UK Parliament and Legislation

• What was the significance of the Magna Carta in 1215?

  Prevented monarch's total control
• The House of Lords and the House of Commons were formed in 1295.
• What is the legal status of the UK Constitution?

  Uncodified
• Match the sources of the UK Constitution with their descriptions:

  Common law ↔️ Law based on court decisions

  Statute ↔️ An Act passed by Parliament

  Conventions ↔️ Regularly observed practices
• Which major published work describes the functions and operations of Parliament?

  Erskine May
• Parliamentary sovereignty is a fundamental part of the UK’s constitution
• One principle of parliamentary sovereignty is that parliaments cannot bind future parliaments.
• What Act in 2020 reinforced the sovereignty of the UK Parliament?

  European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act
• What type of powers can Parliament delegate to other bodies?

  Law-making powers
• Steps taken by Select Committees in reviewing government departments:

  1️⃣ Review the work of government departments

  2️⃣ Call for evidence on the impact of legislation

  3️⃣ Make recommendations to the government

  4️⃣ Government responds to recommendations
• The House of Lords has permanent committees that look into specialist subjects
• How many MPs are in the House of Commons?

  650
• The majority of members in the House of Lords are appointed rather than elected.
• Which body advises on non-party political life peer appointments?

  House of Lords Appointment Commission
• The House of Lords Act 1999 ended the right of most hereditary peers to vote
• What mandatory retirement age for members of the House of Lords is proposed in the Labour Party manifesto 2024?

  80
• Steps proposed in the Labour Party manifesto 2024 for House of Lords reform:

  1️⃣ Remove hereditary peers

  2️⃣ Introduce a new participation requirement

  3️⃣ Strengthen removal circumstances

  4️⃣ Reform the appointments process

  5️⃣ Improve national and regional balance

  6️⃣ Replace with a more representative second chamber
• What is the West Lothian Question named after?

  Tam Dalyell
• The ‘English Votes for English Laws’ (EVEL) was introduced in 2015
• The EVEL Standing Orders were removed in July 2021.
• What is the generic term for all types of law, including primary and secondary legislation?

  Legislation
• A Bill becomes an Act after approval by the House of Commons, House of Lords, and Royal Assent.