legislative process

• The illustrative process in the UK is part of the section on parliament in component 2 of A-Level Politics
• Types of bills in the UK

  • Government or public bill
  • Private bill
  • Hybrid bill
  • Private member's bill
• Government or public bill

  A bill put forward by the government, making up the vast majority of legislation
• Private bill


  A bill put forward by an organisation like a private company or local authority to change the law on something that affects them
• Hybrid bill


  A mixture of a public bill and a private bill, impacting the general public but also a specific group of people
• Private member's bill


  A bill introduced by a backbench MP, impacting the whole population
• Ways a private member's bill can be raised

  1. Ballot

  2. 10 minute rule

  3. Presentation
• Private member's bills are often filibustered and struggle to get parliamentary time
• Stages a bill goes through to become law

  1. First reading

  2. Second reading

  3. Committee stage

  4. Report stage

  5. Third reading

  6. House of Lords

  7. Royal Assent
• Salisbury convention


  The House of Lords should not block any bill based on the pledge in the government's manifesto
• Secondary legislation


  Law made by ministers through statutory instruments, used to build on and clarify primary legislation
• There are about 3,500 statutory instruments issued per year, scrutinised by the Statutory Instruments Committee