Guides

Reference

Bishops

The 24 most senior bishops in the Church of England are entitled to sit, speak and vote in the House. Apart from the two archbishops (of Canterbury and of York) and the Bishops of Durham, London and Winchester, the seniority of bishops is measured in the number of years they have held office. If a...Read More

Business statement

The weekly business announcement by the Leader of the House takes the form of a statement, which is followed by requests for debates and changes to business from all sides. This normally lasts a full hour.Read More

Business and the Usual Channels (Commons)

It is impossible to over-emphasise the importance of time, and the control of time, in the Commons. It is a key Parliamentary tactic because, except in certain circumstances, legislation falls if it does not become law before prorogation. This means that a government cannot fulfil its commitments to the electorate and implement its policy, which...Read More

Business and the Parliamentary Bureau

The agenda for the parliament is decided by the Parliamentary Bureau, which agrees a weekly business motion. Chaired by the presiding officer, it is made up of representatives of each party with more than five MSPs and meets in private. Representatives' votes are weighted in line with their parties' seats in the parliament, so the...Read More

Bill Team

All Government Bills originate in departments and have Bill team of civil servants assigned to oversee the drafting and passage of the Bill, as supervised by the sponsoring Minister. Draft Bills also have Bill teams, who tend to participate in the pre-legislative scrutiny process in Parliament.Read More

Business (Wales)

The agenda is normally decided by the Welsh Assembly Government in the person of the Business Minister (on the advice of the Business Committee), who tables a weekly business motion. If ten AMs have indicated that they object to the motion, it is put to a vote. The Assembly Government can normally rely on its...Read More

BNP

The BNP's prominence in the news far outweighs its modest support. Before the setbacks of the 2010 general election many commentators became concerned the party would benefit from the 'perfect storm' of a recession and mass disillusionment with mainstream politics after the expenses crisis. In the 2005 general election, the party stood 119 candidates across...Read More

Business and the Usual Channels (Lords)

Time is the dominant force in Lords as it is in the Commons. It is not, however, subject to the same tight control at the hands of the Government as it is in the Lower House. While there is a broad consensus that the Government has a right to its business, there is a similar...Read More