Parliament

Question 1

Describe the legislative process between the Commons and the Lords [6]

Answer 1

1. First Reading: Bill introduced by minister and date set for second reading
2. Second Reading: Minister outlines and justifies the bill and answers questions - contents discussed and debated
3. Committee Stage: Scrutinised in detail and amended by a Public Bill Committee which reflects the party composition of the House
4. Report Stage: MPs can vote on amendments on the floor of the house
5. Third Reading: Another debate and then passed or rejected
6. SENT TO THE LORDS and exact same process happens; then either sent to Monarch for Royal Assent or returned to Commons

Question 2

Name a Bill that exemplifies the lack of legislative power of the Lords.

Answer 2

The EU Withdrawal Agreement Act 2020, which was sent back to the Commons with 5 amendments; all were rejected and the Lords backed down.

Question 3

What is the Salisbury Convention?

Answer 3

Convention meaning that the Lords shouldn’t block any legislation that fulfills a government’s manifesto pledge

(Can still offer amendments though)

Question 4

What did the 1911 and 1949 Parliament Acts do to limit the power of the Lords?

Answer 4

1911: The Lords is not allowed to interfere with legislation regarding matters of taxation

1949: The Lords is only allowed to delay legislation for up to 1 year

Question 5

What evidence is there that the Lords is more effective than the Commons at legislative scrutiny? [2]

Answer 5

• MPs spent just 24% of time in the chamber in 2006-2021 compared to 44% for Peers so Parliament is relying on the Lords for scrutiny
• Only 10% of government bills passed by Parliament receive pre-legislative scrutiny (COVID set a precedent for rushed legislation)
• 2023 Illegal Migration Bill was given just 2 days in the Commons by the government, while 2016 Immigration Act had 15 committee sessions and received 55 written pieces of evidence

Question 6

What are the relative powers of the Commons and Lords regarding Government scrutiny/accountability? [2 Commons, 1 Lords]

Answer 6

• Commons can hold a vote of no confidence unlike the Lords to force the government to resign if they lose (last happened 1979 w/ Callaghan and Nationalist Parties)
• Commons can uphold a minority government through a confidence and supply agreement like May in 2017 with DUP while Lords has no such power
• Yet the Lords has the power to force a General Election after 5 years
• Lords are not bound by whips so can vote as they please: Blair defeated 353 times in Lords v just 4 in Commons

Question 7

Describe the relative powers of the Lords and Commons regarding legislation. [2 each]

Answer 7

• Commons can force through legislation using the 1949 Parliament Act such as with 2004 Hunting Act and 1991 War Crimes Act
• 1911 Parliament Act and Salisbury Convention limit the legislative jurisdiction of the Lords massively
• BUT Lords has become an “amending chamber” so is de facto more useful than Commons + 2020 Agriculture Act spent triple the time in the Lords than the Commons
• Lords delaying legislation is not useless - in 2001, 10 defeats in the Lords led Government to remove incitement to religious hatred as an offence from the Anti-Terrorism Act

Question 8

Describe the relative success of the Lords and Commons regarding representation and professionalism [5]

Answer 8

• Commons is more representative than Lords; elected+independents prove more representative of popular will than voting for a party (riding off of the coattails of the PM)
• MPs such as Zarah Sultana and Diane Abbott championing minority rights
• BUT just 40% of Commons is made up of women so not equal
• Lords is worse: 62% privately educated vs just 6.5% nationally
• Majority over 70
• But Lords gaining more professionalism; Lord Adonis was Labour Transport Secretary, Baroness Floella Benjamin active in children’s education and healthcare
• And of 63 appointments 2000-2014, 13 were minorities

Question 9

Describe the impact of select committees. State one limitation. [3]

Answer 9

• Public Accounts Committee(examining public finances): Investigated government’s approach to crime in 2019, leading to Priti Patel in 2020 announcing extra £750m for 6000 more police officers
• Liaison Committee: Weak as BoJo cancelled numerous meetings, but in 2022 their meeting and scrutiny of him contributed to his resignation
• Backbench Business Comittee: prompted reinvestigation of 1989 Hillsborough Disaster following an e-petition, and it led to victims being exonerated and paved the way for prosecutions of those responsible
• FAR MORE EFFECTIVE IN COMMONS but the committees are proportional to Commons seats so less effective as all committees have a government majority