Curriculum Portal

neurologyYou need to know

• Parliament is the central law-making body of the UK and is made up of three parts:
• the House of Commons
• the House of Lords
• the monarch
• The House of Commons is the elected chamber and is the most powerful part of Parliament.
• The Commons is made up of Members of Parliament (MPs), each representing a constituency.
• The House of Lords is the unelected chamber and is made up of peers, including life peers, hereditary peers and bishops.
• The Lords is subordinate to the Commons but still plays an important revising and scrutinising role.
• One key role of Parliament is the scrutiny of the executive, meaning checking, questioning and challenging the government.
• Parliament scrutinises the executive through:
• Prime Minister's Questions
• ministerial questions
• debates
• select committees
• urgent questions
• opposition activity
• the House of Lords
• Legislation is a core function of Parliament. Most laws begin as bills and must pass through both Houses before receiving Royal Assent.
• Students should know the stages of the legislative process:
• First Reading
• Second Reading
• Committee Stage
• Report Stage
• Third Reading
• passage to the other House
• Royal Assent
• Parliament is a forum for debate, where policies, laws and public issues are discussed, defended and criticised.
• Parliament also performs a representative role through redress of grievances, where MPs raise the concerns and complaints of constituents.
• MPs often act as campaigners, using Parliament to support local or national causes. This can involve questions, speeches, petitions, Early Day Motions and committee work.
• Parliament can authorise or respond to a referendum, although referendums are not a routine part of the UK constitution.
• Students must know the meaning of parliamentary privilege, which protects freedom of speech in Parliament and allows MPs and peers to speak without fear of being sued for defamation for what they say in parliamentary proceedings.
• The opposition plays a vital role in Parliament by challenging the government, scrutinising policy and offering an alternative government.
• The Official Opposition is the largest party not in government, led by the Leader of the Opposition.
• The opposition contributes through debates, PMQs, committee work and opposition days.
• The work of select committees is important in scrutinising government departments, investigating issues and questioning ministers, civil servants and experts.
• Students must know that Parliament's effectiveness is often limited by government dominance, especially where the government has a working majority in the Commons.
• Party discipline is a major reason why the government usually wins votes in the Commons. MPs are expected to follow the party line, reinforced by the whips.
• Students should know that government influence can also limit scrutiny because:
• ministers and the executive often dominate parliamentary time
• membership of select committees is heavily influenced by party managers and whips
• civil servants appear before committees within limits controlled by government
• Students should know the differences between MPs and peers:
• MPs are elected and usually have stronger democratic legitimacy
• peers are unelected but may bring expertise, independence and experience
• Students must know the main theories of representation:
• Burkean theory
• delegate theory
• mandate theory
• trustee theory
• Burkean theory of representation argues that representatives should use their own judgement rather than simply obey the wishes of voters.
• Delegate theory argues that representatives should act according to the views of their constituents.
• Mandate theory argues that representatives should support the policies set out in their party's election manifesto.
• Trustee theory overlaps with Burkean ideas and suggests that representatives are chosen for their judgement and should act in what they believe is the national interest.
• Students should know that MPs may move between these roles depending on the issue.
• Parliament interacts with other branches of government, especially:
• the executive, which is drawn from Parliament and accountable to it
• the judiciary, especially where courts interpret legislation or rule on constitutional matters

• Define and use accurately the key terms:
• scrutiny of the executive
• Commons
• Lords
• MPs and peers
• delegates and trustees
• Burkean theory of representation
• delegate theory
• mandate theory
• trustees
• parliamentary privilege
• opposition
• legislation
• debate
• redress of grievances
• campaign
• referendum
• Explain the structure of Parliament clearly, including the differences between the Commons and the Lords.
• Explain the role of the House of Commons as the dominant elected chamber.
• Explain the role of the House of Lords as a revising and scrutinising chamber.
• Compare the powers, legitimacy and influence of the Commons and the Lords.
• Explain the role and significance of MPs.
• Explain the role and significance of peers.
• Analyse the role of Parliament in scrutinising the executive.
• Evaluate how effective parliamentary scrutiny of the executive is in practice.
• Explain the ways Parliament holds government to account, including questions, debates and committee work.
• Analyse and evaluate the effectiveness of select committees.
• Explain the significance of the opposition in the parliamentary system.
• Evaluate how far the opposition is able to influence government policy and hold ministers to account.
• Explain the stages of the legislative process and how a bill becomes law.
• Analyse and evaluate how effective Parliament is in shaping or amending legislation.
• Explain the importance of parliamentary debate.
• Evaluate whether debate in Parliament genuinely influences decisions or is often symbolic.
• Apply the different theories of representation to the behaviour of MPs.
• Compare Burkean, delegate and mandate theories of representation.
• Judge which theory best explains how MPs behave in practice.
• Explain how MPs represent constituents through redress of grievances and campaigning.
• Use examples to show how MPs and peers can influence public policy.
• Analyse and evaluate the extent of Parliament's influence on government decisions.
• Assess the argument that Parliament is weakened by:
• party discipline
• government majorities
• control of time and agenda by the executive
• whips' influence over committee membership
• government control over civil servants' appearances before committees
• Assess counter-arguments that Parliament still matters because of:
• rebellions
• Lords defeats
• committee investigations
• media attention
• cross-party pressure
• Explain how Parliament interacts with other branches of government.
• Analyse the relationship between Parliament and the executive, especially the overlap created by the fusion of powers.
• Analyse the relationship between Parliament and the judiciary, including the courts' role in interpreting legislation.
• Construct balanced, evidence-based judgements about the significance of Parliament in the UK political system.
• Write developed analytical responses that go beyond description and include clear evaluation.