Public Law 1 - Understanding Parliament in Public Law

- Usually reflected in the fact that the people choose their representatives
(through the act of voting, and the process of aggregating votes) who make
laws and govern
- The people implicitly retain the option of rejecting their representative in a
future election
- Though democracy is a widely accepted principle of the constitution, the
requirements of democracy are disputed between people who have different
views of its nature, purpose, and inherent value




Brief Note 3: Parliament

Key Terms:
Bicameralism
Unicameralism

Key Cases:




Composition of Parliament:
- King/ Queen/ Monarch
- House of Lords
- House of Commons

Bicameralism: ​the principle of dividing the legislature into two chambers
- Advantages:
- one chamber acts as a check on the other
Unicameralism​: having only one legislative chamber
- Advantages:
- System facilitates clear and decisive decision making
- Enhanced focus on accountability
- No potential for constitutional gridlock between the chambers
- Enhanced clarity and responsibility in the eyes of the electorate

Principal Functions of Parliament
- Redress of grievances
- Sustaining Government
- Holding Government to account
- Scrutinize legislation
- Educating public opinion

House of Lords
- Unelected members
- 800 members