Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Non-Legislative Scrutiny
- Question Time
- PMQT
- PM doesn't receive questions in advance
- PMQT high profile- PM
should be able to answer
questions satisfactorily
- PM is briefed by senior civil servants on what
they think will be asked
- Opportunity for opposition &
backbenchers to ask questions
directly to PM
- Backbenchers allowed to ask
questions about their constituency
- Backbench questions to PM are often
redrafted by party whips to attract
attention
- Opposition leader
can raise an issue on
policy
- Can turn into 'point scoring'
between PM and opposition
leader
- QT provides opportunity to
question every department
- Given questions in advance
therefore competent answers
should be given
- Answers can be drafted and re-drafted
- MPs can also send written questions
- Not as well attended as PMQT
- Lack of time: departments only
questioned a few times a year
- Adjournment Debates
- Half hour at the end of each day
- End of each day means often MPs leave
before adjournment debates begin
- Poorly attended
- 30 mintues not enough time for effective scrutiny
- Opportunity for backbenchers
to have their voices heard
- Constituency business often only
discussed
- Doesn't allow for
wide-ranging
effective scrutiny
- Different issues tabled each week
- Wide variety of issues can be
discussed
- Select Committees
- SCs reflect party strenghts
- Fair as they received majority
votes at election
- Could lead to dominance by government
party/parties
- SCs choose their issue to examine
- Will be something they are
interested in
- Might not necessarily be
what they should be
examining
- Over time members become experts
- SCs have powers to summon witnesses and
examine restricted documents
- Some witnessess are reluctant to
provide honest evidence
- E.g. Rupert Murdoch during
phone-hacking scandal
- Government doesn't have to accpet SC recommendations
- They do, however have to
respond to recommendations
- 40% (estimate) of recommendations
are accepted
- Usually limited policy changes
- Oppossition
- The largest party not in
government forms the offical
opposition.
- Two functions
- 2. Appear as the
government 'in waiting'
- 1. To oppose government
legislative proposals
- The current coalition government has suffered three
defeats in the HoC
- Syria 2013: The government lost 285-272 on a motion to
use force 'if necessary' to respond to the use of chemical
weapons in Syria (August 2013).
- 20 'opposition days' allow the
opposition to set the agenda
- In 2009, a Lib Dem motion on
British citizenship for Ghurkha
veterans produced a rare
government defeat.
- If the government has a small majority, opposition may be able to force u-turns on
policy