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Parliament- paper 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

three main parts of UK parliament

A

-House of commons
-House of Lords
-Monarch

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2
Q

Government definition

A

-ruling body with responsibilities such as policy and housing
-All members are MPs

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3
Q

How are members of the HOC selected?

A

-general elections
-FPTP
-650 members
-legitimate

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4
Q

Cabinet definition

A

-most senior figures who run gov
-sit on the front bench in HOC
-eg prime minister, home secretary

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5
Q

Types of bills (legislation)

A

-Public Bill
-Private Bill
-Private Members Bill
-Hybrid Bill

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6
Q

public bill

A

affects everyone in the country eg. Coronavirus act 2020

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7
Q

private bill

A

affects particular sections of society eg. 2018 university of London act

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8
Q

Private members bill

A

put before parliament by an individual backbencher eg. 1967 Abortion Act

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9
Q

Hybrid bill

A

blends private and public bill, affects whole population but will have a more noticeable impact on certain areas eg. 2008 Crossrail act

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10
Q

How is the budget set?

A

The Chancellor of the Exchequer prepares tax and spending plans, presents them to Parliament, and after parliamentary approval, the budget guides government finances.

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11
Q

Public Accounts committee

A

scrutinise gov spending

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12
Q

Departmental Select committees

A

scrutinise the work of gov departments. last the lifetime of gov

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13
Q

Ways parliament can scrutinise the gov

A
  • Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) – Weekly questioning of the PM.
  • Ministerial Question Time – Ministers answer questions from MPs/Peers.
  • Select Committees – Investigate government departments in detail.
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14
Q

How do MPs ensure citizens are heard

A

-HOC = elected chamber
-MPs address their constituents problems in parliament

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15
Q

Ways to select members of the HOL

A

-783 members

Hereditary:
family they were born in eg. William Stonor

Life:
PM chose them, Lord Cameron

Lord Spiritual:
bishop or significant religious UK figure

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16
Q

HOL reform

A

-Salisbury convention
-1911 parliament act
-1999 HOL reform

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17
Q

Salisbury convention

A

-lords should never challenge financial bills from the HOC
-Lords cannot reject manifesto pledges

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18
Q

1911 parliament act

A

Lords veto power replaced with 2 year delay

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19
Q

1999 HOL reform

A

removed majority of hereditary peers

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20
Q

roles of HOLs

A

-debate legislation sent from the HOC
-Initiate legislation
-delay legislation

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20
Q

Why is the HOC more powerful?

Study These Flashcards
A

-power of HOL limited as they cannot reject legislation
-cannot oppose manifesto pledges
-committees are made up of HOC members so they have greater scrutiny power over the executive

21
Q

why is the HOL more powerful?

Study These Flashcards
A

-Can bring their expertise into the law
- more willing to defend civil liberties eg anti terror legislation in 2000s to protect liberties
-less party discipline so members can make their own decisions

22
Q

Exclusive powers of the HOCs

Study These Flashcards
A

-vetoing legislation
-approving gov budget
-representing constituencies
-vote of no confidence

23
Q

The legislative process

Study These Flashcards
A
  1. First reading:
    bill introduced
  2. Second reading:
    debated and voted on
  3. Committee stage:
    bill committee established
  4. Report stage
  5. Third reading:
    final vote
  6. moves to opposite house and must be approved by all members, leads to parliamentary ping pong
  7. royal assent
24
non-departmental select committees
The Liaison Committee: question PM twice a year
25
Select Committees ARE effective
-scrutiny introduces debate -run inquiries brought by public allowing the public to be heard -can call people to their meetings eg. transport select committee can call those high up in rail
26
Select Committees ARE NOT effective
- Committees have the power to summon witnesses, but cannot compel - their outcomes are not legally binding
27
PMQs
- half an hour. once a week -televised -opposition asks MP questions
28
PMQs ARE effective
-PM answers questions the public is asking -Require PM to keep up to date with developments -Provide accountability
29
PMQs ARE NOT effective
- more theatrical than content -questions usually avoided -only 30 mins
30
The opposition
- The largest party not in government - scrutinise the government and hold it to account - presents itself as an alternative government
31
methods of scrutiny
-PMQs -Opposition -select committees -Motions of no confidence
32
Motion of no confidence
-proposal as to whether a vote of no confidence should be held -if the gov is voted against this is a vote of no confidence -eg Callaghan, 1979, motion passed and gov was dissolved a week later
33
Parliamentary privilege
legal immunity granted to MPs allowing them to speak freely without the risk of being sued or prosecuted for things said or done in parliament. ensures they can openly debate without fear or legal consequences
34
limits to the power of backbenchers
Party Whip: entice party members to vote in line with the party Recourses: limited research and admin means the have less recourses to rely on Majority: if the gov has a large majority, a few backbench rebellions wont make a difference
35
backbench MP
neither gov. or shadow cabinet
36
Structure of the executive
1. Prime Minister: head of the executive, manages agenda 2. The cabinet: Around 20 senior ministers including secretaries of state. 3. Government Departments: Each is responsible for an area of policy, each headed by a cabinet member 4. Executive Agencies: semi- independent bodies that carry out some functions of government departments
37
Roles of the Executive
Proposing legislation: Proposes and amends new laws Proposing the budget: created by chancellor of the Exchequer and PM Making Policy Decisions: has to decide how to make its future aims effective for the country
38
Royal Prerogative
Powers that originally belonged to the monarch but over time transitioned to gov without needing approval from parliament eg. -declaring war -sometimes broken eg, 2013, Cameron wanted to conduct air strikes in Syria but gov voted against
39
Manifestos
-easiest policy to implement -difficult in coalition eg. lib dems wanted to vote of change from FPTP to STV
40
Individual Ministerial Responsibility
ministers are accountable for their departments performance. They must resign if they fail significantly or if there is serious misconduct
41
collective ministerial responsibility
ministers must publicly support the work of the gov, or resign, ensures unity
42
collective responsibility in action
2003: Foreign secretary Robin Cook resigned from Blairs gov over opposition to the Iraq war
43
collective responsibility not in action
2022: during covid gov crisis many ministers issued statements against Johnson. However, they kept their jobs
44
collective responsibility SHOULD be abolished
- would allow for open debates – increasing transparency. - Misleads the public – Creates a false image of unity - Ministers must defend policies they may oppose personally, blurring who is truly accountable for decisions
45
Selection of ministers
-close allies -popular figure: May appoints Johnson -silencing opponents: Thatcher- wets -diversity: Boris' first cabinet had 6 women -know how
46
The cabinet IS still important
-provide checks on the PMs power -meet and discuss on a regular and effective basis
47
the cabinet IS NOT important
-collective responsibility means cabinet members rarely disagree with the PM - Informal advisors and small groups (e.g. PM's inner circle) often shape policy more than the full cabinet - Prime Ministerial dominance – The PM controls key decisions, often sidelining the cabinet (e.g. Blair's "sofa government").
48
constitutional changes during the coalition
2011 fixed term parliament act: 5 year election cycles, removed in 2022 2015 recall of MPs act: if an MP is found guilty of wrongdoings a by election is held given there are enough signatures
49
example of individual ministerial responsibility in effect
- Matt Hancock – COVID Breach Scandal (2021) - CCTV footage showed Hancock kissing a colleague - This broke the COVID-19 social distancing rules that he had helped to implement. - Hancock resigned

Politics (32 decks)

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