AQA A-LEVEL Politics notes
,Parliamentary Law Making
Before a bill passes through Parliament, a consultation process often takes place.
Green papers and White papers are often issued, outlining proposals for the bill,
in order to canvas opinion and to generate debate before the bill comes before
Parliament.
A Green Paper is a consultation document issued by the government which
contains policy proposals for debate and discussion before a final decision is
taken on the best policy option. It will often contain several alternative policy
options to consider. The aim of a green paper is to allow people both inside and
outside Parliament to give the department feedback on its policy or legislative
proposals. Unsurprisingly, it is printed on pale green paper.
A White Paper is a document issued by a government department which contains
detailed proposals for legislation. It is the final stage before the government
introduces its proposals to Parliament in the form of a bill. When a White Paper is
issued, it is often accompanied by a statement in the House from the secretary of
state of the department sponsoring the proposals. A White Paper is sometimes
produced following the consultation process which is undertaken when the
government issues a Green Paper.
When a bill has been drafted, often by a government department, the minister
responsible for the department must introduce the bill, usually in the House of
Commons to the rest of Parliament, who will debate and amend it during a series
of stages. Bills can also begin their journey in the House of Lords. Let’s examine
the journey of a government bill, beginning in the House of Commons.
At First Reading, the title and the main aims of the bill are read out. No debate
occurs at this stage. A verbal vote is then taken to decide whether or not to take
the bill to Second Reading. If a majority agrees, then a date is set for Second
Reading, which is often set as the next day.
At Second Reading, the main policy areas of the bill are debated by the whole
House, often led by the minister who proposed the bill. A vote is then taken and if
a majority agrees, then the bill will move to the Committee Stage, where greater
scrutiny will take place. Once a bill passes to the Committee Stage, it is unlikely
that the bill will fail to become an Act of Parliament, although the nature of the bill
might change, following amendments.
At the Committee Stage, a standing committee of between 16 and 50 MPs
conduct a line-by-line examination of the bill. The MPs are usually ch osen for their
expertise in the area and a proportion come from all parties. They debate each
and every clause, in order to refine the language used and to amend any
problematic issues that present themselves. A vote must be taken on each
amendment that is made before the bill moves to the Report Stage.
At the Report Stage, the standing committee reports back to the whole House on
the issues raised in the Committee Stage and on any amendments made. The
purpose of this stage is also to ensure that the standing committee adheres as far
as possible to the principles generally agreed by the House at Second Reading.
,The House may make additional amendments at this stage if necessary, but these
must be approved by a further vote. Once the bill passes a vote, it may move on
to the Third Reading.
The Third Reading is where there is a review of the whole bill. This stage is often
a formality, as most of the issues would have been addressed at earlier stages.
After a successful vote, the bill then passes to the House of Lords, where the
same stages are repeated, albeit with a few diffe rences.
When a bill reaches the House of Lords, First and Second Reading are no
different in essence to their counterparts in the House of Commons. However,
when the bill reaches the Committee Stage, there are some key differences to
note. Firstly, in the House of Lords, the whole house conducts the Committee
Stage - there are no standing committees in the House of Lords. Secondly,
although the House of Lords has the authority to delay a bill, they only have
limited power to do so, due to the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949. A delay to
money bills can only be up to one month and to all other bills up to one year. After
that, the House of Commons can bypass the House of Lords and take the bill
straight to Royal Assent. The House of Commons is seen as superior in this
regard, due to the fact that their members are democratically elected.
If the Lords reject or request amendments to a bill, passed to them by the
Commons, there may be a period where the two Houses pass the bill back and
forth until a compromise is agreed. This is known colloquially as ‘ping pong’.
The final stage is Royal Assent. This is where the monarch, or rather someone
appointed on their behalf, signs off on a bill, bringing it into law. The monarch has
not given Royal Assent in person since 1854 and it is customary for assent to be
given by the Speakers of the two Houses. Additionally, Royal Assent has not been
refused since 1707, when Queen Anne refused to give assent to the Scottish
Militia Bill. It is therefore a formality today. On the da y that assent is given, the bill
will usually become law at midnight, unless there needs to be a delay, for
example, to prepare or train people, such as the Police or local authorities to
implement the law.
Parliamentary Law Making
, Before a bill passes through Parliament, a consultation process often takes place.
Green papers and White papers are often issued, outlining proposals for the bill,
in order to canvas opinion and to generate debate before the bill comes before
Parliament.
A Green Paper is a consultation document issued by the government which
contains policy proposals for debate and discussion before a final decision is
taken on the best policy option. It will often contain several alternative policy
options to consider. The aim of a green paper is to allow people both inside and
outside Parliament to give the department feedback on its policy or legislative
proposals. Unsurprisingly, it is printed on pale green paper.
A White Paper is a document issued by a government department which c ontains
detailed proposals for legislation. It is the final stage before the government
introduces its proposals to Parliament in the form of a bill. When a White Paper is
issued, it is often accompanied by a statement in the House from the secretary of
state of the department sponsoring the proposals. A White Paper is sometimes
produced following the consultation process which is undertaken when the
government issues a Green Paper.
When a bill has been drafted, often by a government department, the ministe r
responsible for the department must introduce the bill, usually in the House of
Commons to the rest of Parliament, who will debate and amend it during a series
of stages. Bills can also begin their journey in the House of Lords. Let’s examine
the journey of a government bill, beginning in the House of Commons.
At First Reading, the title and the main aims of the bill are read out. No debate
occurs at this stage. A verbal vote is then taken to decide whether or not to take
the bill to Second Reading. If a majority agrees, then a date is set for Second
Reading, which is often set as the next day.
At Second Reading, the main policy areas of the bill are debated by the whole
House, often led by the minister who proposed the bill. A vote is then taken and if
a majority agrees, then the bill will move to the Committee Stage, where greater
scrutiny will take place. Once a bill passes to the Committee Stage, it is unlikely
that the bill will fail to become an Act of Parliament, although the nature of the bill
might change, following amendments.
At the Committee Stage, a standing committee of between 16 and 50 MPs
conduct a line-by-line examination of the bill. The MPs are usually chosen for their
expertise in the area and a proportion come from all parties. They deb ate each
and every clause, in order to refine the language used and to amend any
problematic issues that present themselves. A vote must be taken on each
amendment that is made before the bill moves to the Report Stage.
At the Report Stage, the standing committee reports back to the whole House on
the issues raised in the Committee Stage and on any amendments made. The
purpose of this stage is also to ensure that the standing committee adheres as far
as possible to the principles generally agreed by the House at Second Reading.
The House may make additional amendments at this stage if necessary, but these
must be approved by a further vote. Once the bill passes a vote, it may move on
to the Third Reading.
,Parliamentary Law Making
Before a bill passes through Parliament, a consultation process often takes place.
Green papers and White papers are often issued, outlining proposals for the bill,
in order to canvas opinion and to generate debate before the bill comes before
Parliament.
A Green Paper is a consultation document issued by the government which
contains policy proposals for debate and discussion before a final decision is
taken on the best policy option. It will often contain several alternative policy
options to consider. The aim of a green paper is to allow people both inside and
outside Parliament to give the department feedback on its policy or legislative
proposals. Unsurprisingly, it is printed on pale green paper.
A White Paper is a document issued by a government department which contains
detailed proposals for legislation. It is the final stage before the government
introduces its proposals to Parliament in the form of a bill. When a White Paper is
issued, it is often accompanied by a statement in the House from the secretary of
state of the department sponsoring the proposals. A White Paper is sometimes
produced following the consultation process which is undertaken when the
government issues a Green Paper.
When a bill has been drafted, often by a government department, the minister
responsible for the department must introduce the bill, usually in the House of
Commons to the rest of Parliament, who will debate and amend it during a series
of stages. Bills can also begin their journey in the House of Lords. Let’s examine
the journey of a government bill, beginning in the House of Commons.
At First Reading, the title and the main aims of the bill are read out. No debate
occurs at this stage. A verbal vote is then taken to decide whether or not to take
the bill to Second Reading. If a majority agrees, then a date is set for Second
Reading, which is often set as the next day.
At Second Reading, the main policy areas of the bill are debated by the whole
House, often led by the minister who proposed the bill. A vote is then taken and if
a majority agrees, then the bill will move to the Committee Stage, where greater
scrutiny will take place. Once a bill passes to the Committee Stage, it is unlikely
that the bill will fail to become an Act of Parliament, although the nature of the bill
might change, following amendments.
At the Committee Stage, a standing committee of between 16 and 50 MPs
conduct a line-by-line examination of the bill. The MPs are usually ch osen for their
expertise in the area and a proportion come from all parties. They debate each
and every clause, in order to refine the language used and to amend any
problematic issues that present themselves. A vote must be taken on each
amendment that is made before the bill moves to the Report Stage.
At the Report Stage, the standing committee reports back to the whole House on
the issues raised in the Committee Stage and on any amendments made. The
purpose of this stage is also to ensure that the standing committee adheres as far
as possible to the principles generally agreed by the House at Second Reading.
,The House may make additional amendments at this stage if necessary, but these
must be approved by a further vote. Once the bill passes a vote, it may move on
to the Third Reading.
The Third Reading is where there is a review of the whole bill. This stage is often
a formality, as most of the issues would have been addressed at earlier stages.
After a successful vote, the bill then passes to the House of Lords, where the
same stages are repeated, albeit with a few diffe rences.
When a bill reaches the House of Lords, First and Second Reading are no
different in essence to their counterparts in the House of Commons. However,
when the bill reaches the Committee Stage, there are some key differences to
note. Firstly, in the House of Lords, the whole house conducts the Committee
Stage - there are no standing committees in the House of Lords. Secondly,
although the House of Lords has the authority to delay a bill, they only have
limited power to do so, due to the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949. A delay to
money bills can only be up to one month and to all other bills up to one year. After
that, the House of Commons can bypass the House of Lords and take the bill
straight to Royal Assent. The House of Commons is seen as superior in this
regard, due to the fact that their members are democratically elected.
If the Lords reject or request amendments to a bill, passed to them by the
Commons, there may be a period where the two Houses pass the bill back and
forth until a compromise is agreed. This is known colloquially as ‘ping pong’.
The final stage is Royal Assent. This is where the monarch, or rather someone
appointed on their behalf, signs off on a bill, bringing it into law. The monarch has
not given Royal Assent in person since 1854 and it is customary for assent to be
given by the Speakers of the two Houses. Additionally, Royal Assent has not been
refused since 1707, when Queen Anne refused to give assent to the Scottish
Militia Bill. It is therefore a formality today. On the da y that assent is given, the bill
will usually become law at midnight, unless there needs to be a delay, for
example, to prepare or train people, such as the Police or local authorities to
implement the law.
Parliamentary Law Making
, Before a bill passes through Parliament, a consultation process often takes place.
Green papers and White papers are often issued, outlining proposals for the bill,
in order to canvas opinion and to generate debate before the bill comes before
Parliament.
A Green Paper is a consultation document issued by the government which
contains policy proposals for debate and discussion before a final decision is
taken on the best policy option. It will often contain several alternative policy
options to consider. The aim of a green paper is to allow people both inside and
outside Parliament to give the department feedback on its policy or legislative
proposals. Unsurprisingly, it is printed on pale green paper.
A White Paper is a document issued by a government department which c ontains
detailed proposals for legislation. It is the final stage before the government
introduces its proposals to Parliament in the form of a bill. When a White Paper is
issued, it is often accompanied by a statement in the House from the secretary of
state of the department sponsoring the proposals. A White Paper is sometimes
produced following the consultation process which is undertaken when the
government issues a Green Paper.
When a bill has been drafted, often by a government department, the ministe r
responsible for the department must introduce the bill, usually in the House of
Commons to the rest of Parliament, who will debate and amend it during a series
of stages. Bills can also begin their journey in the House of Lords. Let’s examine
the journey of a government bill, beginning in the House of Commons.
At First Reading, the title and the main aims of the bill are read out. No debate
occurs at this stage. A verbal vote is then taken to decide whether or not to take
the bill to Second Reading. If a majority agrees, then a date is set for Second
Reading, which is often set as the next day.
At Second Reading, the main policy areas of the bill are debated by the whole
House, often led by the minister who proposed the bill. A vote is then taken and if
a majority agrees, then the bill will move to the Committee Stage, where greater
scrutiny will take place. Once a bill passes to the Committee Stage, it is unlikely
that the bill will fail to become an Act of Parliament, although the nature of the bill
might change, following amendments.
At the Committee Stage, a standing committee of between 16 and 50 MPs
conduct a line-by-line examination of the bill. The MPs are usually chosen for their
expertise in the area and a proportion come from all parties. They deb ate each
and every clause, in order to refine the language used and to amend any
problematic issues that present themselves. A vote must be taken on each
amendment that is made before the bill moves to the Report Stage.
At the Report Stage, the standing committee reports back to the whole House on
the issues raised in the Committee Stage and on any amendments made. The
purpose of this stage is also to ensure that the standing committee adheres as far
as possible to the principles generally agreed by the House at Second Reading.
The House may make additional amendments at this stage if necessary, but these
must be approved by a further vote. Once the bill passes a vote, it may move on
to the Third Reading.
