RIUKP Introduction to the UK Parliament Newcastle 2016
•Download as PPTX, PDF•
2 likes•230 views
Research, Impact and the UK Parliament Introduction to the UK Parliament
Recommended
More Related Content
Viewers also liked
Viewers also liked (11)
Similar to RIUKP Introduction to the UK Parliament Newcastle 2016
Similar to RIUKP Introduction to the UK Parliament Newcastle 2016 (20)
More from UK Parliament Outreach and Engagement Service
More from UK Parliament Outreach and Engagement Service (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
RIUKP Introduction to the UK Parliament Newcastle 2016
- 1. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Research, Impact and the UK Parliament Professor Richard Davies: Newcastle University Kate Anderson: UK Parliament Universities Programme Dr Caroline Kenny: Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology Ashlee Godwin: Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy
- 2. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Aims To increase the diversity of the academics who engage with the UK Parliament • By the end of the workshops, you will understand: • what the UK Parliament is and what it does; • where academics are engaging; and • how you can get involved.
- 3. www.parliament.uk/get-involved The UK Parliament is made up of: a) House of Commons and House of Lords b) House of Commons and Government c) Government and Monarch d) House of Commons, House of Lords and Monarch
- 4. www.parliament.uk/get-involved What is Parliament? House of Commons The Monarch (The Queen) House of Lords
- 5. www.parliament.uk/get-involved How many MPs are there in the House of Commons? a) 678 b) 664 c) 650 d) 659
- 6. www.parliament.uk/get-involved What is the House of Commons? • Democratically elected Chamber of Parliament • 650 Members of Parliament (MPs) are elected at least every five years • The party, or parties, with a majority in the House of Commons form the UK Government.
- 7. www.parliament.uk/get-involved How can people become members of the House of Lords? a) Members of the public nominate them b) An independent Commission recommends them c) The Prime Minister chooses them d) Their titles are passed down to them through their family e) All of the above
- 8. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Who sits in the House of Lords? Life peers Elected hereditary peers Bishops and Archbishops
- 9. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Which TWO answers describe the work of the UK Parliament? a) running Government departments b) checking up on the work of Government c) being the highest court of appeal in the UK d) making new laws
- 10. www.parliament.uk/get-involved What do the Commons and the Lords do? Make new laws and change existing laws Scrutinise the UK Government Raise and debate key issues
- 11. www.parliament.uk/get-involved What doesn’t the House of Lords do? The House of Lords doesn’t approve taxes and Government spending The House of Lords doesn’t block Bills that were in a Government’s manifesto The Lords can only delay new laws the Government want to pass, not stop them completely
- 12. www.parliament.uk/get-involved The UK 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 the UK Parliament Is accountable to Parliament
- 13. www.parliament.uk/get-involved UK Parliament UK Government • Commons, Lords and Monarch • Holds Government to account • Makes laws • Enables the Government to raise and spend money • Some MPs and some Lords, chosen by the Prime Minister • Runs Government departments and public services
- 15. www.parliament.uk/get-involved How does the UK Parliament use research? • House of Commons Select Committees • House of Lords Select Committees • Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) • House of Commons Library • House of Lords Library • Public Bill Committees
- 16. www.parliament.uk/get-involved How does the UK Parliament use research? • House of Commons Select Committees • House of Lords Select Committees • Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) • All-Party Parliamentary Groups
- 17. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Breakout groups • Academics and the UK Parliament • Engaging with UK Parliamentarians • What is good Select Committee evidence?
Editor's Notes
- Watch http://goo.gl/w8tgIa
- ©UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor
- http://goo.gl/w8tgIa
- The House of Lords is the second Chamber of the UK Parliament. It is independent from, and complements the work of, the elected House of Commons. The Lords shares the task of making new laws and changes to existing laws, checking and challenging the work of the Government and debating key issues affecting the public. The House of Commons has “financial privilege”, which means that the House of Lords does not make decisions about public taxes and spending. Making new laws or changes to existing laws With changes in attitudes and lifestyles, new inventions and medical advances, there may be a need to create a completely new law, or to make changes to older laws. Calls for a change in the law may come from an individual, a pressure group, businesses, charities, the medical profession, the police or lawyers. While the Government have the greatest say in which changes are actually proposed, it is Parliament - the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Monarch – that accept or reject them. A proposal for a new law is known as a Bill. If Parliament passes a Bill it becomes an Act of Parliament. Writing a Bill normally involves a great deal of discussion and consultation. Sometimes the Government publishes a draft Bill and invites the public to comment; this draft version may be looked at by a Committee in Parliament, called a Select Committee, who will ask experts for their views on how to improve it. That is called pre-legislative scrutiny. Before they can become law, all Bills go through the same set stages of scrutiny as they are considered by both Houses of Parliament. Bills can start in the House of Commons or the House of Lords. Peers have the opportunity to debate the general principle of the Bill and to make detailed changes to it. The process is then repeated in the Commons. Any changes that the House of Lords makes to a Bill need to be agreed to by MPs in the Commons and vice-versa. That stage is officially called “consideration of amendments”, but more often, “ping pong”. When both Houses reach agreement, a Bill is ready to be given Royal Assent and become an Act of Parliament. This is a formal announcement made in both Houses – by the Speaker in the Commons and the Lord Speaker in the Lords – that signifies that the Monarch has agreed that it should become law. You can contact any member of the House of Lords to voice your opinion on a Bill as it progresses through Parliament. You can also write in with your views during its Committee stage in the Commons; experts and campaigners are often invited to give their opinion in person. Scrutinising the Government Like the House of Commons, the House of Lords also checks and challenges the work of Government. It does so through questioning the Government, holding debates on topical issues and holding inquiries by groups of peers, called Select Committee inquiries. Every sitting of the House starts with Question Time, when the Lords question Government Ministers about their work and the Ministers must answer. Anyone can watch the Chamber at work. Entry is free and you can also watch online. Written questions are also asked – written replies from the Government are expected within a fortnight and printed in the back of the report of debates, known as Hansard or the Official Report. In the 2014-15 session, Peers asked the Government 6,394 oral and written questions and held 188 debates on issues ranging from early years education to assisted dying. Members use their individual expertise and experience to investigate public policy. Much of that work is done in Select Committees - small groups appointed to consider specific policy areas. Many Select Committee meetings involve questioning expert witnesses working in the field that is the subject of the inquiry. These meetings are also open to the public. In the 2014-15 session, House of Lords Select Committees produced 27 reports on subjects including the economics of the high speed rail project, women in news and current affairs on TV and radio and the civilian use of drones in the European Union. Debating key issues affecting the public Debates provide an opportunity for Peers to discuss Government policy and other topical issues of the day. A day’s business in the House of Lords often covers a wide range of subjects, from foreign affairs to care home provision. General debates do not end in a vote. They are an opportunity to discuss important issues and raise awareness. A day each week is set aside for one long or two short debates. A Government Minister or spokesperson responds at the end of the debate. The different membership of the House of Lords provides a breadth of experience and expertise. No party group in the House of Lords holds an overall majority, so its work in checking and challenging the work of Government is often less partisan. Checking and approving Government spending and taxes The House of Commons has “financial privilege”. The House of Lords does not approve or reject Government spending or taxes. The Commons is responsible for making decisions on financial Bills, such as proposed new taxes. The Lords can influence and consider these Bills, but do not block or amend them. The levels of taxation the Government can set, and other financial policies that are set by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Budget every year, are approved only by the House of Commons; the House of Lords does not get involved.