Parliament of the United Kingdom

(CC) Photo: UK Parliament
The monarch visits Parliament annually in a ceremony to begin parliamentary proceedings. During this State Opening of Parliament, the Queen's Speech sets out her government's intentions for the coming year.

The Parliament of the United Kingdom examines and challenges the work of the government; debates and passes laws, and enables the government to raise taxes. The business of Parliament takes place in two Houses: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Their work is similar, except that the House of Commons alone is responsible for making decisions on financial Bills. The members of the House of Commons are elected representatives of geographically determined parliamentary constituences, whereas the those of the House of Lords are mostly appointed, having been chosen for their experience and expertise. The functions of the Crown (monarchy) in Parliament are essentially ceremonial

History

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The United Kingdom Parliament is the product of eight hundred years of evolution that converted what was once a meeting of monarch's advisers into what is now a sovereign legislature. The transfer of sovereignty from the monarch began in the 13th century with the agreement that is recorded in the Magna Carta, and was largely completed in the 17th century by the outcome of the Glorious Revolution, as codified in the Bill of Rights. Its development as a representative body started in the early 14th century with the regular appointment of representatives of the counties (knights of the shire) and of the towns (burgesses). After 1341 they sat together in one chamber, became known as the House of Commons, and deliberated separately from the King and his nobles. A restricted right to vote in elections of Members of Parliament was establised in the 15th century by the Franchise Act, 1429, which conferred that right upon freeholders of land worth more than 40 shillings, and was extended in stages until universal adult suffrage was established by the Representation of the People acts of 1918 and 1928. The relative influence of the House of Lords was simultaneously reduced, and its power to overrule the House of Commons was removed in 1911.

The Houses of Parliament

House of Commons

The House of Commons shares with the House of Lords the functions of scrutinising the actions of government and examining and approving proposed legislation, and it alone can authorise government expenditure. It has legislative priority in the sense that it cannot be overruled by the House of Lords. Its work is carried out by elected Members of Parliament with the support of an administrative staff. Members of Parliament serve in a range of rôles, including "ministers" who are the political managers of government departments, and "shadow ministers" who are their opposition counterparts; the "Leader of the House" and the "whips", who together manage the business of the House; and "backbenchers" to whom none of those duties have been assigned. The chief officer of the House of Commons is "the Speaker", who chairs its debates, enforces its rules and acts as its spokesman. The Speaker also chairs the "House of Commons Commission", which employs its administrative staff and directs its administrative departments.

House of Lords

The House of Lords is Parliament's second chamber . It takes part with the House of Commons in the initiation, scrutiny and amendment of legislation and in the task of holding the government to account. It has no general power of veto, but it attaches importance to its ability to return proposed legislation to the House of Commons for further consideration..

The Crown

The phrase "Crown in Parliament" is a pedantic statement of the full constitutional makeup of the United Kingdom's legislature, but the Sovereign's legislative rôle arises only from the constitutional requirement that the that Bills passed by Parliament become law only after they have received royal assent. The personal discretionary powers of the Sovereign which are part of the royal prerogative include the rights to advise, encourage and warn Ministers in private; to appoint the Prime Minister and other Ministers; as well as to assent to legislation. The Sovereign may, in a grave constitutional crisis, act without or against ministerial advice. In ordinary circumstances, however the Sovereign, accepts and gives way to Ministerial advice. The executive powers of the royal prerogative are nowadays exercised by Ministers, and can be exercised without the prior consent of Parliament. They include diplomatic action and the declaration of war. Strictly speaking, the term "The Crown", can refer either to the person of the monarch, or to the legal fiction that makes the state a legal entity that can be a party to a legal transaction or a legal action.

Parliamentary procedures

The conduct of the business of Parliament is governed by rules and conventions that usually serve to facilitate the conduct of government,