Outline: Parliament of the UK

I. General information
 Parliament is where politicians (MPs) 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 main functions of Parliament are:
 to pass laws
 to provide, by voting for taxation, the means of carrying on the work of
government
 to scrutinise government policy and administration, including proposals for
expenditure
 to debate the major issues of the day
 The parliament has 1427 seats consist of 777 Lords Spiritual and Temporal,
650 Members of Parliament (MPs)
II. Facts
1. It has a snuff box

Smoking has been banned in the House of Commons since the 17th century, the
BBC reports, so a snuffbox is maintained next to the entrance in case MPs want
perking up before a long debate.

However, the site adds that it is rarely - if ever - used by MPs, with some calling
for it to be removed.

2. Parliamentary Ping Pong is a Real Thing

But it’s not a game. Parliamentary ping pong is the nickname given to the process
through which a bill passes before it is turned into law. The House of Commons
send the proposed bill to the House of Lords, who scrutinise it, mark it up and
send it back. It can move backwards and forwards between the houses for up to a
year (the Commons as the elected house has the final say) – that is Parliamentary
ping pong.
 3. The building was once abandoned due to a foul smell

“In the 1800s, business in Parliament had to be abandoned due to the foul-
smelling gases rising up from the Thames,” Time Out says. “That was during the
Great Stink of 1858, when the river was the main exit route for all the human
waste the city produced.”

However, civil engineer Joseph Bazalgette is credited as having redirected much

of the human and industrial waste from the Thames shortly after this, vastly
improving the scent of the river.

4. It is infested with mice

Parliament spent a record £130,000 trying to deal with mice and moths disturbed
by building works in 2016 according to the Daily Mail.

Mice are a “perennial problem in the historic Westminster buildings, with the
creatures often seen scurrying across desks and even in canteens”, the site says,
adding that the high cost covers employing a full time “pest control technician”
and laying more than 1,700 “bait stations” around the building.

Parliament is open to visitors, with the option of seeing the free Voice and Vote:
Women’s Place in Parliament exhibition in Westminster Hall until 6 October

5. A mace must be present or Parliament yields no power

The mace in Parliament is the symbol of royal authority and without it neither the
Commons nor the Lords can convene or pass laws, according to Parliament’s own
website.

“The House of Commons mace is a silver gilt ornamental club of about five feet in
length, dating from the reign of Charles II,” it says. “It is placed on the table of the
House, except when the House is in committee, when it rests on two brackets
underneath the table.”

The Lords uses two maces, one dating from the time of Charles II and another
from the reign of William III.
III. Structure of the Parliament

Parliament is made up of three parts: The Monarch, The House of Lords, The
House of Commons

1. The Monarch

Royal Assent of the Monarch is required for all Bills to become law, and certain
delegated legislation must be made by the Monarch by Order in Council. The
Crown also has executive powers which do not depend on Parliament, through
prerogative powers, including the power to make treaties, declare war, award
honours, and appoint officers and civil servants. The Queen is the official Head of
State. Britain has a constitutional monarchy where the Queen only rules
symbolically; in reality, power belongs to Parliament. So, although 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.

2. House of Lords

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. There are 675 members of the Lords. A person who sits in the House of
Lords is a peer. The main job of the House of Lords is to 'double check' new laws
to make sure they are fair and will work.

3. House of Commons

The Commons is the most important place for discussing policies and making
laws. A person who sits in the House of Commons is called a Member of
Parliament (MP).

The House of Commons has 650 members (MPs) who have been elected by local
residents to represent an area of the country in Parliament.

Each MP represents one of 650 constituencies (areas) in the UK and is a member

of a political party, such as New Labour or the Conservative party.

IV. Differences between Parliament and Government

Parliament is made up of three areas: The House of Commons, The House of
Lords, and The Monarch. Parliament’s two main jobs are to make and pass laws
(Legislate) and to keep an eye on what the Government is doing (Scrutiny).

Government comes from within Parliament. It is made up of the Political Party

with the majority of MPs in the House of Commons. Headed by the Prime
Minister, the Government is in charge of how the country is run. They manage
how much Tax we pay, where and how that Tax is spent, the running of our public
services. Also, the UK Government officially represents the country when talking
to other countries in the world.

To conclude…

Basically, the Government is elected to power by having the most MPs after a
General Election and manages the country in a number of ways, and is formed
within Parliament. Parliament keeps Government accountable to the electorate
and is the machine that makes and passes laws.