Legislative Process Flashcards
(13 cards)
What is a Private Bill?
A bill that allows an organization, like a local authority or church, to take action currently forbidden by law.
Often involves the building of new roads or bridges.
Who presents Private Members’ Bills?
Individual or groups of MPs or peers.
Members enter their names in a ballot at the start of the year.
What type of legislation do most bills fall under?
Public Bills.
Presented by the government and expected to pass with minimal obstruction.
What is a Green Paper?
A consultation document produced by the Government for feedback on proposed policies.
Allows input from both inside and outside Parliament.
What is the purpose of a White Paper?
Outlines the main intentions and terms of a public bill before it is converted into a bill.
Presented to Parliament up to a year in advance.
What does ‘Division’ refer to in Parliament?
A vote where members divide between the ‘Aye lobby’ and the ‘No lobby’.
MPs are counted by appointed tellers.
What occurs during the First Reading of a bill?
A bill is introduced formally in either the House of Commons or the House of Lords.
This stage is never challenged.
What is the significance of the Second Reading?
It is the main parliamentary debate followed by a division.
Party whips often direct how members should vote.
What happens during the Committee Stage in the House of Commons?
A Public Bill Committee is formed to consider the details of the bill.
Committees usually contain eight members chosen by party whips.
What is the role of the Committee in the House of Lords?
The whole house acts as the committee, but majority support for government votes is not guaranteed.
Amendments by the Lords can be overturned by the House of Commons.
What is the purpose of the Report Stage?
The whole House debates the bill again with all amendments included.
This is usually a formality.
What is the Transfer process in the legislative process?
If a bill started in the Commons, it is passed to the Lords, and vice versa.
Follows the same procedures in the next house.
What is Royal Assent?
The monarch’s formal signing of a bill to make it law.
This stage is a formality and has not been refused since 1707.
