The British Parliament

What is a Parliament?

Parliament is where politicians (MP's) meet to decide laws and make decisions for United Kingdom. It is not the same as the government (which runs the country). One of the jobs Parliament does to check that the government is running the country properly.

What is the job of the Parliament?

The main functions of Parliament are:

To pass laws

To provide, by voting for taxation, the means of carrying on the work of government.

To scrutinize government policy and administration, including proposals for expenditure

To debate the major issues of the day.

The Parliament facts

The house of Parliament is also called the Palace of Westminster and was a royal Palace. The last monarch to live here, Henry VII (Henry 8th), moved out in 1512. Parliament has met in the Palace of Westminster since around 1550.

The House of Lords

The House of Lords is the second chamber of the UK parliament. It is independent from, and complements the work of, the elected House of Commons. The Lords shares the task of making and checking and challenging the work of the government.

The Lords have three main roles:

Making laws

In-depth consideration of public policy

Holding government to account

Making laws

Members spend almost half of the time in the House considering bills (draft laws). All bills have to be considered by both Houses of Parliament (actual law). Many of these bills affect our everyday lives, covering areas such as welfare, health and education.

In-depth consideration

Members use their extensive individual experience to investigate public policy. Much of this work is done in selected committees- small groups appointed to consider specific policy areas. In the 2012-13 session, House of Lords select committees produced 36 reports on subjects including economic affairs, European Union powers and advances in science. Many select committee meetings involve questioning expert witness working in the field which is the subject of the inquiry. These meetings are open to the public.

Holding government to account

Members scrutinize the work of the government during questions time and debates in the chamber, where government ministers must respond. In the 2012-13 session, members held the government to account 7,324 oral and written questions and 193 debate on issues ranging from child poverty to immigration. The public is welcome to visit and sit in the galleries overlooking the chamber during business.