Chapter 4 Self-check questions

. Since Parliament is the central representative institution at the heart of the UK's democracy, a lack of diversity remains a key challenge. Which of the following statements concerning diversity in Parliament is not true?

Through the 2019 election, more MPs from ethnic minorities were elected than ever before; this stood at 65%.

Through the 2019 election, more women than ever before were elected to the House of Commons; this figure stood at 34%.

The average age of an MP is 50 years old; this is unrepresentative of age distribution in the UK.

The Labour party has more Female MPs than male MPs.

. How is membership of the House of Lords achieved today?

Peers achieve their membership through hereditary entitlement.

Peers are appointed by the Monarch, upon the advice of the Prime Minister.

Peers must be senior civil servants beforehand.

Peers achieve their membership after holding a significant position in government for a set amount of time.

. Which of the following strategies to reduce the size of the House did the government commit to, before abandoning more recently?

A bill to reduce the size of the House of Lords

Retirement of members after the age of 90

Expelling Peers with a criminal sentence of over a year, or those who do not attend sessions

Non-statutory means, a two-out, one-in system

. Which of the following functions is restricted to the House of Commons?

The appointment of government ministers and the formation of government

Legislative scrutiny

Select Committee inquiries

Matters of financial privilege, like the Budget Statement

. Parliament retains a number of roles, including that of accountability. Which of the following descriptions is not encompassed by the parliamentary function of holding the government to account?

Representing the views of the electorate

Requiring ministers to provide information on government policy

Requiring ministers to justify government actions

Discussing, debating, and withholding consent for government bills or decisions

. The doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty guides institutional relationships in the UK constitution. What implications does this doctrine have for Parliament's ability to legislate?

Parliament produces primary legislation, whilst executive authorities only produce secondary legislation.

All acts must receive Royal Assent and have a special legal force.

Parliament must scrutinize all legislation at various stages to assess whether the legislation can work in practice.

In theory, there are no legal limits on an Act of Parliament.

. Parliament can also give ministers powers to legislate. This type of law is called 'secondary legislation'. Why has using secondary legislation caused a significant amount of controversy?

Because secondary legislation is used by ministers for detailed policy implementation

Because around 2,000 pieces of secondary legislation are enacted per year

Because secondary legislation derives its authority from Acts of Parliament

Because secondary legislation is created through ministerial discretion alone and often not subject to much parliamentary accountability and scrutiny

. Despite being enacted roughly 800 years ago, the Magna Carta is often invoked for its significance. Why is the Magna Carta seen as constitutionally significant?

Because it set regular requirements from the predecessor of Parliament, 'Witan', to meet

Because it mandated a monarch to hear from their subjects before raising tax

Because it represented the grievances of senior figures throughout multiple English kingdoms

Because it restored rights to land that were stripped by the Norman conquest

. What role does the Salisbury Addison convention instance play in deciding how the House of Parliament interact?

It prevents the House of Lords from opposing a manifesto commitment of governing parties.

It reduces the length of time for which the House of Lords can delay a bill.

It means that the PM cannot operate out of the House of Lords, and must be a sitting member of the House of Commons.

It means that the House of Lords must approve government budgets.

. Why was the House of Lords Reform Bill 2012 eventually dropped?

Because of opposition by Conservative and Labour MPs, who created procedural barriers to the Bill's passage

Because of vocal opposition from a cross-section of members in the House of Lords

Because political momentum and public interest in the Bill waned

Because the Bill would make the House of Lords just as powerful than the House of Commons

. Which of the following conclusions in the academic literature best explains the increase in backbench rebellions in the House of Commons, and a greater impact by the House of Lords and Commons on government legislation?

Parliament's authority as a check on the executive declining.

Greater assertiveness amongst Parliamentarians has strengthened Parliament's place with respect to government.

The House of Lords and Commons competing for dominance over Parliament.

Consecutive governments being unable to control the actions of their own backbench MPs and a decline in the system of 'whipping' votes.

. Following the Glorious Revolution of 1688, Parliament passed the Bill of Rights in 1689. What is the main purpose of this piece of constitutionally significant legislation?

To give Parliament greater powers to hold future rulers in check, and prevent certain actions by the Crown without legislative consent

To set out timings for Parliament to meet

To give citizens of England the right to freedom of speech

To give MPs the power to bypass court-made injunctions

. Why were various proposals suggested by the Wright Committee adopted?

Because of the government's desire to make Parliament more powerful and less dominated by the executive

Because of New Labour, and Gordon Brown's commitment to democracy and constitutional reform

Because of the chair, Tony Wright's longstanding interest in constitutional reform

Because of sustained pressure both inside and outside Parliament in the aftermath of the expenses scandal, which did great reputational damage to MPs

. In the academic literature on parliamentary scrutiny, different approaches are taken to assess the impact of select committees. An example includes counting the number of recommended policy proposals that are enacted by government. What are the main drawbacks of this approach?

It is not representative because it does not necessarily follow that the committee was the primary cause of this outcome.

There are no drawbacks to this approach; it accurately reflects the efficiency of select committee work.

It is difficult to follow, because there are a large number of recommendations to account for.

It is complicated to determine whether select committee recommendations have been completely followed.

. The government is responsible for the composition of various important public offices, like the British Broadcasting Corporation and HM Chief Inspector of Prisons. Pre-appointment hearings in front of parliamentary committees were introduced in 2008. What was the main purpose of these hearings?

To allow parliamentary committees to either agree or object to a minister's appointment decision

To allow the minister to assess a candidate's qualification before appointment

To allow parliamentary committees to assess a candidate's qualification before appointment

To increase public awareness surrounding the appointment process

Chapter 4 Self-check questions

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