Unit 23 Assignment 2
I have been assigned to produce a report regarding the legislative process, judicial
precedent, order of UK courts and statuary interpretation rules. Local Member of
Parliament, Tom Pursglove has asked me to compile a brief report for his reference
whilst he is in London.
Overview of the UK Parliament
The UK Parliament consists of 3 chambers which are the House of Commons, House of
Lords and the Crown (Queen). Decisions and discussions happen in both the House of
Commons and the House of Lords, and the Queen decides whether the law will be
implemented or not. Both Houses can also repeal a law if needed. These changes may
come from the government, private organisations, political parties, pressure groups or
the Members of Parliament.
House of Commons
Publicly elected chamber and the most powerful of Parliament’s 2 houses. It consists of
650 MPs also known as Members of Parliament, who are voted in by the public. Political
party with the highest number of Members of Parliament forms the ruling party or the
government and the party with 2nd highest number of members is the opposition. At the
moment in the UK, the ruling party is the Conservatives, and the opposition is Labour.
The main role of the House of Commons is to ensure the government does their job
correctly and in publics best interest. They also debate issues of the day, and approve
new laws and taxes.
House of Lords
Second chamber of UK Parliament. Its members are Lords, which is why it’s called the
House of Lords. They are not elected by the public. It’s independent from the House of
Commons. Apart from complementing and reviewing the work of the Members of
Parliament in the House of Commons, Lords also make laws, ensure the government
does a good job and investigate public policy.
, The Crown (Queen)
The Monarch is the third chamber of Parliament and the highest legislative authority in
the UK. The Queen appoints the government and decides if a bill is approved or not.
When both the House of Commons and House of Lords approve a bill, it then is
presented to the Queen, and she decides whether to approve or disapprove the bill.
This is called ‘Royal Assent’. However, if the Crown does approve the bill, it then turns
into an Act of Parliament and part of the UK law. The Queen does not have to approve
a bill presented to her, last time the Crown did not approve a bill was in 1707, when
Queen Anne rejected the Scottish Militia Bill.
Law Making Process
At the very beginning of the law making process, there is an idea that someone thinks
will make a good change in the UK law. It’s called a bill. There are different types of bills
such as public bill, private bill and private members bill.
Public Bill is the most frequent and common form of a bill. Most government bills are
public bills. For it to be a public bill, it must involve any public policy. It applies to general
population.
Private Bill is introduced to only affect an individual or an organisation. For example,
Oyster Fishery Company Bill 2016.
Private Members Bill is a bill introduced by a Member of Parliament or a Lord who is not
a member of the government.
After a bill is introduced, it has to go through 7 stages before it officially becomes a law.
The 7 stages are:
. First Reading – The Government informs everyone about the bill and reads out its title
in the House of Commons
. Second Reading – Members of Parliament debate, discuss and ask questions about
the bill. May also vote.
I have been assigned to produce a report regarding the legislative process, judicial
precedent, order of UK courts and statuary interpretation rules. Local Member of
Parliament, Tom Pursglove has asked me to compile a brief report for his reference
whilst he is in London.
Overview of the UK Parliament
The UK Parliament consists of 3 chambers which are the House of Commons, House of
Lords and the Crown (Queen). Decisions and discussions happen in both the House of
Commons and the House of Lords, and the Queen decides whether the law will be
implemented or not. Both Houses can also repeal a law if needed. These changes may
come from the government, private organisations, political parties, pressure groups or
the Members of Parliament.
House of Commons
Publicly elected chamber and the most powerful of Parliament’s 2 houses. It consists of
650 MPs also known as Members of Parliament, who are voted in by the public. Political
party with the highest number of Members of Parliament forms the ruling party or the
government and the party with 2nd highest number of members is the opposition. At the
moment in the UK, the ruling party is the Conservatives, and the opposition is Labour.
The main role of the House of Commons is to ensure the government does their job
correctly and in publics best interest. They also debate issues of the day, and approve
new laws and taxes.
House of Lords
Second chamber of UK Parliament. Its members are Lords, which is why it’s called the
House of Lords. They are not elected by the public. It’s independent from the House of
Commons. Apart from complementing and reviewing the work of the Members of
Parliament in the House of Commons, Lords also make laws, ensure the government
does a good job and investigate public policy.
, The Crown (Queen)
The Monarch is the third chamber of Parliament and the highest legislative authority in
the UK. The Queen appoints the government and decides if a bill is approved or not.
When both the House of Commons and House of Lords approve a bill, it then is
presented to the Queen, and she decides whether to approve or disapprove the bill.
This is called ‘Royal Assent’. However, if the Crown does approve the bill, it then turns
into an Act of Parliament and part of the UK law. The Queen does not have to approve
a bill presented to her, last time the Crown did not approve a bill was in 1707, when
Queen Anne rejected the Scottish Militia Bill.
Law Making Process
At the very beginning of the law making process, there is an idea that someone thinks
will make a good change in the UK law. It’s called a bill. There are different types of bills
such as public bill, private bill and private members bill.
Public Bill is the most frequent and common form of a bill. Most government bills are
public bills. For it to be a public bill, it must involve any public policy. It applies to general
population.
Private Bill is introduced to only affect an individual or an organisation. For example,
Oyster Fishery Company Bill 2016.
Private Members Bill is a bill introduced by a Member of Parliament or a Lord who is not
a member of the government.
After a bill is introduced, it has to go through 7 stages before it officially becomes a law.
The 7 stages are:
. First Reading – The Government informs everyone about the bill and reads out its title
in the House of Commons
. Second Reading – Members of Parliament debate, discuss and ask questions about
the bill. May also vote.
