The Structure and Functions of British Parliament
The activities of Parliament in Britain are more or less the same as those of the Parliament in any
western democracy. It makes new laws, gives authority for the government to raise and spend
money, keeps a close eye on government activities and discusses those activities.
The British Parliament works in a large building called the Palace of Westminster (popularly
known as 'the Houses of Parliament'). This contains offices, committee rooms, restaurants, bars,
libraries and even some places of residence. It also contains two large rooms. One of these is
where the House of Lords meets; the other is where the House of Commons meets. The British
Parliament is divided into two 'houses', and its members belong to one or other of them, although
only members of the Commons are normally known as MPs (Members of Parliament).
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.
Parliament is made up of three parts:
The Queen
The House of Lords
The House of Commons
The Queen
The Queen has an important formal and ceremonial relationship with Parliament. The phrase
'Crown in Parliament' is used to describe the British legislature, which consists of the Sovereign,
the House of Lords and the House of Commons. the Queen has the right to be consulted, to
encourage and to warn through regular audiences with her ministers.
The Queen also plays an important role in the ceremonial opening and dissolving of Parliament.
In the annual State Opening of Parliament ceremony, The Queen opens Parliament in person,
and addresses both Houses in The Queen's Speech. Neither House can proceed to public business
until The Queen's Speech has been read. This speech is drafted by the Government and not by
The Queen. It outlines the Government's policy for the coming session of Parliament and
indicates forthcoming legislation.
The Queen's role in Parliament is:
giving audiences to Ministers, at which Her Majesty may be consulted, encourage and warn;
opening each new session of Parliament;
dissolving Parliament before a general election.
The 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.
The role of the House of Lords has historically been to give the green light to things which the
House of Commons want to make law. The House of Lords also has a second function in which
it sits as the highest appeal court in the land – although the European Court of Appeal has
changed its status slightly.
The second major role of the House of Lords is in law. A group of Lords are known as law
Lords. They sit as the supreme court of appeal – the highest court of law in the country.
The third function of the House of Lords is to sit on select committees, which encompass a wide
range of functions and subjects. The Lords then debate the rights and wrongs of whatever the
subject is and make a pronouncement on it.
The House of Commons
The House of Commons is the most important place for discussing policies and making laws.
The House of Commons has 659 members who have been elected by local residents to represent
an area of the country in Parliament. The members are called MPs (Members of Parliament).
The role of the House of Commons is, above all, to represent the people of the UK. The
members of Parliament who make up the House of Commons are directly elected by the people
of the country.
Of course, there are many other ways in which the House of Commons works but these are the
main ones.
