Introduction to Parliament session for Defra. 14 August 2013.

1. An Introduction
to Parliament
August 2013

2.  A service from the Houses of
Parliament
 Politically neutral
 Aim is to increase knowledge and
engagement with work and
processes of Parliament
 Not an alternative to MPs

3. Conservative - 304
Labour - 257
Lib Dem - 55
DUP - 8
SNP - 6
Sinn Fein - 5
Plaid Cymru - 3
SDLP - 3
Green - 1
Respect - 1
Alliance - 1
Independent - 5
Speaker - 1

4. The party or parties who
can command the
confidence of the House
of Commons forms the
Government
The Government:
 runs public departments such as the Home
Office, Department of Health etc.
 proposes new laws to Parliament
 is accountable to Parliament

5. • Commons, Lords,
Monarch
• Holds Government
to account
• Passes laws
• Enables taxation
• Represents public
• Raises key issues
• Some MPs and some
Lords
• Chosen by the Prime
Minister
• Runs Government
departments and
public services
• Accountable to
Parliament
Government
(Whitehall)

6. House of Commons
House of Lords
The
Monarch

7. Makes and passes laws
(Legislation)
Holds Government to
account
Enables the Government
to set taxes

8.  The democratically elected
chamber of Parliament
 There are currently
650 MPs
All MPs are elected every 5
years

11.  The second Chamber, also known as the
revising House
 No party, or combination of parties has an
overall majority in the House of Lords
 There are also 183 Cross-Benchers in the
Lords, who are independent of party
 There are 808 members
of whom 755 are eligible:
◦ 641 are Life Peers
◦ 89 are Hereditary Peers
◦ 25 are C of E Bishops

12.  Scrutinise legislation in detail
 Hold Ministers to account through
questions and debates
 Debate key issues at length
and in detail
 Scrutinise EU legislation
 Bring experience to bear on
issues of the day

13.  Please split into groups of 5, you will be allocated one of
the following subjects:
1. Question Time
2. Early day Motions (EDMs)
3. The Speaker
4. Divisions
5. Select Committees
6. All-party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs)
As a group briefly answer the points given on your
worksheet – and nominate a spokesperson to
present your points.

14. • All Government departments
can be questioned on their work
• In writing and orally
• In Commons and Lords
• Must relate to running of
Government department
• Cannot be on party or private
issues, sub-judice, or on the
monarchy
• Must be used to request
information or press for
action

15.  Parliamentary calendar
http://services.parliament.uk/calendar/
Click on day of debate or click on to show business for whole week.
 Handout - Order papers (Summary Agenda and Order of Business)
 Commons: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-
papers/commons/agenda-and-order-of-business/ .
This section also list other useful Business Papers.
 Lords Business Papers: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-
papers/lords/
 Hansard (the Official Report) - is the edited verbatim report of proceedings of
both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
 House of Commons Hansard:
http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/hansard/commons/
 House of Lords Hansard: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/hansard/lords/

16.  Prime Minister’s Question Time (PMQ’s)

17.  Departments allocated specific days for oral questions sessions
 Typically 25 oral and 10 topical questions selected for Order Paper
 Each department has a session roughly once every five weeks
 Oral questions take 45 minutes, topicals take 15
 Handout - Order of Oral Answers to Questions:
http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/business/questions/
(PDF under House of Commons info)

18.  MPs and Lords “table”
questions in advance at
Table Office
 Questions are selected by
“shuffle”, numbered and
put on the order paper
 Successful members
called to ask their
question, then ask
supplementary
 Other MPs/Lords can ask
follow-up questions
 In the Commons, all of the
relevant ministerial team
must be present

19.  Question Time takes place at
the beginning of the day’s
business for up to 30 minutes
(Mondays to Thursdays)
 Lords questions are to the
Government as a whole, not to
particular government
departments
 Questions can be tabled
anywhere between 1 month
and 24 hours in advance
 Slots reserved for 'topical
questions', tabled two days in
advance

20.  Each question
relates to a
different
Government
department
 Named Members
called to speak
 HoL is self-
regulating;
Members take
turns to speak until
that subject is
exhausted

21.  In the Commons, MPs submit these to Table Office
 “Ordinary” questions do not have to be answered on a specific date
 MP can expect it to be answered within seven days of the question being
tabled.
 No parliamentary rule that states ordinary written questions have to be
answered by a certain date
 House of Lords written questions follow a similar procedure
 Lords enter questions on the Order Paper via the Table Office
 Lords may table up to six questions each day and can expect an answer
within 14 days.

22.  Opposition day debates
 Debates in Government
time
 Adjournment debates
 Westminster Hall
debates
 Back-Bench Business
debates

23.  Thursday
afternoon
debates
 Questions for
short debate
 (Peers may use
the Private
Member’s Bill
process to
secure a debate)

24.  Early Day Motions (EDMs) are formal motions submitted for debate in the House of
Commons. However, very few are actually debated. EDMs allow MPs to draw
attention to an event or cause. MPs register their support by signing individual
motions.
 More information on EDMs can be found on the Parliament website:
http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/business/edms/
 EDM database: http://www.parliament.uk/edm

26. The Speaker is the highest authority in
the House of Commons, chairing
debates, keeping order and calling
Members of Parliament (MPs) to
speak.
 elected to the post by other MPs
 Politically impartial.
 When elected the Speaker resigns
from their political party and remains
separate from political issues, even in
retirement.
 Urgent Questions for debate must
be submitted through the Speaker:
http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/b
usiness/urgent-questions/
 More information about the Speaker of the
House of Commons:
http://www.parliament.uk/business/common
s/the-speaker/
The Speaker of the House of Lords
 The Lord Speaker is a role elected
internally by Members of the House of
Lords.
 Politically impartial, responsibilities of
the Lord Speaker include chairing the
Lords debating chamber and offering
advice on procedure.

27.  A vote is called a 'division'.
 Members of both Houses register their vote for or against issues by physically going
into two different areas either side of their debating chambers.
 This is known as 'dividing the House', while the areas concerned are 'division
lobbies'.
 During a division, Members literally divide into two separate areas. These are called
the Aye and No lobbies in the Commons and the Contents and Not Contents lobbies
in the Lords.
 As they pass through the lobbies, the Members have their names recorded by clerks
and are counted by tellers.
 Then the Speaker (Commons) or the Lord Speaker (Lords) announces the result of
the division. The whole process takes about fifteen minutes.

28.  Set up to scrutinise specific areas of work and
Government departments
 Work carried out through public inquiries
 Groups and individuals submit evidence to
enquiries
 Inquiry report created and passed to Government
department

29.  Informal cross-party groups on
many different subjects, e.g.
◦ Youth Affairs
◦ Asthma
◦ Football
 APPGs are a useful way to
identify MPs/Lords with an
interest in a certain issue

31.  www.parliament.uk
 Commons Information Office
020 7219 4272
 Lords Information Office
020 7219 3107