Expert: Phil Woodford - 3/21/2000

Question
What is the process for passing legislation in England and what power does parliament have in shaping this legislation?

Answer
David

A good general answer to your question can be found at http://www.parliament.uk/parliament/guide/newlaw.htm

There are some broader issues, however, that might be of interest.  Britain is unusual in that one of our Houses of Parliament - the House of Lords - is entirely unelected (although this may change in the near future).  Our unwritten constitution has therefore established the lower, elected chamber - the House of Commons - as the dominant force in legislative process, with the House of Lords playing a secondary role as scrutineer.  Legislation is usually initiated by the executive in the form of the Cabinet appointed by the Prime Minister.  Occasionally, backbench MPs have the chance to promote their own laws, although time is extremely limited and it's not usually possible to succeed without tacit government support.

Parliament has lost power over the past year to the newly-created Scottish Parliament and National Assembly of Wales.  Lawmaking powers on health, education, transport and so on have been devolved, although the UK government at Westminster retains control over defence and macro-economic policy.  The Scottish Parliament has the right to vary tax levels by a small degree, although this is not the case in Wales.

If you have any more questions on specifics, please let me know.  I'm not a constitutional specialist, but can probably point you in the right direction.

Best wishes

Phil Woodford
www.philwoodford.com