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Politics - Unit 6a - Parliament > The Scrutiny of legislation and holding government to account > Flashcards

The Scrutiny of legislation and holding government to account Flashcards

1
Q

What 9 factors hold government to account?

A
  • Commons committees
  • Prime Ministers Question
  • The vote of no confidence
  • Early day motions and debates
  • the Commons Liaison Committee
  • Frontbenchers
  • The official opposition
  • backbenchers
  • whips
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2
Q

In comparison to what are Committees in the HOC often said to pale in comparison to?

A

to their counterparts in the US House of Representatives

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3
Q

How are Congressional Committees in the US far better than Committees in the HOC? (4)

A
  • better resourced
  • large body
  • dedicated support staff
  • number of additional powers such as subpoena
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4
Q

What is the power ‘subpoena’ which is retained by US Congressional Committees in the US?

A

the right to demand that witnesses are brought forward and evidence is made available

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5
Q

What does the term ‘ad hoc’ mean?

A

created for a particular purpose as necessary

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6
Q

What are Public Bill Committees formed to do?

A

They are formed to consider specific pieces of legislation and disband when their work is complete

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7
Q

What does the membership of Public Bill Committees usually average between?

A

15-25 members

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8
Q

How are members of the Public Bill Committees appointed?

A

They are appointed by the Committee of Selection

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9
Q

What can the government apply to limit the time that a bill spends in committee?

A

a guillotine

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10
Q

What does a guillotine do that a government can apply during the Committee Stage ?

A

this limits the time that a bill spends in committee

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11
Q

What means that amendments are unlikely to succeed without government support?

A

the fact that the composition of the committee will reflect that in the Commons which will have a majority government means that with the whipping system, a committee will need government support

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12
Q

What type of committees are not involved in the passage of legislation?

A

select committees

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13
Q

What is the role of departmental select committees?

A

They have the role of scrutinising the work of specific government departments

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14
Q

When were select committees established?

A

1970’s

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15
Q

Which two reports proposed widening and strengthening departmental select committees?

A
  • Norton Report 2000

- Newton Report 2001

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16
Q

When did the Wright Committee call for the strengthening and widening of departmental select committees ?

A

ahead of the 2010 general election

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17
Q

Of the non-departmental select committees, which one is the most high profile?

A

the Public Accounts Committee

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18
Q

What is the role of the non-departmental select committee, the Public Accounts Committee?

A

it has the role of ensuring value for money in government

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19
Q

When does PMQ’s happen?

A

every Wednesday for 30 minutes

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20
Q

When was the 30 minute weekly slot introduced?

A

during New Labours first term in office

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21
Q

What did the 30 minute weekly slot replace?

A

the twice weekly 15 minute slots previously timetabled on Tuesdays and Thursdays

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22
Q

What was the single longer slot imposed by Tony Blair supposed to offer?

A

the opportunity for more lengthy and meaningful questioning of the PM

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23
Q

What are PMQ’s seen as rather than real politics?

A

theatre

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24
Q

What does PMQ’s allow the backbenchers and leading opposition figures to do?

A

to raise issues that concern their constituents and thereby hold the PM and their government to account

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25
Q

What does PMQ’s allow frontbenchers the opportunity to do?

A

to make a name for themselves

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26
Q

What did Lib Dem leader Vince Cable in 2007 say to Gordon Brown?

A

that he had transformed from ‘Stalin to Mr. Bean’

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27
Q

What is a vote of no confidence?

A

This is a formal vote taken in the Commons in response to the motion that the Commons has no confidence in the government of the day

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28
Q

When there is a vote of no confidence, what is the convention for the PM to do? (2)

A

It is convention for the PM to request the dissolution of Parliament and a general election

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29
Q

When did James Callaghan’s government lose a vote of no confidence?

A

1979

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30
Q

What do early day motions do?

A

they call for a Commons debate on a named issue

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31
Q

Who can propose and add their names to early day motions and thereby raise their concerns with government?

A

any MP’s

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32
Q

What is a problem with early day motions?

A

there is little time for the issues raised to be debated formally

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33
Q

What is a positive of early day motions?

A

they provide one more way in which constituents’ grievances can be vented though their elected representatives

34
Q

What are the rules of e-petitions?

A

an e-petition securing in excess of 100,000 signatures will be considered for debate in the Commons

35
Q

How many people signed the e-petition to stop Trump’s UK state visit which Theresa May ignored?

A

1.25m

36
Q

What is an example in 2011 when an e-petition was debated in the Commons?

A

motion calling for a referendum on continued UK membership of the EU

37
Q

What power do the Commons Liaison Committee not have which is held by US Congressional committees?

A

the power to subpoena witnesses to appear before them

38
Q

How many times did Tony Blair agree to appear before the Commons Liaison Committee?

A

twice a year

39
Q

What is the composition of the Commons Liaison Committee?

A

comprises the chairs of the various Commons departmental select committees

40
Q

Where do the Commons Liaison Committee meet?

A

at Portcullis House in Boothroyd Committee Room

41
Q

What is a problem with the meetings of the Commons Liaison Committee?

A

They are fairly infrequent

42
Q

What is a positive of the Commons Liaison Committee?

A

they provide a genuine opportunity for MP’s to question the PM outside of the theatre that is PMQ’s

43
Q

Who are frontbenchers?

A

Those are members of Parliament who hold senior positions in government (ministers)

44
Q

What is the role of frontbenchers?

A

To be spokesperson for their particular area of policy

45
Q

Who is Government legislation normally introduced by?

A

the relevant minister

46
Q

Who are the shadow cabinet?

A

those who are drawn from the leading figures on that party’s front bench

47
Q

What does the Official Opposition receive?

A

they receive public money known as ‘short money’

48
Q

What was ‘short money’ named after , which is given to the official opposition?

A

the former Leader of the Commons , Edward Short

49
Q

What is short money given to do?

A

to help cover the costs of holding the government of the day to account

50
Q

How much did the Labour party receive in short money in 2011/12?

A

£6 million

51
Q

In what year did Labour receive £6 million in short money?

A

2011/12

52
Q

Under the House of Commons Standing Order SO14, how many opposition days are granted to the opposition ?

A

20 days

53
Q

Under what power are the official opposition given 20 ‘opposition days’

A

the House of Commons Standing Order SO14

54
Q

What are opposition days?

A

these are days in which the official opposition can determine the topic of debate

55
Q

How many of the 20 days are allocated to the second largest opposition party?

A

3

56
Q

Who are backbenchers?

A

this refers to all the MP’s who do not hold frontbencher responsibilities in their party as ministers (shadow) or party spokesman on a given issue

57
Q

What are the 4 roles of MP’s?

A

1) Representative
2) Loyal party
3) Watchdog
4) Legislator

58
Q

What do most MP’s hold ?

A

hold a regular surgery where they meet their constituents and gauge local opinion

59
Q

Why is it thought that MP’s should ‘toe the party line’?

A

as most MP’s are elected by virtue of their party label rather than as result of any personal appeal

60
Q

Which 2 MP’s are examples of ‘watchdogs’ who prioritise the role of holding the government to account?

A
  • Tony Benn

- Dennis Skinner

61
Q

How do MP’s have the role of a legislator?

A

as for a Bill to become an Act it must be passed through the HOC and so MP’s ultimately have the power to kill government legislation

62
Q

What is the name of a bill introduced by an MP who does not hold a government position?

A

a Private Members Bill

63
Q

What is an example of a well known Private Members Bill?

A

the Aboriton Act 1967

64
Q

Why are there few Private Members Bills?

A

due to government domination over the available time in Parliament

65
Q

When are Private Members Bills most commonly introduced?

A

-Under the Ten Minute Rule

66
Q

In the 1940’s how long did MP’s on average spend as an MP?

A

5 years

67
Q

What are the 3 main advantages of the job as an MP which has seen an increase in how long people remain MP’s ?

A
  • salaries and allowances improved
  • more sociable working hours
  • comfortable offices in Portcullis House
68
Q

What is the current salary for an MP

A

£74,962

69
Q

What have the benefits as MP’s resulted in?

A

career politicians

70
Q

Which 3 former special advisers to the Commons reflects the trend of MP’s entering the HOC with no prior career outside of the world of politics?

A
  • Ed Balls
  • Ed Miliband
  • David Miliband
71
Q

What is the role of the government whips?

A

to ensure that government maintains a majority in votes taken in Parliament

72
Q

Who is the current chief whip

A

Gavin Williamson

73
Q

What does the chief whip have the status of?

A

a senior minister

74
Q

What does the chief whip attend?

A

cabinet meetings

75
Q

What method do chief whips employ?

A

a ‘carrot and stick’ approach

76
Q

What was John Major’s meteoric rise to the post of PM said to be because of?

A

because of his unerring loyalty in the Commons

77
Q

What is the whips ultimate sanction?

A

to remove the whip from an MP

78
Q

What does it mean when the whip is removed from an MP?

A

the MP is thrown out of the parliamentary party leaving them vulnerable to deselection in their constituency

79
Q

How many MP’s under John Major had the whip withdrawn for disloyalty over votes relating to the provisions of the Maastricht Treaty in 1994?

A

8

80
Q

What were the 8 MP’s who had the whip withdrawn from disloyalty over votes relating to the provisions of the Maastricht Treaty dubbed as in 1994?

A

the “whipless wonders’

81
Q

Why did 8 MP’s have the whip withdrawn under John Major in 1994?

A

for disloyalty over votes relating to the provisions of the Maastricht Treaty

82
Q

What do items underlined three times mean?

A

this means the party demands the MP to attend and vote in a particular way

Politics - Unit 6a - Parliament (16 decks)

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