from 41 in 2015 to 63 in 2019
-Elections to the Commons allows Parliament to respond to Shifts in Public Opinion. Conservatives got a Net Gain of 47 Seats at 2019 due to the Public wanting Brexit to be Done
-There are a number of Parties in Parliament (10) as well as Crossbenchers who are Independent
-Parliament will Stand for the People they Represent. MPs will have Regular Surgeries for Constituents and help Actively to dish out Immigration Advice, seen as Important after Brexit has caused Uncertainty for Non-UK Nationals from the EU |
| Explain how Parliament can be seen as Ineffective in carrying out its Representative Function? | -Only 34% of MPs and les than a Quarter of Peers are Women. Less than 10% of MPs are BAME
-FPTP creates Hilariously Unfair Results. 2015 saw UKIP win 3.8 Million Votes but a Single Seat. House of Lords are not even Elected!
-Electoral System and the Whips damages Multi-Party Politics. The Dominate Parties have 87% of the Seats in the Commons. No Independent are in the Commons Currently.
-Parliamentarians will look more into their Careers Above those who had Elected them. MPs favour the Party more than their Constituents because the Party allowed them to Represent the Party. Majority of MPs will Vote according to Party Lines |
| Explain how Parliament can be seen as Effective in carrying out its Scrutiny Function? | -Parliamentary Questions allow Accountability. Urgent Questions allow very Impactful and Speedy Scrutiny since the Minister must Attend and Answer. Between 2017-19, The Speaker (John Bercow) had 173 UQ
-Untied Opposition dishes out Effective Scrutiny and Forces Governments to Change. 2009 saw the Opposition Defeat Brown over Nepalese Gurkha Soldiers have the Right to Reside in Britain. (Example of Supply Day)
-House of Lords been more Effective at Scrutinising due to the Power of the Crossbenchers. Between 2017-19, The Government was defeated 69 Times in the Lords
-Minority Governments that Relies on Confidence and Supply (Agreement between Governing and Smaller Party which allows Influence on Policy from Smaller Party) will find it Hard to Win over Enough MPs to Get a Majority. The Benn Act 2019 made the Government get an Extension to Brexit if No Deal could be Agreed by 31st October |
| Explain how Parliament can be seen as Ineffective in carrying out its Scrutiny Function? | -Some Parliamentarian Questions are not as Useful to hold the Government to Account. PMQ seen as a 'Punch and Judy show' by Cameron. Governments will have 'Planted' Question from Backbenchers making it Easy to Respond too
-Opposition is made up of Different Political Parties, as well as the Official Opposition Party split on different Segments. Labour split if Military Action against ISIS in 2015 with 66 Labour MPs voted For
-Limits to the Lords Scrutiny Role (Parliament Acts 1911,1949) and Salisbury Convention. The House of Lords failure to add Amendments to the EU Withdrawal Act was Reflected how the Commons has a Large Majority and a Clear Mandate.
-Large Majorities can usually Limit Parliaments Scrutiny Role. The Opposition finds it Harder to get Votes to Defeat Government in Legislation. From 1997-2004, Labour did not suffer a Single Defeat in the Commons |
| What doe Confidence and Supply mean? | -Refers to an Arrangement between the Governing and a Smaller Party in a Hung Parliament situation. The Smaller Party supports the Government on Key Votes, in return for Support on certain Policies |
| What are Select Committees in the House of Commons? | -They Scrutinise the Work of the Government Departments in Efficiency, Effectiveness, Fairness and Financially Responsible
-Usually 11-15 Member on whom the House chooses
-The chair is from any Political Party and has an Increased Salary is chosen by a Secret Ballot democratically
-The Governing Party has a Majority on Each Committee. See the Problem?
- Select Committees make Reports that say Recommendations for the Government to consider. They must respond within 2 Months |
| How can it be that Select Committees are effective? | -Select Committees are taken seriously and Government will accept roughly 40% of their Recommendations. (Still quite low?)
-Have the Power to get Written and Oral Evidence. Can summon Witnesses, such as Ministers, Civil Servants, Experts and more. Rishi Sunak was on the Privileges Committee
-Have a degree of Freedom from Government Interference. Party Whips and Frontbenchers do not Sit on the Committees, meaning the Backbench has the influence. The chair is headed by Harriet Harman, a Backbencher Labour
-Work is consensual, not Combative. This means that they not care about Political scoring for their Party, and focus on taking their Government to account.
-Chairing a Select Committee is definitely an Alternative to becoming a Minister. Yvette Cooper chairs the Home Affairs Select Committee, and scarified a role on Labour's Front Bench. |
| How are Select Committees Ineffective? | -They can only ADVISE. This means their Decisions are non-binding and so Government doesn't have to do anything about it
-Sometimes, their power to summon Witnesses and for them to tell their truth is Confusing. Theresa May blocked the Home Affairs Committee from interviewing the Head of MI5 Andrew Parker. Dominic Cummings refused to go to the Culture Committee. Only the committee on Privileges and Standard can order the Attendance of anyone.
-Government Party having a majority on these Committees means they are not as Independent as they can be. Jeremey Hunt being the Chair of the Health Select Committee in 2020 had raised doubts into how much Scrutiny he would give to the Department, given he was last in that post.
-Sometimes, there is bitter in the Committee. The Exiting the EU Committee did not have the parties working together. Conservative Committee Members publically, in 2018, called it out for being Too Remain. Boris Johnson could have a good reason to Ignore their Recommendations
-Being promoted to the Government can still be a barrier to making Proper Scrutiny. Being lulled into a Government Payroll Job and all the entitlements threatens the Independence of the Committee. Hunt perhaps? |
| What is the Public Accounts Committee and why may it be Important? | -PAC looks into the Value for Money on Public Spending and how Government and Civil Servants care out Public Services
-Its reports are Unanimous, and given how important Public Services and Spending is to the Government, it delivers a message above Party Politics |
| What are Public Bill Committees? | -They are Temporary, and examine a Bill giving Detailed Scrutiny
-Membership influences Heavy by the Whips. See another Problem?
-Committees made after the Second Reading. A vote has already occurred in Parliament to allow it to Proceed through |
| How are Bill Committees effective? | -They dish out Line-Line Examination of a Bill and give Amendments. This means they can see Problems that the Legislation has. They allowed for the Amendments to be tabled into the Finance Bill 2021.
-Ministers attending will come from the Department that is relevant and is Matched by the Shadow Cabinet Frontbencher. This gives Expertise and different POVs. James Murray was Shadow Financial Secretary, and Lucy Frazer was the Financial Secretary. |
| How are Bill Committees ineffective? | -Government Whips completely dominate the Proceedings, having an Absolute Majority and the votes being whipped. 99% of Ministerial Amendments succeeds, while 1% succeeds for Non-Government Amendments.
-Bill Committees are involved after Parliament has voted on it. The Legislation seems to be a done deal at that Point
-Bill Committees may lack Expertise because it is Temporary and Controlled by Party Whips. Party Whips play a key role in choosing who is allowed to Sit on these Committees so can chose Loyal Government MPs |
| What is the Liaison Committee? | -This is made from all the Chairs of the Departmental Select Committees
-Twice in a Year, they question the PM on Key Aspects of Government Policy |
| What is the Backbench Business Committee? | -This determines what the House will do for more than 20 Days in the House. What will Backbenchers debate? |
| What is the Petitions Committee? | -Looks at E-Petitions and considers what to Respond to them
-Can put a Petition up for Debate in the Commons or get Government to Respond |
| Why did Labour fail to Complete the Second Stage of their House of Lords Refrom? | -Their Second Stage was to introduce an Electable Element to the Lords
-This failed because Politicians couldn't decide whether its best to have a Fully Elected Champbers to Maximise Democracy, or to have it Partly Elected to retain a few Lords with lots of Expertise |
| What are the Arguments against Electing members of the House of Lords | -The Hereditary Peers - the most Undemocratic Features of the Lords, is largely gone from the Lords - less than 100 now.
-Current Balancer of the Lords with no Majority proves to be a good Check on the Government. Elections can lead to a Majority leading to less of a Check
-Elections may also get rid off the Wisdom, Experience, Independence and Thought of Peers. The Lords benefits from Ex-Ministers and Experts willing to stands up for Unpopular, but Worthwhile Proposals
-The Lords may just go into Gridlock, as the Parliament Acts limits the Chamber's Powers is Unjustified if Elections were Introduced. Congress in USA finds it hard to pass Budgets |
| What are the Arguments for Electing members of the House of Lords | -Still 92 Hereditary Peers that can Vote on a Daily Basis. Britain, alongside Lesotho, is the only Nation that has this Hereditary Principle
-The Lords can stand up to Government better if it had more Democratic Legitimacy, rather than being Side-lined by the Salisbury Convention
-Lack of Social Diversity and Regional Imbalance - mean age is 70, 70% is Male, 6% are Ethnic... Way off the UK: 40.7 mean age, 49% are men, 14.4% are ethnic
-2 Elected Chambers can Challenge each other so that the Executive can not Dominate |
