The Role of Parliamentary Committees - 1395 Words

There are two main types of parliamentary committees, there are select committees who check and report on areas ranging from the work of government departments to economic affairs and there are public bill committees which mainly scrutinise proposed legislation in detail. The latter is unique to the commons, as Bills in the Lords are considered by the house as a whole. Committees certainly provide an air of legitimacy in the parliamentary system. Unlike debates, in which, as source A states ‘points put forward by (†¦) backbenchers seem to have little effect’ the same cannot be said for parliamentary committees. In the vast majority of cases heads of most committees are backbenchers, and committees such as the ‘backbench business committee’ are comprised solely of backbenchers. Therefore they have a direct say in the working of the government whether that be through the process of a Bill becoming an Act (public bill committee), or through proposing recommendations to a government regarding a certain issue (select committee). Backbenchers can also in some cases use committees as means of bringing their constituents’ views to the forefront, thus further increasing the legitimacy of committees. The fact that parliamentary committees allow backbenchers a say in government matters not only lends legitimacy within par liament, but also indirectly makes the entire parliamentary system more legitimate, as increasing the influence of back benchers, indirectly increases the influence ofShow MoreRelatedBritish Parliament And The Lords Of Commons1600 Words   |  7 PagesOf Lords. It has multiple key features which contribute to the successful workings of Government. The role of the MP’s and the functions in which they carry out is a major contribution to UK parliament. The House of Commons are known to be the most dominant chamber in parliament and all 650 members are elected by the British people to speak for their needs and issues. They exercise parliamentary sovereignty which gives parliament ‘legislative sovereignty’ (Fairclough, P.E., Lynch, P. and Magee, ERead MoreLord Of The Black Rod1054 Words   |  5 PagesSome people have specific duties in Parliament — the Governor-General, the Speaker, the Prime Minister, Ministers and other members with special roles, the Clerk of the House, the Serjeant-at-Arms, and the historical office of Usher of the Black Rod. Their titles and functions are set out here. Sovereign / Governor-General Speaker of the House Deputy and Assistant Speakers Prime Minister Ministers Leader of the House Leader of the Opposition Whips Clerk of the House Serjeant-at-Arms Usher of theRead MoreQuestions on Social Administration1228 Words   |  5 Pageswell-being of the people in the society (Jouannet, 2012). As a social legislation act, it was thought as a liberal law of co-existence and cooperation among and between states. Interventionist law was designed out of the liberal welfare system replacing the role of religion in taking care of the welfare of the people in the state or nation. The idea that poverty is caused by the failure of economic and public institution rather than the weaknesses of individuals made this construct very much accepted, butRead MoreHow Well Does Parliament Perform Its Various Functions? Essay1630 Words   |  7 Pagesjudicial, legislative and executive body in Britain. A parliamentary form of government acknowledges that it derives its power directly from the consent of the people. This sort of system ensures democracy and an active interaction between the people and their representatives. The three functions that I am g oing to focus on are Scrutiny, Representation and Law Making. Scrutiny is carried out in four main ways- Prime Ministers Questions, Select Committees, The Back Benches and The House of Lords. PrimeRead MoreRole of Parliament in Germany1550 Words   |  7 Pages The former Reichstag building housed a history exhibition (Fragen an die deutsche Geschichte) and served occasionally as a conference center. The Reichstag building was also occasionally used as a venue for sittings of the Bundestag and its committees and the Bundesversammlung, the body which elects the German Federal President. However the Soviets harshly protested against the use of the Reichstag building by institutions of the Federal Republic of Germany and tried to disturb the sittings byRead MoreResponsibilities Of The Different Levels Of Government1340 Words   |  6 PagesUnit 1, Assignment 1 In this essay, I will be evaluating the roles and responsibilities of the different levels of government as well as explaining how these responsibilities are managed and expressing my own opinion. The main levels of government are: European government, central government, devolved parliament and local authorities. These all have different roles, making decisions that show the views of the people they represent. European Government The European Government has legislative, supervisoryRead MoreThe United States Vs. United Kingdom1256 Words   |  6 PagesKingdom has more parties that matter. Even though Great Britain may only have two major parties, they have a number of smaller ones that play a huge role when raising new issues, or when forming government coalitions. â€Å"A coalition is an alliance of parties close enough to one another ideologically to stay together for the duration of the parliamentary term.† There are these differences between them because of their â€Å"electoral systems, the laws governing the way elections are conducted and votes areRead MoreThe Government Style of Britain Essays941 Words   |  4 Pagesaround 95% of the bills passed. Also from 1997-2005 the Labour party had not lost a bill. Another reason why Britain is considered to be an elective dictatorship is the limited powers of parliament, which has led to the undermining of parliamentary sovereignty. The central issue to why Britain has become an elective dictatorship is the decline in strength of parliament even though it is regarded formally as the sovereign body within the constitution. Recent developments andRead MoreThe New Zealand Essay1391 Words   |  6 PagesThe New Zealand (NZ) government essentially operates under the Westminster Parliamentary system (Palmer, 3). This system was derived from the British structure and adopted in 1947 (Palmer, 4). The defining characteristic of this system include the separation of government into three branches, the judicatory, legislator and the executive, with each preforming different roles in the law forming process (Palmer, 5). There is no-absolute separation of power between these different branches, especiallyRead MorePublic Bills And The House Of Commons1244 Words   |  5 Pagesof time the bill stays in parliament for, and whether parliament can take on board evidence from committees and implement the bills into legislation. In order to determine if the House of Lords has been more effective than the House of Commons in scrutinising public bills, it is crucial to compare and contrast the effectiveness of the pro cedures used in both houses. The function of select committees in the House of Lords differs compared to their function in the House of Commons, with each select