Parliament (Edexcel A Level Politics): Flashcards
Exam code: 9PL0
1/930Still learning
Know0
Define Parliament.
Was this flashcard helpful?
Cards in this collection (93)
Define Parliament.
Parliament is the legislative branch of government in the UK, responsible for making laws, scrutinising the executive and representing the electorate.
How many elected MPs sit in the House of Commons?
There are 650 elected MPs in the House of Commons.
Define fused powers.
Fused powers means the executive is drawn from the legislature rather than being fully separate.
The House of Lords has around unelected members.
The House of Lords has around 800 unelected members.
True or False?
The House of Commons has primacy because it is the elected chamber.
True.
The House of Commons has primacy over the House of Lords because it is the elected chamber.
Why is the monarch not a democratic part of Parliament?
The monarch is unelected and hereditary, inheriting the throne rather than being chosen by voters.
Define the executive.
The executive is the branch of government responsible for making policy decisions and implementing laws.
What are the three main roles of Parliament?
The three main roles of Parliament are representation, legislation and scrutiny.
Define parliamentary sovereignty.
Parliamentary sovereignty means Parliament can make or repeal any law.
Who carries out most scrutiny of the executive?
Scrutiny is largely carried out by backbench MPs rather than ministers.
True or False?
Parliament is the same as the government.
False.
Parliament is not the same as the government, which is why it can scrutinise the executive.
Define the House of Commons.
The House of Commons is the elected chamber of Parliament and has supremacy in the UK government.
How many MPs are elected at each general election?
650 MPs are elected at each general election.
Each MP represents a constituency of around people.
Each MP represents a constituency of around 73,000 people.
How many seats does a party usually need to form a government?
A party usually needs 326 seats or more to form a government.
Define backbenchers.
Backbenchers are MPs without ministerial roles.
What deposit must a candidate pay to stand for election, and when is it returned?
A deposit of £500 is required, and it is returned if the candidate receives more than 5% of the vote.
True or False?
MPs are elected to the House of Commons using the first-past-the-post system.
True.
MPs are elected using first-past-the-post in single-member constituencies.
What is one of the main legislative functions of the House of Commons?
The House of Commons drafts and passes primary legislation, such as the Coronavirus Act 2020.
How does the House of Commons carry out its scrutiny function?
It holds the government to account through committees, such as the Public Accounts Committee's scrutiny of the handling of HS2.
In 2019, Theresa May's government a vote of no confidence, showing that the Commons can test the government's confidence.
In 2019, Theresa May's government survived a vote of no confidence, showing that the Commons can test the government's confidence.
Why is the Budget always delivered in the House of Commons?
Because the Commons has control of finance — all money bills originate there, as it represents taxpayers.
Define the House of Lords.
The House of Lords is the unelected second chamber of Parliament, primarily responsible for revising legislation and providing specialist expertise.
What are the three types of member in the House of Lords?
The three types are life peers, hereditary peers and Lords Spiritual.
Under which Act were life peers created?
Life peers were created under the Life Peerages Act 1958.
After the House of Lords Act 1999, only hereditary peers remain.
After the House of Lords Act 1999, only 92 hereditary peers remain.
Define crossbenchers.
Crossbenchers are peers who are independent of political parties.
How many Lords Spiritual sit in the House of Lords?
There are 26 Lords Spiritual, who are senior bishops of the Church of England.
True or False?
The House of Lords acted as the UK's final court of appeal until 2009.
True.
This judicial role ended in 2009 with the creation of the UK Supreme Court.
How does the House of Lords exercise its power to revise legislation?
By proposing amendments and inflicting government defeats, as in 2022 when the Lords defeated the government 14 times in one day over the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.
How many times was the government defeated in one sitting over the Rwanda Bill?
The government was defeated five times in one sitting over the Rwanda Bill.
Which type of bill does the Salisbury Convention stop the House of Lords from opposing?
The Salisbury Convention stops the Lords opposing government manifesto commitments, which is why it did not apply to the Rwanda Bill, absent from the 2019 manifesto.
True or False?
The Rwanda Bill case showed that the House of Lords can veto legislation outright.
False.
It showed the Lords can delay and amend legislation but not veto it.
Define bicameral.
Bicameral describes a parliament that has two chambers.
Why does the House of Commons have primacy over the House of Lords?
The House of Commons has primacy because it is the elected chamber.
Where must all money bills originate?
All money bills must originate in the House of Commons.
Which Act prevents the House of Lords from blocking money bills?
The Parliament Act 1911 prevents the House of Lords from blocking money bills.
The House of Commons can remove a government through a , as it did to James Callaghan in 1979.
The House of Commons can remove a government through a vote of no confidence, as it did to James Callaghan in 1979.
How can executive dominance limit the power of the House of Commons?
Strong party discipline and large majorities under first-past-the-post can concentrate power in the executive, weakening backbench independence.
Define the Salisbury Convention.
The Salisbury Convention limits the Lords' opposition to government manifesto commitments.
True or False?
The Parliament Acts have been used only seven times, most recently in 2004.
True.
Despite being able in theory to force legislation through the Lords, the Parliament Acts have been used only seven times.
How many times were Conservative governments defeated in the Lords between 2015 and 2024?
Conservative governments were defeated 578 times in the Lords between 2015 and 2024, compared to just over 50 times in the Commons.
The Parliament Act 1949 limits the Lords' power to delay legislation to year.
The Parliament Act 1949 limits the Lords' power to delay legislation to one year.
How many hereditary peers and Lords Spiritual remain in the House of Lords?
There remain 92 hereditary peers and 26 Lords Spiritual in the House of Lords.
True or False?
The House of Commons is legally supreme, while the House of Lords exercises influence in practice.
True.
The Commons holds legal power while the Lords exerts practical influence through expertise, independence and detailed scrutiny.
Define the legislative process.
The legislative process is the series of stages a bill must pass through in Parliament before it becomes law.
Define a Private Members' Bill.
A Private Members' Bill is introduced by backbench MPs or Lords, often to raise awareness rather than to pass into law.
Which type of bill applies to the whole population and usually reflects government policy?
A public bill applies to the whole population and usually reflects government policy.
At which reading is a bill formally introduced and its title read out?
A bill is formally introduced and its title read out at the first reading.
What happens at the second reading of a bill?
The second reading is a general debate on the principles of the bill, followed by a vote on whether it should proceed.
True or False?
Amendments can still be made to a bill at its third reading.
False.
No further amendments can be made at the third reading, which ends with a final vote.
Define parliamentary ping-pong.
Parliamentary ping-pong is the process by which a bill passes back and forth between the two Houses until agreement is reached on amendments.
Royal assent is a formality and has not been refused since .
Royal assent is a formality and has not been refused since 1708.
What does a bill become once it has received royal assent?
Once it has received royal assent, a bill becomes an Act of Parliament.
Royal assent is now regarded as a , as it has not been refused for centuries.
Royal assent is now regarded as a formality, as it has not been refused for centuries.
True or False?
Few Private Members' Bills become law due to a lack of time and government support.
True.
Their ineffectiveness is a recognised weakness of the legislative process.
Name one weakness of the legislative process.
Executive dominance is a weakness, as the government controls much of the parliamentary timetable.
Define scrutiny.
Scrutiny is the process by which Parliament examines, challenges and holds the executive to account for its actions, decisions and policies.
Define backbenchers.
Backbenchers are MPs and peers who do not hold ministerial office.
Why is scrutiny particularly important in the UK?
Scrutiny is particularly important because the executive is drawn from Parliament, so there is no strict separation of powers.
Define a Public Bill Committee.
A Public Bill Committee is a temporary committee set up to scrutinise a specific bill during its passage through the House of Commons.
Define departmental select committees.
Departmental select committees are permanent committees in the House of Commons that scrutinise the work of individual government departments.
True or False?
The recommendations of departmental select committees are legally binding on the government.
False.
Recommendations are not binding and the government can ignore committee findings.
How can departmental select committees expose the intentions of the executive?
Through evidence sessions with ministers, as when Brexit Secretary David Davis told the Brexit Select Committee in 2017 that Parliament might not get a vote on the final deal.
Prime Minister's Questions is a session held once a week in the House of Commons.
Prime Minister's Questions is a 30-minute session held once a week in the House of Commons.
How many questions is the Leader of the Opposition allowed at PMQs?
The Leader of the Opposition is allowed six questions at PMQs.
Define an Urgent Question.
An Urgent Question is a question granted by the Speaker to allow immediate scrutiny of a pressing issue.
Why are Urgent Questions seen as a powerful form of scrutiny?
Because they force ministers to answer publicly on the same day and have led to resignations, as when Amber Rudd resigned as Home Secretary over the Windrush scandal.
How many opposition days is the opposition given each parliamentary year?
The opposition is given 20 opposition days each parliamentary year.
Name one way backbenchers can be effective at scrutinising the executive.
Backbenchers can introduce Private Members' Bills, allowing them to propose legislation independently of the government.
Define parliamentary privilege.
Parliamentary privilege protects MPs and peers from legal action for what they say or do in the course of parliamentary proceedings.
What does parliamentary privilege allow MPs to do that they could not do safely elsewhere?
It allows MPs to name individuals and raise issues without legal consequences, as when Colum Eastwood named 'Soldier F' in the Commons despite a court anonymity order.
Layla Moran could name Russian oligarchs in the Commons because parliamentary privilege gave her from libel and defamation claims.
Layla Moran could name Russian oligarchs in the Commons because parliamentary privilege gave her immunity from libel and defamation claims.
True or False?
Parliamentary privilege gives MPs and peers a guarantee of freedom of speech in Parliament.
True.
It amounts to a guarantee of freedom of speech in Parliament, allowing members to speak without fear of prosecution.
What is one risk or criticism of parliamentary privilege?
Privilege can undermine court rulings, for example when an MP named 'Soldier F' despite a court granting him anonymity.
In which official record did the oligarchs' names named by Layla Moran appear?
The names entered the official parliamentary record, Hansard.
Define the Opposition.
The Opposition most commonly refers to His Majesty's Loyal Opposition, the second largest party in the House of Commons.
Define the Shadow Cabinet.
The Shadow Cabinet offers alternative ministers and policy platforms to those of the government.
Define opposition days.
Opposition days are days in the parliamentary timetable when opposition parties choose the topic for debate in the House of Commons.
The opposition is timetabled opposition days per year.
The opposition is timetabled 20 opposition days per year.
What is one criticism of the effectiveness of opposition days?
Their votes are generally not binding, making them more symbolic than powerful.
True or False?
The opposition can trigger confidence motions in the government.
True.
Triggering confidence motions is one of the recognised roles of the opposition in Parliament.
Define representation.
Representation refers to the role of Parliament, particularly the House of Commons, in acting on behalf of the citizens who elect it.
Define representative democracy.
In a representative democracy, citizens elect MPs to represent their interests, views and concerns rather than participating directly in decision-making.
At which three levels does representation operate?
Representation operates at constituency, national and territorial levels.
How do MPs carry out constituency representation?
MPs raise local issues in Parliament, as when an MP highlighted pollution in Lake Windermere in 2025.
How can select committees contribute to representation?
They can give a voice to under-represented groups, as in the inquiry into menopause discrimination in the workplace.
In 2020, an e-petition on free school meals gained enough signatures to trigger a in Parliament.
In 2020, an e-petition on free school meals gained enough signatures to trigger a debate in Parliament.
How can public campaigns influence government policy?
Sustained public pressure can push the government to act, as in the 2020 free school meals campaign.
True or False?
First-past-the-post produces a Parliament that accurately reflects how people voted.
False.
FPTP distorts representation; in 2024 Reform won 14.3% of the vote but just 0.8% of seats.
In 2024, Labour won 33.7% of the vote but of seats.
In 2024, Labour won 33.7% of the vote but 63% of seats.
What proportion of MPs were women in 2024?
Women made up only around 40% of MPs in 2024, despite being over half the population.
How does party discipline limit representation?
The whip system limits MPs' independence, weakening genuine constituency representation.
Sign up to unlock flashcards
or