legislature: supreme authority is parliament the executive consists of: the government, local...
TRANSCRIPT
Legislature: supreme authority is Parliament The Executive consists of: the Government,
local authorities and public corporations The Judiciary: the court system (hierarchy of
courts)
The Queen is head of State and an important symbol of national unity
Head of the executive An integral part of the legislature Commander-in-chief of the armed forces The ‘supreme governor’ of the Church of
England
Britain is governed by Her Majesty’s Government in the name of the Queen
The Queen’s role: summoning, proroguing (discontinuing until the next session without dissolution) and dissolving Parliament; giving Royal Assent to Bills passed by Parliament
Appointment of important office holders
As head of State, the Queen has the power to declare war and make peace, to recognise foreign states and governments, to conclude treaties
The Queen – formal powers The House of Commons – the supreme
legislative body The House of Lords
To pass laws To provide, by voting for taxation, the
means of carrying on the work of government
To scrutinise government policy and administration
To debate major issues of the day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs-9B3FRXCA&index=1&list=PLj3mInRJqIekAQ6vggN7IpCySnv0IIOyV
92 elected hereditary peers and peeresses Life peers The Archbishops and Bishops of the Church
of England
An elected body 650 MPs directly elected by voters General elections and by-elections Annual salary and travel allowances The chief officer is the Speaker elected by
the Members
A maximum duration of five years Dissolved by the Queen The life of a parliament is divided into
sessions Each session lasts for one year (beginning
and ending in October or November) – 160 ‘sitting days’
Opens with the Queen’s speech, ends by prorogation
The Government consists of the ministers appointed by the Crown on the recommendation of the Prime Minister
The Cabinet consists of a small group of the most important ministers selected by the Prime Minister
Today the number is 23 The Cabinet determines, controls and
integrates the policies of the government for submission to Parliament
The Prime Minister is the head of the government and presides over meetings of the Cabinet
He consults and advises the Monarch on government business, supervises and co-ordinates the work of various ministries and departments
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmGCwiQvhH0