The House of Commons

There are two Houses of Parliament, the House of Commons and the House of Lords,whose function it is to pass laws, provide money through taxation, discuss government policy and administration, and debate the major politial issues of the day.

It is in the House of Commons that political argument and power is centred. The members of the House of Commons are elected by the British public in a General Election. The country is divided into constituenies and each of these returning one Member of Parliament (MP). A General Electionis held at least once every five years, though such an election can be called sooner by the Prime Minister. In addition, there may be individual by-elections in constituencies where the MP has died or retired during the current session of Parliament. MPs represent a number of different political parties. A General Election determines the choice of political party to form a government, and its existence depends on maintaing the support of a majority in the Commons. The Government party is normally the party with the highest number of supporters in the House of Commons. The party with the second highest number of supporters is called the Opposition. The Government’s policies are explained or criticised in debates at question time, bills (draft laws) are considered, levels of taxation decided and expenditure voted for the running of the country. Most Government ministers (usually all but two of the Cabinet of about twenty, and sixty out of the eighty other ministers) are drawn from this House.

The Speaker – pictured here wearing his ceremonial robe – is elected by MPs to preside over the Commons, and ceases to belong to a political party after election. The term ‘Speaker’ derives from the earlier role of spoksman for the Commons in its exchanges with the king.

RIGHT MPs vote by going into either the ‘Aye’ lobby or the ‘No’ lobby, where they give their names to the clerks sitting at the high desks and are counted by tellers as they file out. They have eight minutes to reach the lobbies before the doors are locked. When all MPs have voted, the tellers from both sides report their figures to the Chair

It is interesting to know:

Date: 2016-01-14; view: 1051