16.) Types of Executive Scrutiny

Question 1

What are the three ways that Parliament tries to scrutinise the executive?

Answer 1

-Debates in the chamber
-Parliamentary questions
-Parliamentary committees

Question 2

What are two types of parliamentary committee?

Answer 2

-Standing Committee
-Select Committee

Question 3

Name a parliamentary debate?

Answer 3

August 2013 debate on air strikes in Syria

Question 4

What happened during the debate on Syria?

Answer 4

Government defeated on their proposal to bomb Syria (285-272)

Question 5

Why did the government lose the vote despite having a majority?

Answer 5

30 Tories and 9 Lib-Dems rebelled

Question 6

Why did some MPs, like Ed Miliband oppose the vote?

Answer 6

As they didn’t want a repeat of the Iraq War and the intelligence controversy around it

Question 7

What comment did Tory MP Cheryl Gillian make that illustrated why some Tories voted against Syrian airstrikes?

Answer 7

“I cannot sit in this House and be duped again…”

Question 8

As the government couldn’t perform strikes due to Parliament’s vote, what did this imply?

Answer 8

That Parliament had taken control of foreign policy, which is usually the preserve of government

Question 9

Who can grant an emergency debate?

Answer 9

The Speaker

Question 10

If granted, how many minutes are given for an MP to make their case?

Answer 10

3 minutes

Question 11

Name an example of an emergency debate?

Answer 11

The contaminated blood scandal

Question 12

Why was the emergency debate important?

Answer 12

It led to a full inquiry into contaminated blood

Question 13

What’s one way that the average MP has been able to influence the Commons through debate?

Answer 13

The Backbench Business Committee, set up in 2010

Question 14

What does the Backbench Business Committee do to increase MP control over debates?

Answer 14

They select the topic to be debated in the Commons and at Westminster Hall one day each week

Question 15

How often are Westminster Hall debates held?

Answer 15

4 days a week

Question 16

What threshold do petitions have to reach to be considered for debate in the Commons?

Answer 16

100,000 signatures

Question 17

On what day of the week are petitions discussed?

Answer 17

Monday

Question 18

Name an example of a successful E-petition and the number of signatures it received?

Answer 18

Petition to scrap parking charges for NHS staff - 415,000 signatures

Question 19

What did the NHS parking petition lead to?

Answer 19

Extra money for NHS staff costs

Question 20

Name an unsuccessful petition and signatures?

Answer 20

Statutory sick pay for the self employed - 700,000 signatures

Question 21

Why was the SSP petition unsuccessful?

Answer 21

The government refused to act

Question 22

What do these examples suggest about the success of E-petitions?

Answer 22

They work some of the time and can make the government act occasionally

Question 23

Give some points on why debates in Parliament aren’t important?

Answer 23

-MPs rarely change minds thanks to debates
-Party whip system can compel MPs to vote regardless of their opinion
-Westminster Hall debates poorly attended and don’t contain votes, so government can ignore them
-Lords debates’ usefulness limited due to Parliament Acts

Question 24

What is the most notable type of parliamentary questions better known as?

Answer 24

PMQs

Question 25

How many questions were asked in 2017-2018?

Answer 25

55,000 questions asked, 50,000 of those were written

Question 26

How long does prime minister’s questions last each week?

Answer 26

30 mins every Wednesday

Question 27

What is a patsy question?

Answer 27

One asked by a member of the same political party as the PM, intended to make rival parties look bad

Question 28

What are some reasons PMQs are effective?

Answer 28

-High profile -Forces PM to address key issues -Offers opposition leader chance to look better through debate -PMQs keep PMs directly accountable to Parliament - Blair comparing them to being led to an execution

Question 29

What are some reasons PMQs are NOT effective?

Answer 29

-Perfomative, unproductive politics -Affect how proud the public are of Parliament (Only 12% proud of Parliament because of PMQs - independent Hansard society, 67% think too much point scoring -Patsy questions

Question 30

Name another type of questions?

Answer 30

Urgent questions

Question 31

Who grants the right to ask urgent questions?

Answer 31

The speaker

Question 32

What are the three types of committee?

Answer 32

-Public bill committees -Select committees -Lords committees

Question 33

What are the advantages of public bill committees?

Answer 33

-Backbench MPs scrutinise legislation in more detail than allowed by GE time constraints -Two joint chairs from opposition and government -Effective changes to government bills (Investigatory Powers Act 2016 - safeguards for journalists)

Question 34

What is the purpose of a select committee?

Answer 34

To hold ministers to account for their decisions, scrutinise legislation and control public money

Question 35

How do select committees do this?

Answer 35

Launching inquiries

Question 36

Name a select committee?

Answer 36

The Public Accounts Committee

Question 37

Who usually chairs the Public Accounts Committee?

Answer 37

A senior opposition backbencher

Question 38

Between 2017-19 how many reports did select committees produce?

Answer 38

267

Question 39

What percentage of select committee recommendations is typically accepted by government?

Answer 39

40%

Question 40

How many members are there in a typical select committee?

Answer 40

11 - with the leader of each committee elected by secret ballot

Question 41

What else can select committees do?

Answer 41

Review ministerial appointments of certain agencies - E.G Amanda Spielman (Ofsted)

Question 42

Give reasons why select committees are effective?

Answer 42

-Alternative forum to debates in Commons -Less partisan than Commons -Committees often chaired by opposition not government -Government often act on committee’s findings -May question witnesses -Elected by secret ballot, less vulnerable to party whips

Question 43

Give some reasons select committees are NOT effective

Answer 43

-To be bipartisan, often avoid politicised topics -Party divides still affect committee votes -Government always has majority on these committees -Majority of select committee findings ignored by government -Party whips control select committee appointments -Can’t veto appointments government makes

Question 44

What are the six permanent committees that are the Lords committees?

Answer 44

-European Union Committee -Science and Technology Committee -Communications Committee -Constitution Committee -Economic Affairs Committee -International Relations Committee

Question 45

How many members does a typical Lords committee have?

Answer 45

12

Question 46

What’s a report that’s been written by one of the Lords committees?

Answer 46

A report on televised election debates by the Communications Commitee

Question 47

Name a committee that is none of these three?

Answer 47

The Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament

Question 48

What legislation set up the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament?

Answer 48

Intelligence Services Act (1994)