2.4-relationship between parliament and the executive

Question 1

how many days in the parliamentary session does the BBBC get to set the topic for debate?

Answer 1

35 days

Question 2

how many times was tony blair defeated in office?

Answer 2

4 times, all in his 3rd term

Question 3

how many times times was theresa may defeated?

Answer 3

33 times

Question 4

what vote is considered the worst defeat in modern political history?

Answer 4

• theresa mays brexit deal was defeated 432-202 in 2019

Question 5

give an example of a recent succesfull oposition day motion.

Answer 5

• 2021
• labour motion calling for the government to cancel the £20/week cut to universal credit passed 253-0
• the goverment told its mps to abstain

Question 6

how many urgent questions were asked between 2017-2019 (the brexit process)?

Answer 6

307

Question 7

give an example of an urgent question that lead to a resignation.

Answer 7

• amber rudd was asked an urgent question by dianne abbot in 2018 about deportation targets and her handling of windrush
• in this answer she gave parliament innacurate information

Question 8

what are the limits to the influence of backbenchers?

Answer 8

• power of patronage (mps want to prove loyalty)
• government majority (rebellions are less significant)- DUE TO FPTP
• limited influence of debates and urgent questions
• governments have a majority in public bill committees
• govt controls most of the timetable (increasingly rushed legislation through)
• govt can use secondary legislation

Question 9

what was tony blair majority?

Answer 9

179 seat majority

Question 10

what are the arguments that select committees are influencial?

Answer 10

• hearings are televised
• government has to respond to reports, and the finding of reports can influence policy
• long serving committee chairs can develop greater knowledge in the area than ministers who often remain in a role for a short period
• liason committee directly questions the PM twice a year

Question 11

what are the arguments that select committees are NOT influencial?

Answer 11

• majority of commitee members are from the governing party
• there is a tradition that chairs of the main commitees are from the governing party
• the power to summon witnesses is limited
• government is not very responsive to reccomendations

Question 12

give an example of an important recent televised committee hearing.

Answer 12

in 2023 the priviledges select committee scrutinsed former PM boris johnson over the partygate scandal

Question 13

which select commitee originally proposed the OBR?

Answer 13

the treasury select committee

Question 14

how did Boris Johnson undermine the liason select committee?

Answer 14

twice cancelled appointments

Question 15

what are the arguments that the opposition provides effective scrutiny?

Answer 15

• shadows government departments and proposed alternative policies
• the leader of the opposition can question the PM in PMQ’s
• can attack the govt in the media
• opposition days (20 days)

Question 16

what are the arguments that the opposition is ineffective?

Answer 16

• limited when the government has a large majority
• govt controls the majority of the timetable
• govt has access to huge departments and thoasands of civil servants
• lack of popularity after loosing an election

Question 17

in what ways can PMQ’s be argued to be effective?

Answer 17

• is ministers mislead the commons in PMQ’s this may result in resignation, ensures the competence of ministers
• gives the opposition an oppertunity to expose govt failure
• PMQ’s is televised and the most watched aspect of politics
• Requires the pm to be well versed in all areas of policy

Question 18

how many questions can the opposition party ask in PMQ’s

Answer 18

• leader of the opposition has 6

Question 19

how might it be argued that PMQ’s is ineffective?

Answer 19

• focused more on partisan, political point scoring
• many backbencher questions are drafted by the whips, aimed at flattering the govt
• presents a very negative view of politics to the public leading to distrust

Question 20

give an example of a convention that limits the govts power.

Answer 20

• convention developed under tony blair: military action should recieve parliamnetary consent
• reinforced by cameron who was defeated on action in syria
• broken by may who didnt hold a vote on action in syria

Question 21

How many MP’s are part of the government and therefore bound by collective ministerial responsibility?

Answer 21

over 100

Question 22

give an example of the use of statutory instruments (secondary legislation) ?

Answer 22

• statutory instruments are used to ban new substances by adding them to a list under the misuse of drugs act 1971
• covid

Question 23

how many statutory instruments related to covid were implemented? what act was introduced to allow for the use of these powers?

Answer 23

• 582 between 2020- 2022
• coronavirus act 2020: granted the government emergency powers related to covid

Question 24

what powers are avaliable to select commitees?

Answer 24

• they decide themselves the areas they will investigate
• can gather evidence both oral and written and can summon witnesses
• produce reports- the government is expected to respond within 2 months

Question 25

give an example of an important private members bill.

Answer 25

2019 voyeurism act- wera hobhouse

Question 26

what changes did the wright reforms implement (2010)?

Answer 26

• created the back bench business committee
• members of the BBBC are elected by thier parliamentary group
• chairs and members of committees are directly elected
• petitions commitee set up to choose from petitions with over 100,000 signatures

Question 27

what % of select committee reccomendations does the government accept?

Answer 27

40% (often minor changes)

Question 28

in a 2014 ispos survey what % of people believed PMQ’s included too much political point scoring?

Answer 28

67%

Question 29

what % of people in a 2014 ispos survey had seen/ heard some PMQ’s in the last year (in full or in clips)?

Answer 29

54%

Question 30

give an example of an important parliamentary group. who are some of its members?

Answer 30

the european research group
- important in organising rebellions against theresa mays brexit deals
suella braverman, james cleverly, michael gove

Question 31

how many mps had the whip removed after they supported an emergency motion to allows the commons to take over the EU withdrawl bill.

Answer 31

21