PARLIAMENT

A Parliament is a legislature. More specifically, "Parliament" may refer only to a democratic government legislature. The term is derived from the french parliament, the action of parler: a Parliament is a discussion.

The clock tower is the most photographed part of the house of Parliament. It houses five bells. The biggest and most famous bell is called Big Ben.

The houses of Parliament is also called the Palace of Westminster and was a royal palace. The last monarch to live here, Henry VIII moved out in 1512. Parliament has met the Palace of Westminster since around 1550.

The House of Lords and the House of commons meet in the houses of Parliament, located next to the river Thames in London.

We live in a democratic country, which means we all have a say in how the country is run. Parliament represents the people. It is where we send our chosen representatives to represent our views in the House of commons. Parliament is where politicians (MP) meet to decide laws and make decisions for the United Kingdom. It is not the same as the Government (which runs the country). One of the jobs Parliament does is to check that the Government is running the country properly. The Queen is the official head of State. Britain has a constitutional monarchy where the Queen opens Parliament each year and laws are passed in her name, the Queen herself plays no part in determining decisions made in Parliament.

The Queen has the final say on whether a bill becomes a law. The last Monarch to reject a law that was wanted by both houses of Parliament was Queen Anne she died in 1715.

The house of Lords is made up of people who have inherited family titles and those who have been given titles because of their outstanding work in one field or another.