Parliament

Legislatures and executives

The nature of Parliament

• Bicameral - two chabers with distinctive memberships and functions.
• Parliament is also known as the legislature. A parl't is a body that has several roles, including passing laws, calling government to account, controlling governmental power, and more. The UK Parliament has sovereignty - ultimate power. The Scottish Parliament performs a similar role in Scotland but is not sovereign.

House of Commons

Following features:

• 650 MPs elected in constituencies.
• MPs represent the interests of their constituents and constituencies.
• The majority (either a single party or a coalition) in the Commons forms the government.
• Members of the government make up the government front bench.
• The senior members of other parties make up the opposition front benches.
• MPs not on the front benches are known as backbenchers.
• There are departmental and other select committees that question ministers, civil servants, officials and other representatives with a view to investigating and evaluating the work of government departments.
• There are legislative committees that look at proposed legislation with a view to improving it through amendments.
• Each party in Parliament has whips who inform members about buisness, maintain party discipline and act as channels of communication between party leaderships and backbench MPs.
• The government front bench controls most of the parliamentary agenda.
• A neutral 'Speaker' presides over its proceedings.

Typical mistake: if asked about 'Parliament', consider both the Commons and the Lords.

Typical mistake: very important to distinguish between the role…