Legislative Procedure & Process

1. Legislative Procedure & Process • Specification Link • Formal UK legislative process: roles of the House of Commons, House of Lords, and the Crown; the types of Bill; stages in the process. • Learning Objectives • All - Describe the UK Legislative Process • Most – Explain the role of the House of Commons, House of Lords and the Crown in the UK legislative process • S&C: Analyse the advantages and disadvantages of Parliamentary law making Starter: Rearrange the letters to find words associated with this topic! A A Remembers Flop Mint (3 words) Wench Rot (2 words) Odorous Shelf (3 words) Ate Tuts Wreathe Pip (2 words) Choose Of Summon (3 words) Garner Peep (2 words) Arsenals Toy (2 words) Western Mist

2. A A Remembers Flop Mint Members of Parliament Wench Rot The Crown Odorous Shelf House of Lords Ate TutsStatute Wreathe Pip White Paper Choose Of Summon House of Commons Garner Peep Green Paper Arsenals Toy Royal Assent Western Mist Westminster

3. What is the difference between green and white paper? Minister for Transport Decide which comments to adopt/whether to make changes Minister for Education Produce a White Paper putting forward firm proposals Work with your civil servants & advisers to write a Green Paper proposing a new law Put forward a government Bill (or several Bills) Ask interested parties (even the public) to comment

4. Activity: Using your knowledge of the different types of bill (homework), complete the table

5. Activity: Use the information on the cards to complete the A3 sheet showing the Parliamentary process.

6. Draft Bill • Draft Bills are issued for consultation before being formally introduced to Parliament. • This allows proposed changes to be made before the Bill's formal introduction. • Almost all Draft Bills are Government Bills. • They allow examination and amendments to be made to texts and made more easily - before their formal introduction to Parliament as a Bill proper. • Draft Bills are examined either by select committees in the Commons or Lords or by a joint committee of both Houses. • The consultation process on Draft Bills may involve the government issuing a paper for public discussion and response. • The best-known examples of this are White and Green Papers. • Although not formal definitions, Green Papers usually put forward ideas for future government policy that are open to public discussion and consultation. White Papers generally state more definite intentions for government policy.

7. Green Paper • A green paper is a tentative government report of a proposal without any commitment to action • The first step in changing the law. • Green papers may result in the production of a White Paper

8. White Paper • Informal name for a parliamentary paper enunciating government policy • Mostly issued as “ Command Papers” • Issued by Government and lay out policy or proposed action on a topic of current concern • Consultation as to details of new legislation • Signifies a clear intention on part of government to pass new law • Attempt to operate dual roles of presenting firm government policy whilst inviting opinions upon them

9. First Reading • To decide whether the Bill should progress to the second reading. • The short title and main aims of the Bill are announced • No debate at this stage but a verbal vote is taken • If the vote is in favour of the Bill a date is then set for the Bill's second reading • If successful followed by an order for the bill to be printed • Bill is published as a House of Commons Paper for the first time • Copies of it are distributed • Many private members' Bills fail to progress beyond this stage. • .

10. Second Reading • The House debates the whole Bill and is focused on the main principles behind the Bill. • It usually takes place no sooner than two weekends after first reading. • The Minister or other promoter of the Bill starts the debate. • The official Opposition spokesperson responds with their views on the Bill. • At the end of the debate there is a vote for or against the Bill progressing further. • Should the Bill progress beyond this stage it is quite likely it will eventually become an Act of Parliament.

11. Committee Stage • Committee stage is where detailed examination of the Bill takes place. • It usually starts within a couple of weeks of a Bill’s second reading, although this is not guaranteed. • Government Bills are usually formally timetabled after they have received a second reading. • The Bill is passed to the Standing Committee which is made up of between 16 and 50 MPs selected per party strength. • The MPs selected will generally have a particular interest in the Bill or specialist knowledge of its content. • The Standing Committee scrutinises the Bill clause by clause and makes amendments as required to ensure it conforms to the general approval given by the House at the second reading. • All amendments made to the Bill are voted on. Some Bills, for example money Bills, are subjected to examination by the whole House at this stage • In the House of Lords there are generally no specialist Standing Committees. The whole House scrutinises the Bill.

12. Report Stage • Report stage gives MPs an opportunity, on the floor of the House, to consider further amendments (proposals for change) to a Bill which has been examined in committee. • The Standing Committee report the amendments made to the Bill during the Committee Stage back to the whole House. • Each amendment is debated and a vote is taken to decide whether it should be accepted or rejected. • The House may make additional amendments at this stage provided these are approved by a vote. • Should no amendments be made at the Committee Stage there is no need for the Report Stage and the Bill passes directly to the third reading.

13. Third Reading • Third reading is the final chance for the Commons to debate the contents of a Bill. It usually takes place immediately after report stage as the next item of business on the same day. • This is a review of the whole Bill and a vote is taken to decide whether the Bill should proceed to the other House. • This stage is often a formality. • Amendments (proposals for change) cannot be made to a Bill at third reading in the Commons. • As the Bill has successfully completed its earlier stages it is unlikely to now fail. • In the House of Lords further amendments can be made at this stage. • After the third reading, the Bill is passed to the other House where it goes through the same stages.

14. Limited Power of the Lords • If the Lords propose amendments to a Bill which has completed the process in the Commons, the Bill is returned to the Commons for a stage called Lords’ Amendments Considered. • At this stage the Commons may approve or reject the Lords' amendments. • Approximately 90 per cent of amendments are accepted by the Commons at this stage. • In the event that the Lords do not approve a Bill that has been approved by the Commons, then under the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 the Lords can delay the passage of a money Bill for one month and all other Bills for one year.

15. Limited Power of the Lords • Once the time has elapsed the Commons can send the Bill for Royal Assent without the Lords' agreement. • In order to exercise this power the Bill must be re-introduced into Parliament in the next session and pass successfully through all the stages again. • Only four Acts have been passed using the Parliament Acts, these being the War Crimes Act 1991, the European Parliamentary Elections Act 1999, the Sexual (Amendment) Act 2000 and the Hunting Act 2004. • Supremacy of the House of Commons stems from the fact that it is a democratically elected body, answerable to the electorate. • The Lords have retained the power to reject a Bill that attempts to extend the duration of Parliament beyond five years.

16. Royal Assent • On the day Royal Assent is granted, the Bill becomes an Act of Parliament • Most Acts come into force at midnight following Royal Assent, however, implementation of some Acts has to be delayed so as to allow necessary resources to be prepared and put into place: for example, the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, which was brought into effect in stages so as to give sufficient time to the police to train personnel and acquire equipment necessary for compliance with the Act. • Acts of Parliament such as this are usually brought into force by delegated legislation.

17. Label the following on the Act • Royal Coat of Arms • Year passed • 19th Act passed that year • Short statement/preamble about purpose of Act • Formal statement showing Act has been passed by both Houses of Parliament & received Royal Assent • Section 1 abolishes old Law • Section 2 sets out when consent needed from Attorney General to start prosecution & defines key terms • Section 3 states name of Act and exceptions as well as date of commencement. N.b. if no time is given, the general rule is that it commences at midnight

18. Analyse the advantages & disadvantages of Parliamentary law making

19. Homework Describe the law-making procedure in Parliament. (10 marks) Briefly discuss advantages and disadvantages of the parliamentary law-making procedure. (10 marks)