2.1

• What are the two houses of Parliament in the UK?

  House of Commons and House of Lords
• What is the role of frontbenchers in the House of Commons?

  They support the government as senior members
• What do party whips do in the House of Commons?

  They ensure party members vote in line
• What happens if MPs do not vote as their party wants?

  They can be stripped of their membership
• What is the role of the Speaker of the House of Commons?

  To ensure debates run smoothly and impartially
• What is the leader of the official opposition's main responsibility?

  To scrutinize the government effectively
• How does the House of Lords differ from the House of Commons in authority?

  It has less authority than the House of Commons
• What are the two types of lords in the House of Lords?

  Lords temporal and lords spiritual
• What did the Parliament Act of 1911 do?

  Diminished the power of the House of Lords
• How many hereditary peers remain in the House of Lords after 1999 reforms?

  92 hereditary peers
• Who appoints life peers in the House of Lords?

  Prime Minister on advice of the Honours Committee
• How many members were in the House of Lords in 2022?

  800 members
• What is the composition of the House of Lords?

  Life peers, hereditary peers, and bishops
• Why are life peers considered more influenced by party politics?

  They are appointed based on political service
• How many bishops from the Church of England are in the House of Lords?

  26 bishops
• What is the role of the House of Commons in legislation?

  They must agree to enact a bill into law
• What are the stages a bill goes through in the House of Commons?

  1. First reading
  2. Second reading (debate)
  3. Public Bill Committee scrutiny
  4. Report stage debate
  5. Third reading
  6. Royal assent
• What is a criticism of Public Bill Committees?

  They vote on party lines, impacting objectivity
• How does the House of Commons provide ministers?

  By fusing the legislature and executive branches
• What is the purpose of the Backbench Business Committee?

  To provide backbench MPs control over business
• When was the Backbench Business Committee established?

  In 2010
• What does the Petitions Committee do?

  Schedules debates on petitions with 100,000 signatures
• What are adjournment debates?

  Debates at the end of each day's sitting
• How long are adjournment debates limited to?

  30 minutes
• What are early day motions?

  Motions urging debate on specific issues
• What is the process for requesting an emergency debate?

  An MP makes a case to the Speaker
• What was the significant emergency debate on September 3, 2019?

  Blocking a no-deal Brexit
• What is the purpose of urgent questions in the House of Commons?

  To address pressing public interest issues
• What is a criticism of parliamentary scrutiny and debate?

  MPs may be swayed by party whips
• What is the representative function of the House of Commons?

  To represent the interests of the British public
• What percentage of MPs elected in 2019 were female?

  34%
• What is a criticism regarding the social representation of MPs?

  Too many are privately educated white males
• What percentage of MPs were privately educated in 2019?

  27%
• What is the significance of the parliaments that legalized same-sex acts and marriage?

  They were primarily composed of privately educated MPs
• What is the representative role of MPs criticized for?

  Not reflecting UK's social configuration
• What was significant about the 2019 House of Commons membership?

  Most socially representative in history
• What percentage of MPs elected in 2019 were BAME?

  10%
• What percentage of MPs elected in 2019 were LGBTQ+?

  7%
• What is a criticism regarding the background of MPs?

  80% have business or professional careers
• What percentage of MPs are still male?

  66%