Evaluate The View That Parl Performs Its Functions Effectively

Question 1

Parl’s key functions

Answer 1

Passing leg, scrutinising the executive and representing the electorate

Question 2

1. Pass legs

Answer 2

Parl pass legs effectively:
- due to its majority and the power of the whips, govt rarely has a problem passing bills through HoC and laws passed effectively. E.g in the 2022/2023 parl session, the govt introduced 56 bills. Of these 43 (76%) received royal assent by the end of the session. Successfullaws include the illegal migration act and the online safety act.
- if HofL blocks leg supported by HofC , this rarely halts the legislation process e.g parliament act 1911 and 1949 used by the commons to override the lord’s veto after a year. Been used 7 times in total such as reducing the age of consent to 16 for homosexuals and heterosexuals, with the sexual offences act 2000.
-some private member bills are also passed if they support the governing party e.g upskirting and abortion act.

CA the vast majority of private member bills aren’t. E.g in 2022-23 parl session, only 8 % of PMB are signed with royal assent
Though the HofL can only delay leg for one yr, this forces the hofc to revise and amend their laws, especially when gov has a small majority. E.g Theresa may relied on the DUP party for a majority and both her and BJ failed to pass their Brexit withdrawal plans a number of times in 2019.

Overall, parl if effective but its role is enhanced in smaller majority govs- it could embolden parl to scrutinise more knowing that there are less whips.

Question 3

Scrutinising the govt

Answer 3

Select committees e.g in May 2023, the govt partly accepted all of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee’s recommendations in their report ‘refreshing our approach. Updating the integrated review.’ Govt agreed with the assertion of appointing a director of resilience in the cabinet office to focus on making the uk less dependent on other international actors.
-PMQ time every Wednesday e.g in 2025, the mp for Hackney north raised concerns about sever shortage of social housing- forced the gov to respond to immediate up-to-date crises.

CA - select commutes are ineffective
Tradition that the influential treasury, foreign affairs and defence committees are chaired by MPs of the governing party - sense of party allegiance and loyalty and CMR in public - more ‘soft’ on criticisms. In our current parl, 18/27 of the total select committees chairs are from the lab party.
The effectiveness of the PMQ provides little scrutiny bc more focused on partisan political point scoring than detailed scrutiny. Instead of giving political answers they tend to deflect to get soundbites for social media clips. E.g in nov, farage asked starmer a question about whether he thought the Iran’s revolutionary guard was a terrorist organisation, following an alleged assassination plot against pre- elected president Donald trump. Rather than answering the question, starmer jokes that farage would be on the ‘immigration statistics’ bc of his frequent trips to America.

Question 4

Representing the electorate

Answer 4

Hoc regularly elected on a democratic basis. MPs are voted by their constituents to represent them in parl. means that voters can hold them to account e.g the recall of the MPs act strengthens the burkean principle , Fiona onasanya. Fptp also creates strong mp-constituency links. For example, MPs regularly hold weekly constituency surgeries where people can ask questions are problems that need to be addressed. E.g in 2022, 33 Tory MPs did not support truss’s fracking deals, despite the govt ordering them to oppose it.
Attempts by parties and House of Lords to improve direct representation e.g using all-women shortlists and promises of more minority representation.
Some argue that parl doesn’t have to be a microcosm of soc and that minority groups can still be listened to and represented even if they’re not directly represented.

CA- HoL= unelected. 2 stages to the House of Lords act 1999, not only was stage 1 not carried out bc 92 hereditary peers still remain, but stage 2 of making it democratic did not happen due to conflict as to what a democratic Hol looks like. Also has 26 ‘Lord Spirituals’ from the Church of England. BJ’s cronyism and appointed his friend (a racist), Zac Goldsmith a peer and Charlotte Owen- not democratic.
FPTP for HoC - disproportionate outcomes e.g reform uk won 14.3% of the vote but one seat.