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# A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Reference

Secondary Legislation (EU)

The EU's 'secondary legislation' is that form of legislation that affects day to day life within the EU and with which most people are familiar. It is the kind of law made under the powers created and invested in the EU by the treaties – the EU's 'primary legislation'. EU secondary legislation falls into four...Read More

Statements (Commons)

Statements are normally delivered first to the Commons at about 12.30pm. They are repeated to the Lords by a relevant Minister at a convenient time after that. The Minister reads out the text of the statement made to the Commons. Opposition spokespersons then make speeches in response to which the Minister responds. Brief questions from...Read More

Select Committees (Lords)

Lords Select Committees tend to be set up to consider issues that cut across government departments, which means that they rarely overlap with the departmental select committees of the Lower House. Examples of such Lords Select Committees are the Economic Affairs, Constitution and Delegated Powers Committees. The biggest committee is the Select Committee on the...Read More

Starred Questions

Starred questions are questions for oral answer by Ministers. They are called 'Starred Questions' because they appear next to a star on the order paper. They can be tabled by any peer for the calendar month before the time specified for answer up to 24 hours before that time. In practice several weeks' notice is...Read More

Salisbury Convention

Before the 1999 House of Lords Act, the Conservatives had a large in-built majority in the House. The problem of the Lords being able to veto all government legislation if it was so minded is covered by the so-called Salisbury convention. The convention (sometimes called the 'Salisbury doctrine') states that the Lords will not vote...Read More

Smoking

In the UK, people commonly smoke cigarettes, cigars and pipes. Read More

Sittings (Lords)

When Parliament is sitting, the Lords normally meets on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 2.30pm and on Thursdays at 11.30am. The House does not always sit on a Friday but when it does it meets at 11am. There is no time limit on proceedings, but business is normally concluded a little later than 10pm (normally...Read More

Second Reading (Lords)

A debate on the Second Reading of a Bill is a debate on its general principles (on the motion 'that the Bill be now read a Second time'). It is normally at least two weeks after introduction. The peer in charge of the Bill opens the debate by outlining the Bill's provision and making the...Read More

Sexual health

Sexual health refers to a raft of topics relating to gynaecology and urinary medicine (GUM), reproduction and family health and sex and relationship education. Read More

Select Committees (Commons)

There are two types of select committee – departmental and non-departmental. The departmental select committees are charged with examining the spending, administration and policy of their specific department and its related public bodies. They may take evidence from witnesses and require the submission of documents within certain rules and they may set up sub-committees to...Read More

Scottish parliament

The Scottish parliament was created under the Scotland Act 1998, and the powers were formally transferred from London to Edinburgh on July 1st 1999. The 129 MSPs have the authority to initiate and pass primary legislation and vary the basic rate of income tax by up to three pence in the pound from the UK-wide...Read More