Parliament's Legislative Process and Scrutiny of the Executive
Parliament's core legislative process moves a public bill through First Reading, Second Reading, Committee Stage, Report Stage and Third Reading in the Commons, before the Lords repeats broadly the same stages, ending in Royal Assent.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Learn the five Commons stages of a public bill in order, plus what happens differently for a money bill (Parliament Act 1911) versus most other bills (Parliament Act 1949).
- Learn the difference between a government (public) bill and a Private Member's Bill, and how a Private Member's Bill usually reaches the floor of the House (the ballot, ten-minute rule, or presentation).
- Learn the main scrutiny mechanisms (select committees, the Liaison Committee, PMQs, Opposition Days, the Public Accounts Committee/National Audit Office) with a specific fact about each, such as the year of the 2010 Wright Committee reforms.
- For an evaluation of how effectively Parliament scrutinises the executive, plan three two-sided paragraphs, each weighing a genuine strength of a scrutiny mechanism against a genuine limitation.
- Give each paragraph a clear judgement before moving on; simply listing scrutiny methods with no assessment of their limits is capped in the middle band.
- Build a thesis-led introduction and a conclusion that weighs the three judgements to reach an overall, supported answer on how effective scrutiny really is.
- Keep named, dated evidence ready, such as the 2010 reforms or a specific Lords defeat of a statutory instrument, rather than only general description.
Worked example
'Select committees are the most effective method Parliament has for scrutinising the executive.' Evaluate this statement. Plan the essay: a thesis, three two-sided paragraphs and a conclusion.
- Underline the claim: are select committees the MOST effective method, which means comparing them with at least one alternative, not just describing what they do.
- Choose three comparisons: (1) select committees vs PMQs, (2) select committees vs the Lords, (3) select committees' own strengths and limits.
- Paragraph 1: select committees can take detailed written and oral evidence and cross-examine ministers over an extended session, weighed against PMQs, widely criticised as adversarial and reliant on prepared soundbites rather than probing detail, then a judgement.
- Paragraph 2: select committee reports are cross-party and can generate sustained media pressure, e.g. the Public Accounts Committee's work on tax avoidance, weighed against the House of Lords, which lacks a whipped government majority and can outright defeat secondary legislation, a power select committees do not have, then a judgement.
- Paragraph 3: since the 2010 Wright Committee reforms, chairs are elected by the whole House, giving committees independence from whips, weighed against the counterpoint that committees still cannot compel government to accept a recommendation or force a resignation, unlike a lost confidence vote, then a judgement.
- Write a thesis and a conclusion that directly compares select committees with the alternative scrutiny methods discussed, rather than assessing them in isolation.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1Outline the stages a public bill passes through in the House of Commons, in order.Show answer
Answer: First Reading (formal introduction, no debate), Second Reading (main debate and vote on the bill's principle), Committee Stage (line-by-line examination, usually in a Public Bill Committee), Report Stage (further amendments considered by the whole House), and Third Reading (final vote, usually with little further debate).
Q2What is 'ping-pong' in the legislative process?Show answer
Answer: The process by which a bill is passed back and forth between the Commons and the Lords until both Houses agree on its final wording, or until the Commons uses the Parliament Acts to proceed without Lords consent.
Q3What is the difference between a Green Paper and a White Paper?Show answer
Answer: A Green Paper is a consultation document setting out options for a policy area; a White Paper sets out the government's firm proposals, usually shortly before a bill is introduced.
Q4Name one method by which Parliament questions government ministers directly.Show answer
Answer: Prime Minister's Questions, departmental Question Time, or being questioned as a witness before a select committee.
Q5What is the Liaison Committee?Show answer
Answer: A committee made up of the chairs of the departmental select committees, which questions the Prime Minister directly on a range of policy areas several times a year.
Q6Since which year have select committee chairs been elected by a secret ballot of the whole House of Commons, rather than appointed by party whips?Show answer
Answer: 2010, following the Wright Committee reforms.
Q7What does the Parliament Act 1911 allow the House of Commons to do?Show answer
Answer: Pass a money bill, a bill dealing mainly with taxation or public spending, into law without the consent of the House of Lords, after a delay of one month.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a A Level Politics exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Analyse ONE way select committees scrutinise the executive and ONE limitation on their power to do so.
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'Parliament is unable to effectively scrutinise the executive.' Evaluate this statement.
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See real A Level Politics past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
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