2. Parliament Flashcards
What examples have there been of the Commons facilitating national debate in recent years? - Parliament
2017 Debate on the Triggering of Article 50
2015 Debate on holding an EU Referendum
Vote of No Confidence in Theresa May’s government
What examples have there been of the Lords delaying legislation, leading to the use of the Parliament Acts? - Parliament
The Hunting Act 2004, in which Fox hunting was banned.
Sexual Offences Amendment Act 2001, in which the age of consent for gay men was lowered to 16.
What examples are there of the Lords facilitating national debate? - Parliament
This includes debate on assisted suicide, treatment of asylum seekers and refugees and GM crops.
How geographically representative of the UK is Parliament? - Parliament
The House of Commons is incredibly representative of the country geographically, with each MP representing a region which comprises 70-80,000 constituents. The Lords is far less representative than this, with Peers not representing any geographical area.
How socially representative is Parliament? (Gender, Race, Education, Sexuality) - Parliament
Gender (2/3 men), BAME (8% compared to 13% nationally), Oxbridge (17% compared to 1%) LGBT (7% compared to estimated 2% nationally).
How politically representative is Parliament? - Parliament
HoC - Not at all, with SNP gaining 3.9% of the vote in 2019, returning 48 MPs, compared to 11.6% of the vote for the Lib Dems resulting in 11 seats.
When were Select Committees Introduced and what is their role? - Parliament
Select Committees were introduced in 1979 under Thatcher, with their role being to scrutinise the policy, administration, spending and actions of government departments.
What percentage of Select Committee decisions are accepted by Government? - Parliament
Only 40% of Select Committee decisions are actually accepted by Governmment.
What successes have the Public Accounts Committee had in holding the government to account? - Parliament
2020: Launched an investigation into the aims of HS2, and the fact that its timeline and success was assessed in an overly ambitious way. Not deemed value for money.
2020: Launched enquiry into the allocation of money from the Towns Fund, aiming to boost prosperity in failing towns. Had been alleged that some of this allocation was politically motivated.
What successes have Departmental Select Committees had in holding the government to account? - Parliament
2020 - Home Affairs Select Committee scrutinised provision of army barracks for asylum seeker housing during pandemic.
2021 - Foreign Affairs Select Committee scrutinised government evacuation of Afghanistan and pitfalls there.
What success was there of the Liason Committee regarding Syria? - Parliament
The Liason Committee was able to heavily scrutinise the government in 2016 over their use of drone strikes in Syria.
What successes have the Backbench Business Committee had in holding government to account? - Parliament
Recently held debates over the Human Rights situation against Muslim minorities in China, which led to government sanctions, as well as on the online abuse of elected Female Representatives such as MPs.
Which House is the senior of the two? What confirmed this? - Parliament
The House of Commons was established as the senior House over the Lords first in 1911 and then in 1949 due to the Parliament Acts, which meant that the Lords could not veto legislation, only able to delay legislation by up to a year if passed by the Commons.
How else are the actions of the Lords restricted aside from the Parliament Acts? - Parliament
The Lords’ actions are restricted by the Salisbury Convention, which prevents the Lords from voting against any legislation mentioned in the government’s victorious election manifesto.
How many government defeats by the Lords happened between 1979 and 1997? (Between Thatcher and HoL reform) - Parliament
Between 1979 and 1997, the Lords defeated the Government 241 times.
