Parliament Flashcards

Question

Do MPs help to redress their grievances? (Agree)

Answer 1

1. **Many MPs are genuinely hard-working**: - Every Friday they return to their constituencies to carry out local work and work on Saturdays. Many will attend local events e.g. school visits, hospital openings, festivals, community events, etc. 2. **Many hold monthly “surgeries”**: Here constituents can meet their MP and get help with a problem. - Many of these grievances are everyday matters e.g. a council house that needs repair, a Universal Credit payment that has been delayed, an application for refugee status that has been turned down 3. **Many MPs have constituency offices** - Many employ 3 or 4 office staff to help deal with all the local issues – they uses their expenses to pay for this 4. **Some will use their MP role to address really serious issues.** - e.g. 2018: Steve Reed got Parliament to pass a Private Members Bill called **“Seni’s Law”** after a constituent was killed in a mental health institution. First Labour MP since 1996 to get a PMB passed while in Opposition. 5. **MPs help all constituents**: They do not just help constituents who voted for them. Thus this aspect of the MP’s role is **non-partisan**.

Answer 2

1. **Not all are able to do local work or do it effectively** - e.g. Government ministers, Shadow Cabinet members. They are in a position that takes up a lot of their time. 2. **Yes it is true that many MPs hold monthly “surgeries”. BUT…Not all MPs are hardworking when it comes to this work**; not all are fully committed to it; not all engage enthusiastically – we will look at criticisms of them later on 3. **It can be hard for MPs to take up local issues successfully - especially if they are in Opposition.** - They have little influence. Can also be hard for backbenchers on the Government side – they lack influence and need to find a Government minister who can help them

Answer 3

- A record number of **90 ethnic minority** MPs have been elected to sit in the UK’s most diverse parliament ever, an increase of 24, according to British Future’s analysis of the 2024 general election results. - The historic advance in representation means the new parliament comes closer than ever before to reflecting the diversity of the electorate, with 13.8% of MPs coming from an ethnic minority background. - 14% of the UK electorate is from an ethnic minority background.

Answer 4

**“BAME” - Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic** - In 2024, 90 of the United Kingdom's 650 Members of Parliament were non-white. - 66 of which were members of the Labour Party, while 15 were in the Conservative party, and 5 non-white MPs were members of the Liberal Democrats.

Answer 5

Traditionally Parliament has been **“pale, male and stale”** - In 1992 there were 60 – less than 10% - Even today, female MPs make up fewer than 50%, 2019 GE: 220 MPs elected or 34% - MPs are generally old, few are ever under 30, 1979-2019: average age of an MP was 50 years old - 2019: 173 MPs went to private – just under **27%**. Fewer than 10% of people in UK have attended a private school. - **21% went to Oxbridge** - In the 1920s, 70% of Labour MPs were working class. By 2017, it was 8%

Answer 6

- 2024 GE was highest number of female MPs ever - 2019: 51% of Labour MPs are female – first time a majority of Labour MPs have been female - 2024: record number of BAME MPs – 90 - 2015 saw the election of the youngest MP since the 1700s – Mhairi Black, who was 20 - 75 MPs are openly gay - 15% Lab MPs went to private schools – 85% attended state schools.

Answer 7

- The Lords is not very reflective of society - **“pale, male, and stale”** - use this phrase! - Because of the 92 hereditary peers, the **aristocracy is over-represented** (most are Conservative) - (Labour is trying to reform this and abolish hereditary peers) And currently the 92 hereditary peers are all male - gender imbalance! - Over half are **over 70 years old**! - Only **57, 7%** (approx) are from ethnic minorities (2025)

Answer 8

- 2018 - around 6% of House of Lords members were from ethnic minorities, doubling from nearly 3% in 2000 so this does show change - In a political sense, the Lords is arguably more reflective of society. No party has a majority in the Lords. - There are many independents. These are called “Cross-benchers” - “independence of thought” is what sets apart the Commons. - It also has a diversity of jobs/occupations – because of the way life peers are often appointed due to their experience: Examples - Lord Sugar (The Apprentice) - businessman - Among its membership professional dancers, actors, composers, novelists and broadcasters. Five members are BAFTA award recipients.

Answer 9

- Before 1949, they could block or veto legislation but in 1911 this power was removed and the Lords could only delay legislation for up to 2 years, reduced to 1 year in 1949 - **Lost power to veto**, can only revise - “revising chamber” - Proposes amendments to Commons which can be rejected. - If the Lords does insist on blocking legislation, the Parliament Act can be invoked and Commons can bypass the Lords by delaying the vote for **1 year**. Happened 4 times. - Examples: **Counter Terrorism Bill (2008)** terror suspects to be held for 42 days without charge, 191 Lords voted against this. G. Brown dropped proposal from bill. - **Voted against the Rwanda Bill (2024)** – this is a good case study to note down – the lords didn’t vote for it, but it still passed in the Commons.

Answer 10

- **2004 Hunting Act** – banning fox hunting with packs of hounds - **2000, Sexual Offences Amendment Act** - the reduction of age of consent for homosexual couples to be lowered from 18 to 16 was defeated in the Lords but was passed in the Commons easily.

Answer 11

- Laws, regulations, and orders made mostly by Gvt ministers - They require parliamentary approval but don’t have to pass through the full procedure - Applied to more minor or specialised pieces of legislation - The HOL pays close attention to this procedure than the HOC – this role is one where the Lords can claim to be more important than the HOC. - Example: **Tax Cuts 2015** – HOL voted against a secondary piece of legislation that would have reduced the level of tax credits to low-income families. This action forced the Gvt to amend the legislation until it was acceptable to peers

Answer 12

- Scrutinises work of Gvt through oral questions to ministers + through committees. - The committees are highly regarded due to expertise Instead of different depts. They focus on major political issues. - Some are permanent, some are set up on an ad hoc basis - Their reports are non-binding but carry a great deal of weight - Small number of joint committees of the HoC and HoL eg: **Joint committee on Human Rights** – significant reports on free speech in Universities and wrongful deportation of Windrush generation.

Answer 13

- DEBATES – significantly raises the profile of an issue. - Eg. 2018 – large number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip by Israeli military forces, **Lord Steel** proposed a debate “that this House takes note of the situation in the Palestinian Territories” - 2023 – **Lord Simon Wooley – Racial Justice** – reforming racist institutions in the police - 2024 – members of the House of Lords debated the impact of the government's climate policies on jobs, growth and prosperity. Lord Lilley (Conservative) put forward the debate.

Answer 14

1. **Ongoing concerns that the House of Commons is to work in relationship to the executive (the Government)** - That a Government with a majority is too dominant - There are many Government powers which the Commons has little or no say over – Royal Prerogative powers - The Government sets the agenda of Parliament 2. **The MPs expenses scandal of 2009** - This is when it was publicly revealed that several MPs has falsely claimed expenses - 4 MPs went to prison. 3. **Concerns that the public were becoming completely disengaged with events in Parliament** - Both in general and a result of the expenses scandal - Recent years have seen a growing number of books and reports highlighting problems with how the Commons works, and arguing that at least part of the solution lies in **reforming its internal procedures**.

Answer 15

**Change 1 - 2010: Creation of the Backbench Business Committee** - 2020 marked the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the House of Commons’ Backbench Business Committee – an event that marked the first major reversal of a century-long trend of the **government taking increasing control of the agenda of the House** - 35 days in each parliamentary session, the Backbench Business Committee can choose the topic for debate - This may be an issue of concern to a backbencher or a group of backbenchers

Answer 16

- There is an argument to suggest that this has made backbenchers **more assertive** - High number of backbench rebellions e.g. Brexit, Covid-19 restrictions - During the Brexit chaos of 2018-2019, especially in 2019, we saw backbenchers actually seize control of the agenda of Parliament on 26 March, 2019 and decide what would be debated. This is unprecedented. - 26 March 2019: An amendment passed in the Commons 329–302 to allow MPs to take control of the agenda for 1 day and stage a series of "indicative votes" on which Brexit option MP's preferred. This was a major defeat for the Government.

Answer 17

- Let us not over-exaggerate this. From December 2019, there has been a **majority government**. Government has re-asserted itself and the Commons is less able to challenge the Government. - During COVID-19 crisis, there was a definite shift to the Government. “How effective has parliamentary scrutiny been during the COVID-19 crisis?” - 2024 - Safety of Rwanda bill was able to pass despite a large opposition

Answer 18

- Effectiveness - Because MPs can now vote in secret, the **whips have no power over this**. - Now Select Committee chairs come from the opposition parties as well as the governing party - Even the chairs from the governing party are much more independent and much more willing to criticise the Government - **BUT:** again, do not exaggerate the significance of this. Select Committees have weaknesses – see you notes from last lessons on this - they can make recommendations, but don’t need to be listened to.

Answer 19

- Petitions that get **100,000 names or more** will be considered for debate (although this debate may occur in Westminster Hall, not necessarily the Commons) - The most signed petition would be debated in the House of Commons and be given a full debate - This arguably gives the public a say in the agenda of the House of Commons - Examples include the 2017 petition on banning Donald Trump from the UK 2011 petition on releasing all documents related to the Hillsborough Disaster - **BUT**: Not all petitions get debated, if they do, the debate is often in **Westminster Hall** – makes it not seem as importantand the outcome of the debate is often ignored e.g. the Trump travel ban debate in 2017

Answer 20

- **Recall of MPs Act, 2015** - In July 2013 the Government reaffirmed its intention to introduce a **‘right of recall’** for MPs guilty of serious wrongdoing. - If 10% of constituents sign the petition then a by-election would be called. - **Mike Amesbury MP** was sentenced to 10 weeks in prison on 24 February 2025 after pleading guilty to assault by beating. After an appeal on the sentence the jail term was suspended for two years.

Answer 21

- Urgent questions are a category of oral questions that allow all MPs not in the Government to put a question to a minister without the usual notice required for oral question time and without the need to be drawn in a ballot. - The minister can’t give a rehearsed like ‘PMQ’ answer, needs more than this. Forces them to be accountable. - High quality answers required – not a ping pong argument but really depth and explanation needed. - **BUT**: Doesn’t necessarily lead to policy change

Answer 22

- People with special experience and expertise could be recruited into the legislative process. - The political make-up of an appointed body could be manipulated to act as a counterbalance to the government’s commons majority. - Without the need to seek re-election members would be more independent minded. - It would avoid the possibility of the same party controlling both houses.

Answer 23

- An all elected second chamber would be wholly democratic. - If elected by some kind of proportional representation (PR), it would prevent a government having too much power. - Under PR, smaller parties and independents would gain the representation they cannot win through FPTP in the HoC. - Members of the second chamber would be properly accountable.

Answer 24

- Such a second chamber could enjoy the advantages of both alternatives. - It would increase its legitimacy but retain the services of expert appointed peers. - It may be that such a compromise is the only on acceptable to MPs and peers of all parties.

Answer 25

- Taxation + public expenditure - Money Bills - Lords can debate money bills but can’t interfere with them - **‘Confidence and Supply’** – this can occur in the event of a minority government i.e. Cons. + DUP Hung Parliament in June 2017 – support of party to vote through Gvt budget + vote of no confidence – flexible agreement rather than a full coalition. - Think of it like a ‘supply’ of votes needed to get legislation passed - Parliament Acts 1911 & 1949

Answer 26

- The Act allows members of the House of Lords to retire or resign permanently. It also provides that members who did not attend and those convicted of serious offences should cease to be members of the House of Lords. - Since the Act came into force, 48 members of the House of Lords have permanently retired.

Parliament Flashcards

(50 cards)