the ways in which parliament interacts with the executive

Question 1

what is the liason committee?

Answer 1

consists of all the chairs of all the departmental committees

Question 2

how effective is the liason committee?

Answer 2

it hasn’t been as effective in previous years because the PM can cancel meetings with the committee, like when Bojo canvelled several planned appearances

Question 3

what is the backbench committee?

Answer 3

elected backbench MPs, who’s main role is to determine what issues should be debated one day a week, they debate things like:
* when an e-petition has achieved 100,000 signatures
* from a request by MPs

Question 4

name a recent debate done by the backbench committee

Answer 4

an e-petition in 2011 to order the publication of the documents relating to the 1989 Hillsborough football disaster, the debate carried out lead to forced release of the documents

Question 5

give 2 strengths of HOC select committees

Answer 5

(+) they are independent minded, not biased
(+) they put pressure on the government through questioning, demanding accountability

Question 6

why can HOC select committees be seen as weak?

Answer 6

they do not have the power to enforce decisions and recommendations, they can only bring publicity to issues, call government to account and recommend courses of action

Question 7

is parliament effective?

4 arguments for

Answer 7

• parliament provides strong legitimacy
• select committees are effective in scrutinising the work of the governmnent
• both houses check the power of the government
• in the Lords, experts use their knowledge to effectively scrutinise

Question 8

is parliament effective?

4 arguments against

Answer 8

• PMQTs remain a ‘media event’ rather than a serious session
• the HOL lacks legitimacy as it is neither elected nor accountable
• legislative committees in the commons are whipped, making them largely ineffective
• the power of patronage and control by party whips means that many MPs are unwilling to challenge government