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Winchester university october 2016
The document provides information about how citizens can get involved with the UK Parliament by contacting their MP, submitting evidence to committees reviewing bills, watching or attending debates, tracking bills online, and signing up for email updates. It explains the roles of the House of Commons and House of Lords in making laws and provides background on the legislative process.
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Winchester university october 2016
- 1. www.parliament.uk/get-involved The UK Parliament KateAnderson: UK Parliament Universities Programme andersonk@parliament.uk @KateAHoP
- 2. www.parliament.uk/get-involved The UK Parliamentis 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
- 3. www.parliament.uk/get-involved What is Parliament? Houseof Commons The Monarch (The Queen) House of Lords
- 4. www.parliament.uk/get-involved How many MPsare there in the House of Commons? a) 678 b) 664 c) 650 d) 659
- 5. Reduce the numberof constituencies in the UK from 650 to 600, and reduce the variation in electorates. The Boundary Commission for England initial proposals for 501 English constituencies would mean a reduction of 32 seats. Only 68 seats would remain unchanged. The Boundary Commission is independent. The rules for the review are set out in the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 (as amended). The changes will be consulted on with final the final report to be delivered in 2018. The Commission for Scotland is due to report this month (October 2016). Scotland is expected to lose 10% of its seats.
- 6. www.parliament.uk/get-involved A snap election? FixedTerm Parliament Act 2011 The Act stipulates that there will be a general election every five years, on the first Thursday in May. An early election may take place if either of two conditions is met: (1) If the House passes the motion (and, if divided on, is supported by two-thirds of all MPs, not just two-thirds of those voting) ‘That there shall be an early general election’. (2) If the House passes the motion ‘That this House has no confidence in Her Majesty’s Government’ and if, after 14 days, a new or reconstituted government has not achieved a motion of confidence from the House.
- 7. 51% 35% 8% 1%1%1%1%1%1%0%0%0%0%0% Seats Conservative Labour ScottishNational Party Democratic Unionist Party Liberal Democrat Independent Sinn Fein Plaid Cymru Social Democratic & Labour Party Ulster Unionist Party Green Party Speaker UK Independence Party Vacant
- 8. www.parliament.uk/get-involved How can peoplebecome 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
- 9. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Who sits inthe House of Lords? Life peers Elected hereditary peers Bishops and Archbishops
- 10. www.parliament.uk/get-involved What do the Commonsand 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 theHouse 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 House of Lords Specialistsv Generalists • Any reform of the House of Lords is likely to shift the balance from specialists to generalists. • The current role of the House of Lords is based on the expertise of its membership. • Scientists sit on the Science and Technology Committee • Head of homelessness charities sit on Housing Bill Committees • Retired judges inform reforms to the courts and criminal justice system • If the membership changes, it’s role will change.
- 13. www.parliament.uk/get-involved The UK Government Theparty 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
- 14. www.parliament.uk/get-involved UK Parliament UKGovernment • 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
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- 16. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Where do PublicBills come from? Individual MPs and Peers • Private Members Bills The UK Government • Government Bills • Green and white papers
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- 18. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Legislation Exercise • Find theHigher Education and Research Bill pages on the UK Parliament website. • Which Government Department does it come from? • What stage is the Bill at?
- 19. www.parliament.uk/get-involved House of Commons PublicBill Committees • Line-by-line scrutiny of the Bill • This is where most amendments are made • Many amendments are intended to “probe” rather than change the Bill • Government will often accept the basis for Opposition amendments and consider introducing changes on Report
- 20. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Higher Education andResearch Bill The Bill is open for consultation Any change must be related to the topic of the Bill. • Your first stop is the Library briefing paper. It will give you an overview of what the Bill will do. • You can also look at the most recent amendment paper to see what changes Government and Opposition Members are proposing. • All written evidence is published on the Bill website.
- 21. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Higher Education andResearch Bill The Bill is open for consultation You can propose a change. • Think carefully how to summarise your concern. • What is the problem? • Why do you care? • Why should the Committee care? • What do you want them to do about it?
- 22. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Get involved Respond toa Government consultation: www.gov.uk/government/publications?publication_filter_option =consultations Comment on a draft Bill: www.parliament.uk/business/bills-and-legislation/draft-bills/ See which Bills the UK Parliament is considering and sign up for email updates: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/
- 23. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Where to start?MPs and Peers • Your MP’s contact details will be on the UK Parliament website - www.parliament.uk - or you can call the House of Commons Enquiry Service on 0800 112 4272 • Members of the House of Lords do not have constituencies, so in theory, you can contact any member • Identify Peers who are interested in the Bill • You can email Peers at contactholmember@parliament.uk, but do not send bulk mail shots. If more than six copies of the same email are received, all will be deleted • Call the House of Lords Enquiry Service on 0207 219 3107 for more information about contacting Peers
- 24. www.parliament.uk/get-involved English votes forEnglish laws It’s not only about England If parts of a Government Bill are only about England or England and Wales, those parts go through an extra stage in the House of Commons. MPs from the nations affected must approve those parts of the Bill between report stage and third reading.
- 25. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Delegated or Secondary Legislation Makesdetailed changes to the law Statutory instruments form the majority of delegated legislation Whether the Government are allowed to make the particular change was decided when the Act was going through Parliament Parliament checks that the Government are acting within the powers in the Act
- 26. www.parliament.uk/get-involved House of CommonsLibrary Blog: http://commonslibraryblog.com/ Twitter: @commonslibrary Read the research prepared for Peers and MP Fixed-Term Parliaments Act Boundary Review Role of Opposition The Libraries of House of Commons and House of Lords
- 27. www.parliament.uk/get-involved Get involved Contact yourMP or a member of the House of Lords Submit evidence to a Public Bill Committee Watch, read or attend a debate or committee on a Bill Use http://services.parliament.uk/bills/ to find information on specific Bills Sign up for email updates Find out more at www.parliament.uk/get-involved or call the House of Commons Enquiry service on 0800 112 4272 or the House of Lords Enquiry Service on 020 7219 3107
Editor's Notes
- #4 Watch http://goo.gl/w8tgIa
- #11 http://goo.gl/w8tgIa
- #12 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.
- #18 Go through the passage of a bill. They will all have handouts but the Commons are on the top on their copy. Go through bill starting in the commons as this is most common. One stage at a time. Mention: Explain what the committee of the Whole House is Explain Grand Committee in House of Lords Explain when reprinted PBSs in the Commons generally 20-25 members Remind them about the Salisbury convention where the HoL will not hold up manifesto commitments consideration of amendments is called Ping Pong This should take about 5 minutes.
- #24 MPs represent all the people in their local area, whether they vote for them or not. They can speak out in the House of Commons about issues that matter to you. You may wish to contact your MP when you, your community or your organisation and the people they represent are affected by the decisions made by the UK Parliament or Government. Who your MP is depends on where you live. The UK is divided into 650 areas called constituencies, and each constituency is represented by one MP. Most MPs are also members of a political party, and they work they do often reflects their party’s view and policies. There is a convention that MPs can deal only with their own constituents, so if you are contacting someone who is not your MP, you need to be very clear about why you are contacting them. Have they have expressed a clear interest in your issue, for example? Are you contacting them about something that affects the people in their constituency? It is also a good idea to copy in your MP. To find out who represents you, you can visit the UK Parliament website at www.parliament.uk/findyourMP ; ring the House of Commons Enquiry Service on 020 72194271; or ask at your local town hall or library. MPs split their time between working in Parliament itself, working in the constituency that elected them and working for their political party. They usually spend three to four days a week in their Westminster office and one to two days a week in their constituency office. MPs who become Ministers or the Speaker and deputy Speakers don’t stop working for their constituency. Whatever their role in Government or Parliament, MPs are still responsible for representing their constituents and will hold regular sessions called “surgeries” where they meet constituents to talk about issues of concern. Each MP decides for themselves the best way to represent their constituents, so exactly how and where individual MPs work is a matter for them. If their constituents do not agree with the decisions their MP makes, they can vote him or her out at the next election. How can you contact your MP? Writing is probably the best method, because it provides a written record that can be referred to later. You can write a letter to your MP at: The House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA If you want to contact your MPs by email, telephone or social media, or their constituency office, you can find contact details on the Parliament website at www.parliament.uk/findyourmp If you want to meet your MP face to face, you can go to a constituency surgery. It’s best to contact your MPs office first, to find out whether you need an appointment. Your MP’s website and your local library will have more information about constituency surgeries. If you want to meet your MP in the House of Commons, it is best to make an appointment by contacting your MP’s office. If you do not have an appointment, parliamentary staff will attempt to contact your MP for you, but a meeting cannot be guaranteed. What can your MP do for you? Although your MP cannot help in every case, they will usually be able to point you in the right direction. MPs can make confidential enquiries with officials on your behalf. They can also pursue a matter publically in the House of Commons by raising it in a debate, asking a question or proposing a change to a Bill. You could contact your MP if you feel that you have been treated unfairly by a Government office or agency; to let your MP know about a problem affecting people in your community; or to ask your MP to support a particular campaign that you feel strongly about. MPs represent a lot of people. There are on average 70,000 voters in each constituency. In total there are on average 98,000 people in each constituency, including children and adults who are not eligible to vote in general elections, such as EU nationals from countries other than Ireland. MPs have to consider their own views, the views and interests of local people and the interests of the country as a whole, as well as their party’s policy when making decisions about what issues to raise in Parliament and which campaigns to support. MPs cannot interfere in court decision and they can’t help with private disputes, so there are quite a few areas where other people can offer you better help. MPs can offer advice and assistance on matters for which the UK Parliament is responsible, such as: pensions; UK-wide taxes; foreign policy and energy policy. The UK Parliament is also responsible for matters such as health, education, justice and transport in England. In Wales and Northern Ireland, lots of issues and services are looked by the Welsh Assembly or the Northern Ireland Assembly, and in Scotland, many services and decisions are the responsibility of the Scottish Parliament. No matter where you live in the UK, you will have an MP who can be your voice in Parliament.
- #25 If the Speaker decides that a Government Bill or a part of a Government Bill in the House of Commons is only about England, England and Wales, or England, Wales and Northern Ireland, it will be considered a little differently. Between report stage and third reading, there is an extra stage called a Legislative Grand Committee. Only MPs who represent constituencies in the nations that the Bill is about can be members of the Legislative Grand Committee. If the Committee pass the Bill, it goes to Third reading. If they reject all or part of the Bill, it goes to “reconsideration”, which is a bit like having a second report stage. If the Legislative Grand Committee still don’t want to pass the Bill, the Government have to take out the parts the Committee have rejected or the Bill can’t continue through Parliament.
- #28 Contact your MP You might wish to contact your MP when you, or the people in your community, are affected by decisions made by the UK Parliament or Government. To find out who your MP is and how to contact them visit www.parliament.uk/findyourmp or ring the House of Commons Enquiry Service on 020 7219 4272. MPs all work differently, and each MP decides the best way to represent their constituents. Many MPs have two offices, one in their constituency and one in the House of Commons. On the Parliament website you can find contact details for your MP, as well as details of Government or Opposition posts held, membership of Select Committees and their recent parliamentary activity. www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps Many MPs are active on social media: you can follow them on Twitter; look at their Facebook page; or check out their website or blog. Following your MP on social media can be a great way to keep up to date with your MPs’ activities. Start or sign a Petition on the UK Parliament website You can explore the UK Parliament petitions website and sign a petition at https://petition.parliament.uk Search “Open petitions” for a petition about your concern. Only British citizens and UK residents can create or sign a petition, which must be about something for which the UK Parliament or Government are responsible. You need five people to sign up to support your petition. The Petitions Committee reviews all the petitions. They select petitions of interest to find out more about the issues raised. They have the power to press for action from Government or Parliament. If your petition gets 10,000 signatures, you get a response from the Government. If it gets 100,000 signatures, your petition will be considered for a debate in Parliament. Petitions on the Parliament website that get 100,000 signatures are almost always debated, unless the issue has already been debated recently or there’s a debate scheduled for the near future. Register to vote Have your say in who will be represent you. By registering to vote, you can help to choose your MP, councillor and MEP. If you are in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, you may also have a vote for your representative in the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales or the Northern Ireland Assembly. In England and Wales you can register to vote if you are 17 years old, and in some cases if you are 16, but you can only vote when you become 18. In Scotland, you can register to vote if you are 15 years old, and in some cases if you are 14. You can register to vote in the UK if you are British or a Commonwealth citizen with leave to remain in the UK or a citizen of a European Union member state. The different UK elections – general elections, local elections and Assembly and Scottish Parliament elections – have different rules about which countries’ citizens can vote. You can find out more about registering to vote at www.aboutmyvote.co.uk or by calling the Electoral Commission on 020 7271 0592