Your Parliament: an introduction
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Your Parliament: an introduction
- 1. www.parliament.uk/get-involved An Introduction to Parliament April 2016 @UKParlOutreach Parliamentary Outreach and Engagement
- 2. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Parliament’s Outreach Service • A free service from the Houses of Parliament • Politically neutral • Aims to increase knowledge and engagement with work and processes of Parliament
- 3. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Session objectives By the end of this session, you will know: • What Parliament is • What Parliament does • The difference between Parliament and Government • The work of an MP • The work of a Member of the House of Lords
- 4. www.parliament.uk/get-involved What is Parliament? The Monarch House of Commons House of Lords
- 6. www.parliament.uk/get-involved The House of Commons • The democratically elected chamber of Parliament • 650 MPs, all are elected at Least every 5 years • Approximately 70,000 people per constituency
- 8. www.parliament.uk/get-involved What is the role of the House of Lords? • Scrutinising legislation • Holding Government to account
- 9. www.parliament.uk/get-involved The House of Lords • The House of Lords is the second chamber of Parliament, also known as ‘the revising House’ • There are 815 Members in total (177 are Crossbenchers) • Members include: • 701 Life Peers • 88 Hereditary Peers • 26 Bishops
- 10. www.parliament.uk/get-involved The core tasks of Parliament Makes and passes laws (Legislation) Holds Government to account Enables the Government to set taxes
- 11. www.parliament.uk/get-involved The Government • The party with (usually) the majority of seats in the House of Commons forms the Government • The Government: • Runs public departments (e.g. Home Office) • Proposes new laws to Parliament • Is accountable to Parliament
- 12. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Parliament (Westminster) • Commons, Lords and Monarch • Holds Government to account • Passes laws Government (Whitehall) • Some MPs and some Lords, chosen by the Prime Minister • Runs Government departments and public services
- 13. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Contacting your MP • Your MP’s contact details will be on the Parliament website: www.parliament.uk • You can call the House of Commons Information Office on 020 7219 4272 • Or at your town hall or local library • Many MPs will have a contact address and number in the constituency
- 14. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Contacting Members of the Lords • You can call the House of Lords Information Office on 020 7219 3107 • Identify Peers who will support your campaign • Biographies of all Peers are available at www.parliament.uk • Members of the House of Lords do not have constituencies, so in theory, you can contact any member
- 16. www.parliament.uk/get-involved How does Parliament hold Government to account? @UKParlOutreach
- 17. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Parliamentary Questions •Parliamentary Questions, questions asked to Government Ministers which allow MPs and Lords to hold the Government to account •PQs can be tabled for either oral or written answer •In the Commons, each day includes a different ministerial question time
- 18. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Parliamentary Debates •Adjournment debates, in the House of Commons; Questions for Short Debate in the House of Lords •Opposition Day debates •Back-Bench Business debates •General debates
- 22. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Public Bill Committees (House of Commons) • Both Houses refer legislation to committees for detailed discussion and approval • If the Bill starts in the Commons the committee is able to take evidence from experts and interest groups from outside Parliament
- 25. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Select Committees • Scrutinise specific areas of work and Government Departments • Groups and individuals can submit evidence to inquiries • Relevant Government Department must respond to the reports they produce
- 26. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Select Committees • In the Commons, Select Committees typically have eleven members • The Chair of the Committee is elected by MPs from across the House • Committees are most effective when they work by consensus to produce a report • Committees scrutinise Government work in detail
- 28. www.parliament.uk/get-involved E-Petition Clear request to UK Parliament or the UK Government, about something which is within their responsibility
- 29. www.parliament.uk/get-involved All-Party Parliamentary Groups • Cross-party • MPs and Members of the House of Lords • Based around common interest • Not involved in formal decision making
- 32. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Where can I get information? • www.parliament.uk and @UKParliament • Commons Information Office 020 7219 4272 hcinfo@parliament.uk • Lords Information Office 020 7219 3107 hlinfo@parliament.uk • Parliament’s Outreach Service 020 7219 1650 parliamentaryoutreach@parliament.uk
Editor's Notes
- http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=17286
- Important points to stress: You don’t work for an MP or for a political party. The service is free of charge. You will be giving facts about Parliament and expressing no opinions. Why bother? Because better engagement from you helps Parliament do its job. It needs to know about the effects of legislation and policy, and unless you tell them, it’s really hard for them to know.
- http://www.parliament.uk/education/about-your-parliament/introduction/ Stop at Your Voice
- Parliament comprises of three things. Two institutions and one person – the Queen The House of Commons The democratically elected house of Parliament. This is the one that is voted in every five years when there is an election. The House of Lords The second chamber of Parliament. Not as important as the House of Commons. Not elected. Lords and Baronesses (Peers) are usually appointed because they are experts in a particular subject. Lord Sugar is an expert in business, Baroness Manningham-Buller was appointed when she retired from being head of MI5, which makes her chief spy, and Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson is an expert in Sport – she has won more medals than any other Olympic or Paralympic athlete. The House of Lords can only disagree with something that the House of Commons wants to do three times and then they have to let it through. Often, when the House of Lords tells the Government that they don’t like something the Government will make a change although not often the exact change the House of Lords want. The Queen The Queen is the Head of State. She opens Parliament every year and asks the party that wins a general election to become the government. The queen also has to agree all the laws that the rest of parliament votes for, but she always does. Can anyone guess the last time a monarch disagreed with parliament? It was more than 300 years ago in 1707. Queen Anne. Parliament spends about half its time deciding on the rules of the country by making and passing laws to deal with our constantly changing society. It takes money from taxpayers, which the government uses to carry out its work. All government money comes from the people when they pay taxes like income tax, which is paid out of people’s wages and VAT, which is an extra cost added to things you buy, which the government takes in tax. It uses that money to run services like hospitals and schools, to pay soldiers, build roads. It checks that government is doing a good job – which we call scrutiny - through MPs and Members of the House of Lords asking questions, which the government have to answer. It also debates issues that are important and that the people care about. The democratically elected chamber of Parliament.
- The Monarch Her Majesty the Queen as Head of State A politically neutral role Signs off laws passed by Government – Royal Assent Opens Parliament each year – a ceremonial role when she also reads the Queens Speech which outline the aims of ‘her’ Government She has weekly meetings with the Prime Minster The Queen, upon request of the Prime Minister, can also dissolve Parliament.
- The House of Commons is perhaps the part of Parliament we are all most familiar with as we are used to seeing the green benches on the news. It is the democratically elected chamber of Parliament which means that we, the British public, are responsible for the political composition of the House, so you only have yourselves to blame. Each MP represents an average of approximately 70,000 potential voters, in the 650 parliamentary constituencies. plus everyone else who is in their area who cannot vote (under 18s etc). There are 650 MPs MPs represent everyone in their constituency – regardless of their political affiliations and whether they voted for them or not: it doesn’t matter whether you support them, like them voted for them or voted at all, they are your representative in Parliament. The number of seats is decided by the Boundary Commission – an independent body which recommends the boundaries regarding Parliamentary constituencies. At the 2010 general election the number of seats increased from 646 to 650 to reflect the growing population. The party, or parties, with the largest number of seats in the House of Commons forms the Government (which remember is different from Parliament).
- http://www.parliament.uk/about/podcasts/theworkofparliament/house-of-commons-chamber-film/a-day-in-the-chamber/
- What does the House of Lords do? Basically the same as the House of Commons, but it does it slightly differently. House of Lords membership provides breadth of experience and expertise. No party group in the House of Lords holds a majority. Members of the Lords speak and debate on the basis of their personal interest and professional expertise, rather than just along strict party-political lines. The House of Lords is a key contributor to process of initiating, revising and amending legislation. All laws must be agreed by both Houses before receiving Royal Assent. The House of Lords generally delays and asks the Government and the House of Commons to think again. The Lords cannot hold up government legislation that comes from a manifesto commitment indefinitely. It also checks and challenges the activities of government (scrutinises their work). It does this through several mechanisms including questioning the government, debates on topical issues and select committee inquiries. Very similar to the House of Commons. The House of Commons uses timetabling, the Lords doesn’t. The Lords cannot change “money bills”, meaning the budget, so that phrase no taxation without representation applies here.
- On average, 470 attend Life peers – most members of the Lords are life peers - appointed for their lifetime only. The Queen formally appoints life peers on the advice and recommendation of the Prime Minister or the independent House of Lords Appointments Commission. Elected hereditary peers - the general right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords was ended in 1999 by the House of Lords Act. Ninety-two hereditary peers were elected internally to remain: these are known within the House of Lords as ‘excepted hereditary peers’. Excluded hereditary peers retain their peerages and titles (which are passed on to their children) and may stand in by-elections for membership of the House of Lords to replace an excepted hereditary peer who has died. Life peers can be appointed via political lists of ad hoc House of Commons announcements. Political lists – these are Lords appointed to boost the strengths of the three main parties. Regular attendance in the House is expected, usually on the frontbench as a spokesperson or whip. Archbishops and bishops - a limited number of 26 Church of England archbishops and bishops sits in the House, passing their membership on to the next most senior bishop when they retire. The Archbishops of Canterbury and York traditionally receive life peerages on retirement. Members of the Lords do not have specific constituents to represent or constituency issues to deal with. No single political party has a majority in the House of Lords: the Government, opposition and crossbencher groups maintain roughly equal sizes. Whereas the MPs are in the Commons because they represent an area, Peers sit in the House of Lords because of their expertise and experience in a subject, so if you are interested in something and can find a Peer who is interested in the same thing, why not contact them and ask them to raise your issue in Parliament?
- The political party with (usually) the majority of seats in the House of Commons forms the Government. The Government proposes new laws to Parliament. The Government consists of approximately 100 members, all of whom are chosen by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister can choose whoever they want to be a member of their Government, with the only convention being that they are accountable to Parliament, and must therefore be a member of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. The Government runs public departments, such as Health, Transport, Schools. It is through the creation of legislation that the departments and local authorities are required to follow Government policy. If Government policy is not reflected in legislation then there is no obligation to follow it. Ministers are MPs or Members of the Lords who are given extra responsibilities for leading or assisting the leader of one of the Government departments. The Cabinet consists of senior Ministers chosen by the Prime Minister – the executive committee who head Government departments and decide Government policy. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government departments and are generally called ‘Secretary of State’, although some have special titles, such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State, Junior Ministers and Parliamentary Under–Secretaries of State assist the ministers in charge of the department. A Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) is selected from backbench MPs as the ‘eyes and ears’ of the minister in the House of Commons. Whips are MPs or Members of the Lords who are appointed to maintain party discipline. They make sure people vote the right way and show up.
- This is another way to think about the distinction between Parliament and Government: they are in different places (Westminster / Whitehall). Parliament is all MPs, all Members of the House of Lords and the Monarchy Government is just some MPs and some Peers who have been chosen by the Prime Minister to be Ministers. If you can command the confidence of the House, you can form a Government.
- http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmregmem/150209/150209.pdf Register of Members interests
- No new law can be made by Parliament unless it has completed a number of stages in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. While it is still journeying through Parliament, it is called a Bill. So a Bill is a proposal for a new law, or a proposal to change an existing law, that is presented for debate before Parliament. Bills can begin in the House of Commons or the House of Lords. A Bill only becomes an Act if it is approved by a majority in the House of Commons and House of Lords, and formally agreed to by the reigning monarch (known as Royal Assent). An Act of Parliament is a law, enforced in all areas of the UK where it is applicable. (This picture depicts the Act which abolished the Slave Trade in 1807) BALLOT for private members bills will be after the Queens speech. The queen’s speech will list the bills the government want to introduce over the next year. Listen to it. Is there anything that you would like to get involved in? Anything of concern or interest? Get involved. (If you have internet access go to website below to show flash version of passage of a bill.) http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/laws/passage_bill/index.htm 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
- Committee stage is where detailed examination of the Bill takes place. It usually starts within a couple of weeks of a Bill’s second reading, although this is not guaranteed. Amendments (proposals for change) for discussion are selected by the chairman of the committee and only members of the committee can vote on amendments during committee stage.
- Select Committees An inquiry will begin with the committee in question announcing the subject of an inquiry, and making a call to any groups or organisations with an interest in the inquiry subject to submit written evidence. In making the call for evidence, the committee will ask a number of questions that it wants groups to answer in their evidence. The call for evidence will also come with a deadline. After the deadline for written evidence, the committee will then call a selected number of people to give oral evidence in Parliament. We should emphasise the majority of people that submit written evidence do not get called to an oral evidence session due to the sheer number of people submitting evidence. The written and oral evidence will then be collated, which summarises the evidence received, and makes a number of recommendations. The report is then sent to the relevant Government department who will make a formal response. They are a great way for groups and organisations to give their views and experiences directly to Parliament. You may occasionally hear news reports refer to ‘an influential group of MPs’. These are usually Select Committees. They can often have a direct influence on Government policies. House of Lords Select Committees draw on the experience of their members to conduct internationally respected investigations into specialist public and policy issues. Unlike House of Commons committees, House of Lords committees take a broader, issues-focused perspective (eg communications, economic affairs, science and technology), not limited to the work of particular Government departments. Membership The majority of Commons Select Committee Chairs are now elected by their fellow MPs. This applies to departmental committees and the Environmental Audit, Political and Constitutional Reform, Procedure, Public Administration and Public Accounts committees. The other Committee members are nominated by their party after internal party elections. http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/international-development-committee/inquiries/parliament-2010/vaw/
- Select Committees An inquiry will begin with the committee in question announcing the subject of an inquiry, and making a call to any groups or organisations with an interest in the inquiry subject to submit written evidence. In making the call for evidence, the committee will ask a number of questions that it wants groups to answer in their evidence. The call for evidence will also come with a deadline. After the deadline for written evidence, the committee will then call a selected number of people to give oral evidence in Parliament. We should emphasise the majority of people that submit written evidence do not get called to an oral evidence session due to the sheer number of people submitting evidence. The written and oral evidence will then be collated, which summarises the evidence received, and makes a number of recommendations. The report is then sent to the relevant Government department who will make a formal response. They are a great way for groups and organisations to give their views and experiences directly to Parliament. You may occasionally hear news reports refer to ‘an influential group of MPs’. These are usually Select Committees. They can often have a direct influence on Government policies. House of Lords Select Committees draw on the experience of their members to conduct internationally respected investigations into specialist public and policy issues. Unlike House of Commons committees, House of Lords committees take a broader, issues-focused perspective (eg communications, economic affairs, science and technology), not limited to the work of particular Government departments. Membership The majority of Commons Select Committee Chairs are now elected by their fellow MPs. This applies to departmental committees and the Environmental Audit, Political and Constitutional Reform, Procedure, Public Administration and Public Accounts committees. The other Committee members are nominated by their party after internal party elections. http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/international-development-committee/inquiries/parliament-2010/vaw/
- An e-petition needs six supporters to be opened for signature on the new site. Any British citizen or UK resident can start or sign no age limit. Clear request to Parliament or the Government, about something which is within their responsibility (not offensive or libellous). After six months, every e-petition is formally presented to the House and recorded in the Votes and Proceedings. Government response to petitions which reach 10,000 signatures. What can the Petitions Committee do with the petition? Seek further info in writing - from petitioners, the Government, other public bodies, other relevant people/organisations Seek further information in person – in Parliament or elsewhere Refer to another select committee (but no obligation to act) Schedule a debate in Westminster Hall (Monday afternoon, from 4.30pm for up to three hours) Ask the Backbench Business Committee for debating time in the Chamber Nothing
- Parliament’s Outreach Service can come and deliver workshops to any groups, usually at a place and time convenient to them. POST We do need a minimum of 15 people per session. Ask the learners to complete feedback forms. http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/offices/commons/commonslibrary/