Parliament

Question 1

What do the whips do?

Answer 1

1. They issue instructions on how MPs should vote - each week MPs receive instructions on how they should vote + ‘three-line whip’ is a strict instruction to attend + vote according to the party line or face disciplinary action
2. They enforce discipline the whips persuade wavering MPs to vote with the party- whips provide certain assurances, make offers or threats

Question 2

Explain the key details of John Bercow’s time as Speaker

Answer 2

• Bercow was seen as a reform Speaker - allowed urgent questions several times a day compared to his predecessor Speaker Martin

Key Ruilings
* Bercow allowed an extra amendment to the 2013 Queen’s Speech which gave backbench Tory Brexiteers a chance to express their disappointment that there weren’t propsals for an EU referendum - coereced Cameron into the referendum
* Allowed emergency motions to go beyond the normal formulation - paved the way for the Bean-Burt Bill to prevent a no-deal Brexit - gave the Commons leverage over the cource of events = angered ministers

• Coup Attempt - relations with the Speaker + the government deteriorated when the government organised a last-day to coup through a secret ballot of MPs (making it easier for MPs to remove him)

Question 3

Explain the key modernising initiatives under Bercow

Answer 3

1. Allowed for a Common’s creche and for parents to carry small children into the lobbies
2. Allowed for proxy voting for pregnant MPs + new mothers
3. Bercow was also praised for his reaction to Labour MP Jo Cox’s murder as he visited her constituency

Question 4

Explain the key details of Lindsay Hoyle’s time as Speaker

Answer 4

• Hoyle was elected as Speaker as he was an experienced MP since 1997 + had been deputy speaker since 2010 among 3 in total (most senior + experienced of the 3)
• Hoyle promised that he would improve the safety measures for MPs + their families - he presided over procedings after the 2017 Westminster terrorist attacks + placed the Commons in lockdown
• Hoyle also promised to restore the reputation of the Commons after accusations of bias + bullying under Bercow
• Hoyle said that he would publish clerk’s advice making it harder for him to depart from conventions (Bercow was often accused of this - allowed MPs to control the parliamentary timetable) - suggests he won’t break procedure to challenge the government + Leader of the Commons (Ress-Mogg) wants to review the Speaker’s ability to dictate Commons rules + how long someone can serve as Speaker

Question 5

Explain the role of hereditary peers and legal reforms taken regarding hereditary peers

Answer 5

• Hereditary peers = House of Lords Act 1999 ended the right of all but 92 hereditary peers before there were 750
• Peerages Act 1963- allowed hereditary peers to renounced their titles + membership in the HOL + allowed women to be hereditary peers
• HOL Act 1999 has transformed the hereditary element into ‘elected hereditary peers’ - 15 hereditary peers who became deputy speakers were chosen in a ballot of the whole house
• 2 other hereditary peers had royal appointments + the remaining 75 were elected by ballots of hereditary peers from their party + crossbench groups
• When a **hereditary peer dies or resigns a by-election **is held in which peers from the same group choose a replacement from the register of hereditary peers - 30 by-elections had been held by Aug 2016

Question 6

Explain the role of life peers and legal reforms taken regarding hereditary peers

Answer 6

• Life peers = Life Peerage Act 1958 gave the PM the right to appoint members for life - that title + membership cannot be inherited - life peers include former MPs (20% of the members in the HOL)
• Life peers are often appointed when a PM is leaving office
• Independant HOL Appointments Commission recommends individuals for appointments as **non-party peers + vets those nominated by political parties **

Question 7

Explain the reforms taken regarding HOL members post 1999

Answer 7

1. Free vote, 2003 - MPs had a free vote on 7 options proposed by a parliamentary joint committee - none secured a majority + the peers voted for a wholly appointed House
2. White Paper, 2007 - proposed a hybrid House - 50% appointed + 50% elected + a series of votes on reform were held - a wholly elected House was approved by MPs but the Lords supported a wholly appointed House
3. House of Lords Bill, 2012 - proposed a chamber of 360 elected members, 90 appointed members, 12 bishops + 3 ‘ministerial members’ - was approved MPs but 91 Conservative MPs rebelled+ Labour indicated that it would vote against a ‘programme motion’+ prevent the bill from passing
   * (Prior to this many hereditary peers took the Conservative whip - their removal ended the Conservative majority)
4. The HOL has 784 members - 227 of them are women (29%) - the **HOL Act 2015 **meant that members **convicted of serious criminal offences would be expelled or suspended **

Question 8

Explain the power and limitations of the House of Commons

Answer 8

HOC Powers:
1. The right to ‘veto’ any legislation as the elected House with a mandate from the electorate
2. Call a vote of no confidence in the gov to remove them from power
3. Accept, amend, delay + reject legislation put forward from the gov
4. Scrutinise the government through a range of methods including slect committees + questions
5. Power of monetary legislation due to 1911 Parliament Act

HOC Limitations:
1. Government usually holds a majority + use the whips to limit the effectiveness of the scrutiny

Question 9

Explain the powers + limitations of the House of Lords

Answer 9

HOL Powers:
1. The powers to scrutinise legislation + suggest amendments
2. Delay the passage of legislation for up to 1 year, due to 1949 Parliament Act
3. Hold the government to account through question time + debates
4. An absolute veto on Parliament extending its life beyond 5 years
5. Lords may have expertise in policy areas that MPs don’t have

HOL Limitations:
1. 1911 Parliament Act - removed the Lords’ power to reject money bills + allowed the Lords to** delay a bill by only 2 years **
2. 1949 Parliament Act - **removed the Lords’ power to delay bills to just 1 year **
3. Salisbury Convention - a convention that the Lords will not reject a bill put forward in a government’s manifesto **
4. The Lords cannot question the PM or other government ministers only government spokespeople **
5. **Select committees don’t scrutinise the work of departments **

Question 10

Explain how select committees function

Answer 10

• Select committees scrutinise government departments by establishing inquires, gathering evidence + producing reports
• Select committees - have a minimum of 11 MPs/peers who question government ministers, civil servants + often appoints experts + invite members of the public to give evidence
  e.g A candidate for the Bank of England Deputy Governor resigned in 2017 following criticism from the Treasury Select Committee of her ‘incomplete answers’ to them
  e.g The Environmental Audit Committee interviwed the Environment Secretary George Eustive in the summer of 2022 - following headlines about raw sewage being released into rivers + the sea in the UK

Question 11

Explain the types of roles that select committees can be tasked with

Answer 11

1. Pre-legislative scrutiny- gathering information before the drafting of new legislation (or while a Bill is in the early stages) - Media Bill is being currently scruntised by the HOC Committee on Culture, Sport and Media
2. Post-legislative scrutiny - evaluates the impact + function of a new Act of Parliament+ whether it has achieved its purpose
3. Scrutiny of an individual minister,agency or department’s performance - shadowing ministers work + examining policy issues

Question 12

How are select committees less adversarial than the normal work of the Commons?
What can happen if a minister does not provide satisfactory answers to a select committee?

Answer 12

• Unlike debates in the chamber and PMQT, which are brief,** far greater depth of scrutiny** can be achieved and over a much longer period (several months)
• Committees work is consensual rather than combative in nature, MPs are far** less concerned with political point-scoring**
• Government ministers cannot so easily use rhetoric to evade scrutiny as they have to provide** accurate and relevant evidence **+ be forced to explain their actions
• If a minister fails to provide satisfactory answers to a select committee, or demonstrates a lack of understanding, it can have serious repercussions- e.g Home Affairs Committee questioned former home secretary, Amber Rudd in 2018. She denied knowledge that the Home Office had set migrant removal targets, which conflicted with evidence provided in a previous statement heard by the committee + resigned as a result

Question 13

What are the strengths of select committees?

Answer 13

1. They interview government ministers in public hearings
2. They respond to current controversies with their inquiries
3. They appoint recognised experts to assist inquiries
4. Chairs can be of high quality - MPs may select a departmental expert (Tom Tugendhat, Foreign Affairs Committee), or an experienced politician, (Yvette Cooper, Home Affairs Committee)
5. The composition of members + chairs encourages cross-party cooperation
6. The influence from government, shadow cabinet or party whips on the selection of committee members + chairs is limited
7. Studies from 2015 estimated that 30-40% of committee recommendations end up as government policy

Question 14

What are the limitations of select committees?

Answer 14

1. The government has 60 days to respond to reports but its not compelled to take up any recommendations, select committees can only advise not force the gov to take up their non-binding recommendations
2. Interviewing by ministers can end up as an interrogation in order to gain media coverage
3. The turnover of members damages committee effectiveness - the Defence Committee saw an 83% turnover from 2010-2015 - the replacements may not be as invested or informed

Question 15

Explain how members are selected to be members of select committees and how the select committees are composed

Answer 15

• The Wright Reforms (2010) made important changes to select committees; have to have a minimum of 11 members one of whom is the committee chair
• The membership of each committee reflects the party political balance in the HOC -** 5 Conservative, 4/5 Labour + 1/2 smaller parties** (SNP, Lib Dems)
• Committee members are selected by MPs from their party +** chairs are elected by a secret ballot of all MPs **

Question 16

Explain the 4 cross-departmental select committees,their functions and an example of them being effective or ineffective

Answer 16

• The** Liason Committee** (members are all the committee chair) exits to coordinate select committee activity + meet twice a year to scrutinse the work of the PM
  e.g In July 2022 PM Johnson was scrutinised by the LC about ‘Partygate’ while dozens of ministers were resigning from gov
• Public Bill Committees - these are committees set up to scrutinise proposed legislation
  e.g most amendments made to bills are made from the party in gov - 84% of amendments in 2018
• Backbench Business Committee - control the subjects Parliament will debate for 35 half days each Parliamentary session - MPs can apply to this committee for a certain debate to be held
  e.g in 2011 the committee scheduled a debate on holding a referendum on the UK’s EU membership which while defeated saw 81 Tories defy the whip
• Petitions Committee - reviews the e-petitions on the HOC website for government response + debate - in 2017 a petition to prevent President Trump from having a state visit to the UK gained 2 million signatures + a 4-hour debate was held on it

Question 17

Explain the ways in which Parliamentary debates are effective

Answer 17

1. Backbench Business Committee - allows MPs to shape the parliamentary debate - decide the topics for 1 day per week
2. MPs can request an emergebcy debate on a specific matter that needs ‘urgent consideration’ (approved by the Speaker)
3. Intro of Grand Committee Room - increaed the range + number of issues discussed- deal with non-controversial issues
4. From 2015 E-petitions which have more than 100,000 signatures must be debated in Parliament = increased public engagement
5. Ministerial Question Times rotate every 4 weeks for each department - members can submit their questions in advance or they can be drawn in the ballot for ‘topical questions’ at the end of the session + ask any questions they please

Question 18

Explain the ways in which Parliamentary debates are ineffective

Answer 18

1. The government can ** ignore motion spassed in debates** - e.g the motion for lowering the voting age to 16 (2013)
2. In the BBBC smaller parties are under-represented - 7 BBC members are Conservative or Labour MPs
3. In 2012 the government changed the way BBBC members are elected - are now elected within party groups not the whole house - makes it more difficult for independant MPs to be selected + MPs opinions may not be their own not the party’s
4. There is often poor attendance at debates

Question 19

Explain how PMQ’s provides effective scruntiny

Answer 19

1. Corbyn tried to change the style of PMQ’s by asking questions sent in by the public
2. Speaker Bercow called more backbenchers during PMQ’s + required ministers to answer urgent questions more frequently
3. PMQ questions are set the day before which gives the government time to draft their responses in order to give detailed answers of what the gov is doing in that department
4. Effective scrutiny is also dependent on the abilities of the backbenchers and Leader in Opposition - Corbyn was seen as a very poor performer
5. The ability to question the PM directly + the public often watch which means that the public get more engaged with politics + scrutiny

Question 20

Explain how PMQ’s provides ineffective scrutiny

Answer 20

1. Government backbenchers ask questions drafted by the whips (often flattened + don’t prove)
2. PMQs are often very boisterous and much more parliamentary theatre than effective scrutiny occurs - particularly between the two main parties - the Leader of the Opposition gets 6 questions + the leader of third-largest party gets 2 questions
3. Political pundits often assess who ‘won’ PMQs each week + thus it has become increasingly about grabbing media attention for ‘winning’ rather than raising issues in the media

Question 21

Explain the Opposition provides effective scrutiny

Answer 21

1. Leader of the Opposition asks 6 questions at PMQ’s + responds first to the PM on major statements
2. Opposition parties choose the topics for debate 20 days in a parliamentary year - 17 daysallocated to the main opposition
3. Opposition party appoints a Shadow’s cabinet to follow the work of government departments + provide their own policies for their topic areas
4. On the 19th of October 2022 Labour used its opposition day bring forward a vote to ban fracking (the motion allowed the vote to be effectively binding) - the Conservative ‘whip’ said that this meant it was a vote of no-confidence in Truss + ordered MPs to vote against it
   * A number of Conservative MPs especially those who had constituencies in which fracking could take place - looked to the Conservative manifesto which pledged a ban on fracking
   * The Conservative MP seemed to have resigned following a statement from No.10 saying it was not a vote of no confidence - the motion was defeated 230-326 votes but 36 Conservative MPs abstained + the chaos of the day was the trigger point for ending Trus’s premiership + she resigned the next day

Question 22

Explain how the Opposition provides ineffective scrutiny

Answer 22

1. Opposition cannot claim a mandate on their on their policies after losing in the GE
2. Oppositon party are state funded by ‘Short money’ - 2015-16 Labour gov receeived £6.8 million in funding but the Conservatives have propsed reductions in funding
3. They cannot change government policy + generally look to criticise

Question 23

Representation of MPs:
How many were educated privatley + what party has the most?
How many MPs are from ethnic minorities from each party?
How many LGBT MPs are there from each party + which one has the highest proportion?
How many female MPs are there from each party + in the HOC?

Answer 23

1. 63% of MPs were educated at state schools - (92% of Starmer’s Cabinet went to state schools) - Education secretary
2. Labour MPs have 66 MPs from ethnic minorities
3. Conservative MPs have 15 MPs from ethnic minorities
4. Lib Dems have 5 MPs from ethnic minorites
5. 61 MPs are openly LGBT+ - there are 5 Conservative LGBT+, 47 LGBT+ Labour MPs
6. 263 female MPs were elected, 43 more than the previous record of 220 set in 2019 - there are 190 female Labour MPs, 29 female Conservative MPs, 32 female Lib Dem MPs

Question 24

What initatives have been implemented to increase the number of female MPs

Answer 24

There have also been key initiatives to increase the number of female MPs
* All-women shortlists which have been used by Labour in every GE since 1997 (except 2001), these gender quotas require some constituency parties to select their candidate from a list of all women

• Cameron introduced a priority list in 2005 for the top 100 Conservative target seats - constituency associations had to draw up shortlists with at least half of the aspiring candidates being women - only 19/49 women Conservative MPs elected in 2010 were on the lists + the approach was dropped

Question 25

How do many MPs in departmental question sessions ask ‘utterly pointless questions’?

Answer 25

* They ask questions **designed to make the session easier for whoever is on the front bench of the party that the MP** asking belongs to by asking questions which praise certain policies or **allow MPs to talk about areas where the government is doing well** * In **2014 at Treasury Questions the Conservative MP for Colne Valley Jason McCartney** asked **“Will the Chancellor** please continue to reject the doom-mongering, mithering and class warfare from the Labour Party and **continue with his long-term economic plan?”**

Question 26

What are Urgent Questions and why are they much more effective than ordinary questions?

Answer 26

* Urgent Questions are when **ministers are summoned to the House by MPs to ask a question on specific matters** - sometimes governments will organise **statements on something which has gone wrong to avoid being humiliated by a UQ or appearing reluctant to face scrutiny** * When John Bercow became Speaker he made the government answer **urgent questions 0.9 per sitting day in 2017-19 when they were 0.2 per sitting day in 2013-14** * Osborne like other ministers would try to **dodge urgent questions by sending their juniors to answer them** - Osborne famously sent **David Gauke in place to defend any unpopular Treasury policy** * Some UQ can **force the government to announce a concession** as ministers **cannot get through an hour in the Commons defending a failed policy**

Question 27

What are private members’ bills and Why do they have very little chance of actually becoming law?

Answer 27

* PMBs are **opportunities for backbenchers to introduce legislation if they are voted in** * When PMBs are opened in the Commons MPs who **oppose the bill or dislike the idea of backbenchers making law start talking in a practice known as ‘filibustering’** - talking out a bill until the end of that session * At **2.30 pm any bills that haven’t reached a vote die** + even if the bill goes into its second reading where it goes into **committee stage where it is more likely to be killed**

Question 28

Why are filibusters so effective?

Answer 28

1. Filibusters are effective as they have to talk for hours to block a bill people like **Jacob Rees-Mogg, and Philip Davis have covered topics like the quality of wine at the Garrick Club, Peter Pan, bus routes etc** 2. The only way to end a filibuster is to **gather 100 MPs to vote for a ‘closure motion’ to stop the speaker** + move on - this demonstrates that there is **sufficient support for a bill to proceed** 3. **Gathering 100 MPs is difficult though as MPs are often in their constituencies** then + unless an MP is certain that their other colleagues will also turn up to make the closure motion successful they **won’t see much incentive to neglect their constituency**

Question 29

Define a Green paper, a White Paper and Public and Private bills

Answer 29

* *Green Paper* - a goverment document setting out **various options for legislation + inviting comment** * *White Paper* - a government document setting out a **detialed proposal for legislation** * **Public Bill**- a bill concerning a general issue of **public policy introduced by a government minister** * *Private Bill* - a bill introduced by a **company** - **less common** + often **sponsored by an organisation** (a company or local groups) - a group affected by a bill the right to **petition Parliament against** * *PMBs* - introduced by **backbencher MPs or a Peer** + are **unlikely to become law** - in the HOC the names of MPs applying to introduce a **PMB are drawn in a ballot**. MPs can also make a **PMB proposal in a '10 minute rule' speech**

Question 30

Explain the Advantages in the way bills are being passed

Answer 30

Advantages 1. Laws must **gain the approval both houses** - **expert scrutiny from the Lords** 2. The party system is weak in the Lords so **peers take the role as legislaters more seriously** 3. **Public Bill Committees scrutinise every line of the bill** 4. **All ammendments are voted** on + debated in the House of the Commons floor

Question 31

Explain the Disadvantages of the way bills are passed

Answer 31

1. **Party whips** in the Commons mean **MPs often vote with the party line** - **not their conscience** 2. **PMBs **have **little chance of success** + are often **filibustered** 3. **Non-English MPs** can still **vote on England-only bills** as despite **EVEL bills** need **majority support** 4. The Lords can **amend or delay legislation** despite being an **unelected chamber** 5. **Whips control MPs** which mean that if an MP is ambitious they're **best served by keeping quiet in committees** - Conservative whips use to keep a dirt/black book to blackmail MPs on how to vote

Question 32

Explain how the Lords became more assertive in recent years

Answer 32

* **Hereditary peers were removed** in **1999** - **blocked** the **Sexual Offences Ammendment Act 2020** + the **Hunting Act 2004** which forced the government to use the Parliament Act in the follwoing session * The **Lords can propose ammendments** to bills passed by the Commons - the **Commons** can then **amend, reject or accept** * **Lords cannot force ammendments** - if the Commons **refuses to accept** them the Lords can **back down or block** the bill from passing for** 1 year** * If they **block it for 1 year** the bill can **pass unchanged without the Lord's permission** under the Parliament Act e.g **War Crimes Act 1991**, European Parliamentary Elections 1999

Question 33

Explain how the Lords was very effective in scrutinising New Labour

Answer 33

* The Blair + Brown government were only **defeated 7x in the HOC but 400x in the HOL** - many were on **judicial + constitutional** matters * Example - **Counter-terroism + restricitve** on the **rights to trial by the jury** * **4 out of every 10 defeats** in the Lords were **accepted by Blair + Brown**

Question 34

Explain how the HOL's party makeup more effective

Answer 34

* The party balance in the Lords means there **isn't a party has a majority** in the HOL so the government must **win cross-party support for their legislation** HOL Peer Makeup: **Conservative** peers - **270** * **Labour** peers - **171** * **Lib Dems** peers - **80** * **Crossbench** peers - **183** * **Independant** peers - **37** E.g - votes from **Liberal Democract peers were cruical** over New Labour's term

Question 35

Explain why use of the Salisbury Doctrine has been questioned

Answer 35

* The **Salisbury Doctrine** has been questioned as to whehter it should **apply in coalition governments** or when the governing party wins the **support of less than 1/3 of the elctorate**

Question 36

Explain the powers of the House of Commons

Answer 36

1. Right to **insist on legislation** - Lords should give way in case of dispute 2. Financial privilege - **delay budgets + amend legislation** involving **finances** 3. Commons have **financial privilege** when the **Lords pass bills with financial implications** e.g creating new spending * Conservative-Lib Dem coalition invoked financial privilege during the **final stages Welfare Reform Bill 2012** - **Lords backed down** * Commons also claimed **financial privilege on counter-terroism** (**2008**) + **supporting child refugees** (**2016**) 4. ***Power to dismiss the executive*** - if the gov is **defeated in a motion of no confidence** it must **resign**

Question 37

Explain the powers of the House of Lords

Answer 37

1. In the HOC the **government controls the Parliamentary timetable** but they **don't in the Lords** - the Lords must have **'reasonable time'** to consider bills * Allows Lords to** scrutinise for longer** but they **cannot overlook or delay** considering a **bill** * Reform proposals argue for a 60-day limit on 'reasonable time'

Question 38

Explain the limitations on power in the Lords

Answer 38

1.**Secondary legislation** - ministers have the **authority to amend Acts** - **convention** that the **Lords don't reject it** * Convention that the **Lords don't reject it** * Exceptions e.g in 2015 the **Lords amended 2 regulations on tax credits** - led to the **Strathelyde review** = established the Common's primacy said it should be able to **override Lord's rejections on SL** - recommendations weren't implemented 2. Lords **cannot dismiss the executive**

Question 39

Explain the Factors which affect the HOC + HOL's relationship

Answer 39

1. **1911 Parliament Act** - Lords can only **delay legislation for 2 years** - went to **1 year in 1949** 2. **Salisbury Doctrine** - bills implementing **manifesto commitments aren't opposed** by the **Lords**

Question 40

Why does the Lords have a strong degree of independence?

Answer 40

* The Lords has **183 Crossbenchers + 37 Independent** peers who take **no party political whip** + vote according to issue each time + **aren’t influenced into voting** a certain way by whips * The **HOL isn’t confrontational like the HOC** - the chairs go across in a circular format + **less parliamentary theatre** occurs * Even when **peers do belong to a party whip** they are **much less controlled by them** as they are **past ambition** + have already reached the positions they want * Many peers are **life peers** which means they **don’t have the risk of losing their positions** if they **don’t vote according to the party line**