1. Process of Parliament

2. Parliament consists of… The House of Commons The House of Lords The Crown

3. Composition of House of Commons 650 MPs Each MP represents a constituency MPs elected at General Election – every 5 years Government is the party with the most elected MPs Leader of the party with the most MPs is the Prime Minister Cabinet – the central decision-making body of the Government - made up of the Prime Minister and his chosen representatives MPs from other political parties called the opposition

4. Role of the House of Commons As it is the elected body, it has the most power in the law-making process Role of Government is to make policies which require new laws House of Commons debates, scrutinises and votes on whether to approve the laws proposed by Government During debates, MPs can put forward the views of their constituents and can directly challenge the Government through rigorous questioning All important legislation starts in the House of Commons and all finance Bills MUST start there

5. Composition of the House of Lords Approximately 700 members Unelected and unpaid Attendance is voluntary Lords are made up of: Hereditary Peers – inherit their title Life Peers – awarded a peerage because of their contribution to society or politics e.g. Lord Alan Sugar – peerage ends on death 26 Bishops of the Church of England

6. Role of the House of Lords Bills can start here though most begin in the Commons – usually legislation which starts in the Lords is not politically controversial or has a legal subject matter – e.g. Access to Justice Act 1999 Primarily a revising and debating chamber and allows further scrutiny of Bills that have already passed through the House of Commons Amending Role - at times, House of Lords has made the Government rethink its proposals - e.g. forced Government to amend its plans in the Terrorism Bill in 2005

7. Conflicts between Commons and Lords - Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 means the Commons can defeat any attempt by the Lords to oppose legislation it has passed If House of Lords rejects a Bill it can still become law provided it is reintroduced to the House of Commons in the next Parliamentary session and passes all the stages again – this means the House of Lords can delay a Bill by a year. BUT – House of Lords not allowed to delay finance Bills Power is rarely used – only used 5 times e.g. War Crimes Act 1991 and Hunting Act 2004 As House of Lords can delay a Bill for a year, it has more influence over the Commons during the last year of a Parliament’s life

8. Role of the Crown Purely formal role Any attempt of the monarch to thwart the will of the Commons and Lords wold not be tolerated Not happened since 1707 when Queen Anne refused to pass the Scotch Militia Bill Key functions in Parliamentary law-making: Open each Parliamentary session – ceremonial event where the monarch makes a speech prepared by the Government outlining the legislative proposals for the coming session Give Royal Assent to all legislation Appoint and dismiss the Prime Minister