Explain and analyse three ways in which parliament can scrutinise the executive.
1. MPs and peers can ask questions, both written and oral, of government ministers. The most notable
example of this is the PMQs which occur every Wednesday at noon for half an hour and are televised
both on television and through the media. This enables transparency and allows citizens to be aware of
the country's political decisions.
2. Bills go through various stages in Parliament, which allows MPs and peers to suggest amendments to
proposed laws. The community stage (undertaken by the public bill committee) gives the opportunity for
bills to go through draft legislation with more consideration away from the main chamber.
3. A vote of no confidence by the Commons can bring down a government, however this is rare as most
governments demand a majority in the commons. The last successful vote was in 1979 when James
Callaghan’s Labour government lost by one vote to Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative party (310 v 311.)
To what extent is parliamentary scrutiny of the executive in the UK effective?
Method of scrutiny For Against
PMQs 1. They can bring about 1. Promotes rowdiness and
positive publicity to the as Gerald Kaufman once
speaker or opposition stated they are “an
parties.This is evident exchange of pointless
when in 1998, Tony Blair and useless
called John Major “weak, declamations.”
weak, weak.” 2. In 2014, speaker Sir John
2. They can expose Bercow wrote to party
weaknesses and leaders asking them to
mistakes, this is evident moderate their party's
when during a PMQ, behaviour during the
Gordon Brown stated “we PMQs due to their
not only saved the world” “yobbery.”
instead of saying “saved 3. Most questions are often
the banks.” This moment used to emphasise a
declared his pride for the party's successors or call
financial crisis of 2008 as out others' failures.
being a weakness.
3. Keeps Prime Ministers
self aware. Tony Blair
once stated that PMQs
were “nerve racking “
“bowel moving” and
“nail-biting.”
Scrutiny of draft legislation and 1. Enables the prevention of 1. Strong party loyalty and
final bill bills to be passed which discipline means that a
may convey ideas of bill is unlikely to fail.
injustice, be considered 2. The governing party has
as discriminating or which the majority in each
may be unpopular. public bill committee
2. Parliament can reject the therefore any chance of a
final bill. bills failure is unlikely.
Vote of no confidence The ‘nuclear option’ has the ability Very unlikely to occur as only an
to bring down a government who unstable minority would be so
may be exploitative, corrupted or vulnerable. This occurred to
ineffective. James Callaghan as a result of the
SNP’s withdrawal from the 1978
Scotland Act, which signified the
beginning of the end for Callaghan
and his decreasing popularity
against Thatcher.
1. MPs and peers can ask questions, both written and oral, of government ministers. The most notable
example of this is the PMQs which occur every Wednesday at noon for half an hour and are televised
both on television and through the media. This enables transparency and allows citizens to be aware of
the country's political decisions.
2. Bills go through various stages in Parliament, which allows MPs and peers to suggest amendments to
proposed laws. The community stage (undertaken by the public bill committee) gives the opportunity for
bills to go through draft legislation with more consideration away from the main chamber.
3. A vote of no confidence by the Commons can bring down a government, however this is rare as most
governments demand a majority in the commons. The last successful vote was in 1979 when James
Callaghan’s Labour government lost by one vote to Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative party (310 v 311.)
To what extent is parliamentary scrutiny of the executive in the UK effective?
Method of scrutiny For Against
PMQs 1. They can bring about 1. Promotes rowdiness and
positive publicity to the as Gerald Kaufman once
speaker or opposition stated they are “an
parties.This is evident exchange of pointless
when in 1998, Tony Blair and useless
called John Major “weak, declamations.”
weak, weak.” 2. In 2014, speaker Sir John
2. They can expose Bercow wrote to party
weaknesses and leaders asking them to
mistakes, this is evident moderate their party's
when during a PMQ, behaviour during the
Gordon Brown stated “we PMQs due to their
not only saved the world” “yobbery.”
instead of saying “saved 3. Most questions are often
the banks.” This moment used to emphasise a
declared his pride for the party's successors or call
financial crisis of 2008 as out others' failures.
being a weakness.
3. Keeps Prime Ministers
self aware. Tony Blair
once stated that PMQs
were “nerve racking “
“bowel moving” and
“nail-biting.”
Scrutiny of draft legislation and 1. Enables the prevention of 1. Strong party loyalty and
final bill bills to be passed which discipline means that a
may convey ideas of bill is unlikely to fail.
injustice, be considered 2. The governing party has
as discriminating or which the majority in each
may be unpopular. public bill committee
2. Parliament can reject the therefore any chance of a
final bill. bills failure is unlikely.
Vote of no confidence The ‘nuclear option’ has the ability Very unlikely to occur as only an
to bring down a government who unstable minority would be so
may be exploitative, corrupted or vulnerable. This occurred to
ineffective. James Callaghan as a result of the
SNP’s withdrawal from the 1978
Scotland Act, which signified the
beginning of the end for Callaghan
and his decreasing popularity
against Thatcher.
