Process of Parliament

Parliament consists of…

• The House of Commons• The House of Lords• The Crown

Composition of House of Commons

• 650 MPs• Each MP represents a constituency• MPs elected at General Election – every 5 years• Government is the party with the most elected MPs• Leader of the party with the most MPs is the Prime Minister• Cabinet – the central decision-making body of the Government -

made up of the Prime Minister and his chosen representatives• MPs from other political parties called the opposition

Role of the House of Commons

• As it is the elected body, it has the most power in the law-making process• Role of Government is to make policies which require new laws• House of Commons debates, scrutinises and votes on whether to

approve the laws proposed by Government• During debates, MPs can put forward the views of their constituents

and can directly challenge the Government through rigorous questioning• All important legislation starts in the House of Commons and all

finance Bills MUST start there

Composition of the House of Lords

• Approximately 700 members• Unelected and unpaid• Attendance is voluntary• Lords are made up of:• Hereditary Peers – inherit their title• Life Peers – awarded a peerage because of their contribution to society or

politics e.g. Lord Alan Sugar – peerage ends on death• 26 Bishops of the Church of England

Role of the House of Lords

• Bills can start here though most begin in the Commons – usually legislation which starts in the Lords is not politically controversial or has a legal subject matter – e.g. Access to Justice Act 1999• Primarily a revising and debating chamber and allows further scrutiny

of Bills that have already passed through the House of Commons• Amending Role - at times, House of Lords has made the Government

rethink its proposals - e.g. forced Government to amend its plans in the Terrorism Bill in 2005

Conflicts between Commons and Lords - Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949• Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 means the Commons can defeat any

attempt by the Lords to oppose legislation it has passed• If House of Lords rejects a Bill it can still become law provided it is

reintroduced to the House of Commons in the next Parliamentary session and passes all the stages again – this means the House of Lords can delay a Bill by a year.• BUT – House of Lords not allowed to delay finance Bills• Power is rarely used – only used 5 times e.g. War Crimes Act 1991 and

Hunting Act 2004• As House of Lords can delay a Bill for a year, it has more influence over the

Commons during the last year of a Parliament’s life

Role of the Crown

• Purely formal role• Any attempt of the monarch to thwart the will of the Commons and

Lords wold not be tolerated• Not happened since 1707 when Queen Anne refused to pass the Scotch

Militia Bill• Key functions in Parliamentary law-making:

• Open each Parliamentary session – ceremonial event where the monarch makes a speech prepared by the Government outlining the legislative proposals for the coming session

• Give Royal Assent to all legislation• Appoint and dismiss the Prime Minister