Summary Parliament Notes

Parliament – Notes

Parliament

 The UK has a bicameral legislature - parliament with two chambers.
 House of commons - lower chamber
 House of lords - upper chamber


House of commons

 Democratically elected chamber of 650 MPs
 Each MP’s elected in the single member constituency by FPTP.
 Number MPs is not fixed and can change following reviews of parliamentary constituencies.
 More than 100 MPs Hold ministerial positions in the government.
 The main opposition party appoints shadow ministers.
 Ministers and shadow ministers are known as frontbenchers while MPs that have no
ministerial shadow initial posts are known as backbenchers.


Pay and privilege

 MPs are paid a salary.
 Increases are set by the independent parliamentary salaries authority which also regulates
and pays MPs parliamentary expenses.
 The system was overhauled after the daily telegraph expenses scandal.
 MPs who faced criminal charges over the expenses unsuccessfully claimed that they should
not face prosecution because of parliamentary privilege.
 Parliamentary privilege - the legal immunity enjoyed by members of parliament.


Elements of parliamentary privilege

 Freedom of speech
- Members of both houses are free to raise any issue in parliament without fear of
prosecution
 Exclusive cognisance
- This is the right of each house to regulate its own internal affairs without interference
from outside bodies


Key office Holders

Whips

 The party system in the house of commons has traditionally been strong
 Parties appoint a number of MPs to act as whips
 Ensure a peace attend parliamentary divisions (votes) and approving the absence of MPs
when they would not be required
 Issuing instructions on how MPs should vote
 Enforcing discipline within the parliamentary party
- Whips seek to persuade waiving MPs to vote with their party by providing assurances,
making offers and issuing threats

, The speaker

 The speaker presides over debates in the chamber, selecting MPs to speak and maintaining
order
 Speaker may temporarily suspend MP’s who break parliamentary rules
 Speaker is elected by MPs in a secret ballot
 Once chosen, the speaker gives up their party affiliation and is nonpartisan



House of lords

 Unelected chamber and is subordinate to the house of commons
 Peers do not receive a salary but can claim a daily attendance allowance
 House is shared by the lord speaker, who is elected by peers and politically neutral
 Three types of peers - hereditary peers, life peers, lord spiritual


Hereditary peers

 House of lords act 1999 removed all but 92 hereditary peers
 Before the act, the HOL had more than 750 hereditary peers


Life peers

 The life peerages act 1958 gave the prime minister the right to appoint members to the
upper house for life
 The title and right to sit in the lords cannot be inherited
 Life peers are now the largest category of members of the upper house
 The creation of life peers increases the diversity and professionalism
 Life peers include former MP’s, and leading figures from business education and the arts
 Prior to 1999, many hereditary peers took the conservative whip
- Their removal ended the conservative party's historical predominance in the upper
house
- No party now has a majority in the lords
- PMs use their power to nominate life peers to alter the party balance within the lords
- Removal of hereditary peers also increase the proportion of women in the lords




Comparative powers of the commons and the lords