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Parliament and democracyParliament is made up of three parts: The House ofCommons, the House of Lords and the Sovereign.

In the House of Commons, Members of Parliament (MPs) are electedas part of the democratic process. Following a general election, thepolitical party with the most MPs forms the Government.

Members of the House of Lords are mostly appointed by the

Sovereign on the recommendation of the Prime Minister; some areinternally elected. A small number of Church of England archbishopsand bishops are also Members.

The Sovereign fulfils a formal and ceremonial role, approving RoyalAssent for bills and attending the State Opening of Parliament.

Parliament andGovernment

Parliament and Government areseparate institutions. They workclosely together but have distinctroles.

The Government is responsiblefor running the country,implementing policy and draftinglaws. Parliament is responsiblefor checking the Governments

work, making and amendinglaws and representing the people.

After a general election, theparty leader who commandsa majority in the House ofCommons, is asked to form aGovernment by the Sovereignand is appointed Prime Minister.This MP is usually the leader ofthe largest political party.

The Prime Minister recommends

ministers for formal appointmentby the Sovereign.

PARLIAMENT AND THEHOUSE OF COMMONS

OPPOSITION DAYSOppositiondays allow theopposition partiesin the House ofCommons todetermine thetopic for debaterather than theGovernment. There

are usually about20 opposition daysin a parliamentarysession, with theOfficial Oppositionparty beingallocated 17 days.

THE RIGHT TOVOTE

UK citizens over the

age of 18 can votein parliamentaryelections.

PEOPLEEV

ENTSPLACES

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Ministers run their governmentdepartments and propose new legislationby presenting bills to Parliament.

The main business for debate in Parliament

is, in general, decided by the party whips(often referred to as the usual channels)though this is dominated in the Commonsby the government whips. This ensuresthat the Government can implement thepolicies it was elected to carry out.

Roles of the House of CommonsScrutinising GovernmentThe House of Commons scrutinises

government policies to ensure that theGovernment is working for the benefitof those living in the UK. This scrutinyincludes: MPs questioning government ministers,

either in the House or through writtenparliamentary questions. This processhelps to inform MPs of the work ofGovernment and to hold ministers

to account.

Select committees which shadowgovernment departments and carryout inquiries into issues of concern.The Government is required to providewitnesses and evidence for inquiriesand must respond to committeerecommendations.

MPs debating issues in the House andquestioning ministers when theymake statements.

Proposing and amending legislation

Parliament is responsible for makinglaws. Most legislation comes from theGovernment but proposals can originatefrom an MP, a Lord, a member of the publicor a private group. The House of Commonsand House of Lords must agree the textof any proposed legislation before it canbecome law.

Representing the people

The UK is divided into areas, calledconstituencies, each of which elects asingle MP to represent them in Parliament.

All residents of a constituency can contactthe local MP about issues that affect themor that are being considered by Parliament.It does not matter whether they voted forthe MP or even if they are entitled to voteat all.

TaxationAs the democratically elected part ofParliament, the House of Commons hasthe right to raise taxes. This provides theGovernment with money to deliver itspolicies. The Chancellor of the Exchequerpresents the Budget to the House annuallyand the House passes a Finance Act toapprove the taxes.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT PEOPLE, EVENTS AND PLACES IN PARLIAMENT...

Contact one of our Information Offices by telephone, by email or in writing or visit our website www.parliament.uk to find out more about the work, history and membership of Parliament.

We can: answer your questions on how Parliament works provide detailed publications on Parliaments work and history give you help following debates and legislation in Parliament

House of Commons Information OfficeT: 020 7219 4272 E: hcinfo@parliament.uk

House of Commons Information Office,House of Commons, Westminster,London, SW1A 0AA

House of Lords Information OfficeT: 020 7219 3107 E: hlinfo@parliament.uk

House of Lords Information Office,House of Lords, Westminster,London, SW1A 0PW

Parliamen

taryCopyrightAugust2012