NCTJ PUBLIC AFFAIRS CORRECT FINAL EXAMS
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔FPTP Disadvantages - ✔✔- minority parties fail to achieve representation which
reflects their electoral support
- majority parties with more seats than their electoral support would warrant
- parties with over 50% of seats without obtaining 50% of the votes
- many votes are wasted
✔✔Overall majority - ✔✔Where one party wins more seats than all other parties and
independent MPs put together
✔✔By-election - ✔✔Occurs when and MP resigns or dies
✔✔Tactical voting - ✔✔Where a voter compromises and decides to vote for a candidate
who is more likely to win, rather than choosing their true preference
✔✔Turnout - ✔✔Percentage of people entitled to vote who actually do
✔✔Hung Parliament - ✔✔Where one party emerges from an election with only a
handful of seats more than its nearest rival, and either forms a minority government of
its own or forms a coalition by partnering with other parties
,✔✔Voting Systems - ✔✔1. Proportional Representation (more representative as seats
are distrubuted according to vote share).
2. Mixed System (combines the features of majoritarian-style systems and PR
3. Majoritarian System (systems like FPTP that tend to be simple but highly
disproportional)
✔✔Proportional Representation (PR) - ✔✔Votes cast by the electors are reflected on
the seats won by each party. The outcome reflects the will of the people.
- multi-member constituencies
- voters rank candidates in order of preference
- candidates need to achieve a certain quota to get elected
- multiple rounds of counting are needed before the result is known
✔✔PR Advantages - ✔✔- number of seats won by each party are in proportion to the
votes gained by each party
- outcome reflects the will of the people
- votes are not wasted
- minority parties get the representation they deserve
✔✔PR Disadvantages - ✔✔- large member constituencies mean close link between MP
and constituency is lost
- tends to lead to weaker coalition governments
- leads to horse trading parties/complex arrangements and agreements
- danger of extremists being elected
✔✔Who can vote in a general election? - ✔✔- any British, Irish and Commonwealth
citizens who are residents in the UK
- names must be on the electoral register fot the constituency they live in
- must be over 18 on election day
✔✔Who is barred from voting? - ✔✔- peers entitled to sit in the House of Commons
- foreign nationals
- patients detained under mental health legislation for crimes
- people in prison
- people convicted on the last 5 years of illegal election practices
✔✔Electoral Commission - ✔✔- registers political parties
- registers donations and loans
- limits spending on campaigns
- encourages increased turnout
- oversees conduct of national referendums
✔✔Who can stand at a general election> - ✔✔- UK, Irish, or Commonwealth citizens in
Britain
- 18 or ove3r
, - Nomination was proposed, seconded and agreed by 8 other electors
- £500 deposit given
✔✔Referendum - ✔✔A public vote on a single issue (most recent one is Brexit)
✔✔NHS Funding - ✔✔- 80% from general taxation
- Remaining 20% from National Insurance Contributions, prescription charges, income
from NHS land sales, voluntary fundraising schemes
✔✔NHS issues - ✔✔- lack of finance
- COVID-19 backlog (cancelled operations and waiting lists growth)
- growing/ageing population affecting waiting lists, and increasing demand
- staff shortages
- internal market and use of private sectors
- clinical errors and scandals (due to focus on 'box-ticking' rather than quality care)
- hospital-acquired infections
- targets (waiting times being missed, scandals blamed on box-ticking)
✔✔Primary Care - ✔✔First point of contact for most people such as GPs, dentists,
pharmacists and optometrists
✔✔Secondary Care - ✔✔Hospital care including emergencies and mental health
services
✔✔How is the NHS run? - ✔✔1. Plan and commission pay for the service (Department
of Health and Social Care, NHS England, 42 regional Integrated Care Boards)
2. Provide the service (GPs, dentists, opticians, community health care trusts, hospital
trusts)
3. Regulate/license and inspect (NICE, Care Quality Commission, NHS Improvement)
✔✔Department of Health and Social Care - ✔✔- legislation and policy determination for
England
- oversees NHS and social care
- Secretary of State negotiates funds and distrubution with Treasury
✔✔NHS England - ✔✔- allocates funds to Integrated Care Boards (80% of the NHS
budget)
- monitors performance and oversees ICBs
- commissions some health services
✔✔Integrated Care Boards - ✔✔- plan and purchase most of the health services for
their area
- improves the health of their community and addresses health inequalities
- integrates health and social care
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔FPTP Disadvantages - ✔✔- minority parties fail to achieve representation which
reflects their electoral support
- majority parties with more seats than their electoral support would warrant
- parties with over 50% of seats without obtaining 50% of the votes
- many votes are wasted
✔✔Overall majority - ✔✔Where one party wins more seats than all other parties and
independent MPs put together
✔✔By-election - ✔✔Occurs when and MP resigns or dies
✔✔Tactical voting - ✔✔Where a voter compromises and decides to vote for a candidate
who is more likely to win, rather than choosing their true preference
✔✔Turnout - ✔✔Percentage of people entitled to vote who actually do
✔✔Hung Parliament - ✔✔Where one party emerges from an election with only a
handful of seats more than its nearest rival, and either forms a minority government of
its own or forms a coalition by partnering with other parties
,✔✔Voting Systems - ✔✔1. Proportional Representation (more representative as seats
are distrubuted according to vote share).
2. Mixed System (combines the features of majoritarian-style systems and PR
3. Majoritarian System (systems like FPTP that tend to be simple but highly
disproportional)
✔✔Proportional Representation (PR) - ✔✔Votes cast by the electors are reflected on
the seats won by each party. The outcome reflects the will of the people.
- multi-member constituencies
- voters rank candidates in order of preference
- candidates need to achieve a certain quota to get elected
- multiple rounds of counting are needed before the result is known
✔✔PR Advantages - ✔✔- number of seats won by each party are in proportion to the
votes gained by each party
- outcome reflects the will of the people
- votes are not wasted
- minority parties get the representation they deserve
✔✔PR Disadvantages - ✔✔- large member constituencies mean close link between MP
and constituency is lost
- tends to lead to weaker coalition governments
- leads to horse trading parties/complex arrangements and agreements
- danger of extremists being elected
✔✔Who can vote in a general election? - ✔✔- any British, Irish and Commonwealth
citizens who are residents in the UK
- names must be on the electoral register fot the constituency they live in
- must be over 18 on election day
✔✔Who is barred from voting? - ✔✔- peers entitled to sit in the House of Commons
- foreign nationals
- patients detained under mental health legislation for crimes
- people in prison
- people convicted on the last 5 years of illegal election practices
✔✔Electoral Commission - ✔✔- registers political parties
- registers donations and loans
- limits spending on campaigns
- encourages increased turnout
- oversees conduct of national referendums
✔✔Who can stand at a general election> - ✔✔- UK, Irish, or Commonwealth citizens in
Britain
- 18 or ove3r
, - Nomination was proposed, seconded and agreed by 8 other electors
- £500 deposit given
✔✔Referendum - ✔✔A public vote on a single issue (most recent one is Brexit)
✔✔NHS Funding - ✔✔- 80% from general taxation
- Remaining 20% from National Insurance Contributions, prescription charges, income
from NHS land sales, voluntary fundraising schemes
✔✔NHS issues - ✔✔- lack of finance
- COVID-19 backlog (cancelled operations and waiting lists growth)
- growing/ageing population affecting waiting lists, and increasing demand
- staff shortages
- internal market and use of private sectors
- clinical errors and scandals (due to focus on 'box-ticking' rather than quality care)
- hospital-acquired infections
- targets (waiting times being missed, scandals blamed on box-ticking)
✔✔Primary Care - ✔✔First point of contact for most people such as GPs, dentists,
pharmacists and optometrists
✔✔Secondary Care - ✔✔Hospital care including emergencies and mental health
services
✔✔How is the NHS run? - ✔✔1. Plan and commission pay for the service (Department
of Health and Social Care, NHS England, 42 regional Integrated Care Boards)
2. Provide the service (GPs, dentists, opticians, community health care trusts, hospital
trusts)
3. Regulate/license and inspect (NICE, Care Quality Commission, NHS Improvement)
✔✔Department of Health and Social Care - ✔✔- legislation and policy determination for
England
- oversees NHS and social care
- Secretary of State negotiates funds and distrubution with Treasury
✔✔NHS England - ✔✔- allocates funds to Integrated Care Boards (80% of the NHS
budget)
- monitors performance and oversees ICBs
- commissions some health services
✔✔Integrated Care Boards - ✔✔- plan and purchase most of the health services for
their area
- improves the health of their community and addresses health inequalities
- integrates health and social care
