1. Parliament and Legislation

2. Revision Which are sources of law? What is meant by common law?
How can law be classified by type?
How would you define public v. private law?
Which are three branches of government?
What is the purpose of the system of checks and balances?

3. Complete the following:
The legislative power is ususally carried out by a _______________, which may bear a name such as _________________ or _______________.
It can consist of one chamber, and then it is called _______________, or of two chambers - _____________.
The principal tasks of legislature are ___________ law, approving the state _____________ and controlling the work of the __________________________.

4. The legislative power is ususally carried out by a LEGISLATURE, which may bear a name such as PARLIAMENT or ASSEMBLY.
It can consist of one chamber, and then it is called UNICAMERAL LEGISLATURE, or of two chambers – BICAMERAL LEGISLATURE.
The principal tasks of legislature are ENACTING law, approving the state BUDGET and controlling the work of the EXECUTIVE BRANCH.

5. Separation of powers Executive – the government
Legislative - Parliament
Judicial – hierarchy of courts

6. Parliament of the UK

8. Parliament The highest legislative organ
Constitutionally consists of the Monarch, The House of Lords and the House of Commons
The Queen in Parliament represents the supreme authority within the United Kingdom

9. Functions of Parliament
Scrutiny
Legislation
Debating
Budget and taxes

10. The House of Commons An elected and representative body
650 Members of Parliament (MPs) who represent their constituencies
Members are elected at General Elections held every five years
Members are paid a salary and an allowance
Most MPs are members of one of three main political parties in the UK (Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat), while other represent minor parties or are independent

11. Speaker Speaker of the House of Commons presides over the House
The traditional guardian of the rights and privileges of the House

12. Working in Parliement
MPs generally spend their time working in the House of Commons
This can include raising issues affecting their constituents, attending debates and voting on new laws
Working in committees
Working in their constituency – MPs often hold ‘surgeries’ in their office

13. Video exercise
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Listen and answer the following:
Who sits at the Speakers’ right side?
Who is Sarjeant at Arms?
What is Hansard?

14. The House of Lords in the past
In the past mainly a hereditary body
Lords Temporal (hereditary peers and peeresses who have not disclaimed their peerage; life peers created by the Crown under the Life Peerages Act of 1958 and Lords of Appeal in Ordinary – Law Lords)
Lords Spiritual (the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and 24 senior bishops of the Church of England)

15. The House of Lords today
The Lords currently has over 700 Members, and there are three different types:
hereditary Peers, life Peers (Lords Temporal) and bishops (Lords Spiritual)
Unlike MPs, the public do not elect the Lords. The majority are appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister or of the House of Lords Appointments Commission.

16. Hereditary Peers
The right of hereditary Peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords was ended in 1999 by the House of Lords Act but 92 Members were elected internally to remain until the next stage of the Lords reform process.

17. Life Peers
Appointed for their lifetime only, these Lords' titles are not passed on to their children. The Queen formally appoints life Peers on the advice and recommendation of the Prime Minister.

18. Bishops (Lords Spiritual)
A limited number of 26 Church of England archbishops and bishops sit in the House, passing their membership on to the next most senior bishop when they retire.

19. Lord Chancellor Member of the House of Commons or Lords
A member of the government – Minister of Justice
Until 2009 presided over the judicial committee of the House of Lords
Involved in judicial appointments

20. Video exercise
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What did you learn about Life Peers?
What is the role of the Lord Speaker?
What is the Woolsack?

21. Lord Speaker
The Lord Speaker oversees proceedings in the Lords chamber and plays a key role in the Lords Administration. The Lord Speaker also acts as an ambassador for the Lords at home and abroad, explaining and promoting the work of the House of Lords and its contribution to the UK's parliamentary system.
presides over business in the Lords chamber from the Woolsack
Chairs the House of Lords Commission, which provides high-level strategic and political direction for the House of Lords Administration on behalf of the House
takes formal responsibility for security in the Lords area of the parliamentary estate
attending and speaking at state and ceremonial occasions on behalf of the Lords
representing the Lords to overseas parliaments, attending conferences with speakers of other parliaments, sharing best practice and developing links between parliaments

22. The Monarch An integral part of the legislature
Summons, prorogues (dismisses at the end of a session) and dissolves Parliament
Opens new sessions of Parliament with the Royal Speech
Gives Royal Assent before a Bill which has passed all the stages in both Houses becomes a law

23. The Royal Speech
The Queen's Speech on May 18, The Queen's Speech is delivered by the Queen from the Throne in the House of Lords. Although the Queen reads the speech, it is written by the government. It contains an outline of its policies and proposed legislation for the new parliamentary session.
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24. Parliamentary sovereignty
The most important principle in the UK constitution
It makes Parliament the supreme legal authiroty in the UK – the courts cannot overrule its legislation

25. Legislative Procedure

26. Pressure for new laws
Pressure for new laws comes from a variety of sources, mainly:
Government policy
EU Law
Law Commission reports
Reports by other commissions
Pressure groups

27. Pre-parliamentary process
The Government sets its legislative programme for the parliamentary session in the Queen’s Speech at the opening of Parliament
Consultation – more common in recent years (The Law Commission)

28. Types of Bill
Government Bill – introduced by the Government through the relevant Minister
Public Bill – one which relates to matters that affect the public
Private Bill – one which relates to the powers and interests of certain individuals or institutions
Hybrid Bill – one which features both a public and a private Bill
Private Member’s Bill – one introduced by a MP

29. Passing a Bill
A Bill may be started in either the House of Commons or the House of Lords, but it has to go through the same procedure in each House and pass all stages of the legislative procedure in order to become law

30. Legislative Procedure
Principal stages (for government bills)
Inspiration
Formulation
Drafting
Parliamentary Scrutiny
Voting
The Royal Assent
Implementation

31. Inspiration
Ideas for a law come from a variety of sources (political parties, Government departments, interest groups, professional bodies)

32. Formulation
Becomes the responsibility of relevant Ministers and civil servants
Cabinet committees
Consultation with experts, interest groups, trade associations and others likely to be affected by the legislation

33. Drafting Preparation of a draft bill
Draft bills introduced to Parliament

34. Parliamentary Scrutiny
First reading (no debate)
Second reading (principle debated on floor)
Committee stage (clause-by-clause scrutiny in Standing Committee)
Report (amendments considered on floor)
Third reading (final version debated)
Voting

35. The Royal Assent The Queen has to sign the Bill
Then it becomes an Act of Parliament
The Statute Book
Implementation – binding for all the courts in the country
Interpretation leads to precedents

36. Repeal
If a new statute is clearly contrary to the old one already in the Statute Book, the new one must clearly repeal those parts of the old statute
The old statute (or its parts) are no longer valid

37. Vocabulary House of Commons – Donji dom House of Lords – Gornji dom
Hereditary peerage – nasljedno plemstvo
Constituency – izborna jedinica
Bill – prijedlog zakona
Repeal – opoziv zakona

38. Complete the table with the words from the text and their related forms:
Verb
Noun
Adjective
legislate
election
represent
nomination
vacant

39. Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate word(s) from the list below:
bill, supreme, law, legislative, elected, dissolves, hereditary, members
Parliament is the ______________ organ and is constitutionally composed of the Monarch, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The Queen in Parliament represents the ________________ authority within the United Kingdom. The House of Commons is an _______________ and representative body, with _________________ elected at General Elections every five years. Before 1999 the House of Lords used to be a ___________________ body. The Queen summons, prorogues and ___________________ Parliament. No ______________ can become a _________ unless the Queen gives Royal Assent.

40. Answer key
Parliament is the legislative organ and is constitutionally composed of the Monarch, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The Queen in Parliament represents the supreme authority within the United Kingdom. The House of Commons is an elected and representative body, with members elected at General Elections every five years. Before the House of Lords used to be a hereditary body. The Queen summons, prorogues and dissolves Parliament. No bill can become a law unless the Queen gives Royal Assent.

41. Thank you for attention!