To What Extent Is The House Of Commons Effective In Carrying Out Its Various Functions
To what extent is the House of Commons effective in carrying out its various functions?
The House of Commons is the publicly elected chamber of parliament, it is made up of 659 MP’s, all of whom are elected within a constituency throughout the UK. With the rare exception, such as Martin Bell in 1997, almost all MP’s are elected from a political party. Members in the House of Commons debate the major political issues of the day and make proposals for new laws. The House of Commons holds legislative functions, and is also used to hold the executive to account. It could be argued that the House of Commons is very effective in carrying out it’s functions due to the introduction, and then reform, of the select committees, the regular questioning of ministers, the fact that they have, although it is a rarity, voted against parliament and the growth in use of social media has helped MP’s to become more in contact with their constituencies. Others may claim that the House of Commons is not effective as there is only limited power to challenge the prerogative powers exercised by the Prime Minister and other government ministers, the fusion of the executive and legislative branch combined with the extensive use of party whips makes it difficult for the backbenchers to challenge the government.
Select committees were introduced in 1979 and have hugely increased the effectives of the House of Commons in both its legislative function, forcing them to amend law on occasion, and also by holding the executive to account. There are currently 40 select committees ranging from things such as the Communities and Local Government Committee to the Science and Technology Committee, examining the spending, policies and administration of each government department. Select Committees can choose the subject of their investigations, and who and when to interview allowing them to scrutinize them very effectively. Since 2002, the Prime minister has appeared twice a year in front of the
The House of Commons is the publicly elected chamber of parliament, it is made up of 659 MP’s, all of whom are elected within a constituency throughout the UK. With the rare exception, such as Martin Bell in 1997, almost all MP’s are elected from a political party. Members in the House of Commons debate the major political issues of the day and make proposals for new laws. The House of Commons holds legislative functions, and is also used to hold the executive to account. It could be argued that the House of Commons is very effective in carrying out it’s functions due to the introduction, and then reform, of the select committees, the regular questioning of ministers, the fact that they have, although it is a rarity, voted against parliament and the growth in use of social media has helped MP’s to become more in contact with their constituencies. Others may claim that the House of Commons is not effective as there is only limited power to challenge the prerogative powers exercised by the Prime Minister and other government ministers, the fusion of the executive and legislative branch combined with the extensive use of party whips makes it difficult for the backbenchers to challenge the government.
Select committees were introduced in 1979 and have hugely increased the effectives of the House of Commons in both its legislative function, forcing them to amend law on occasion, and also by holding the executive to account. There are currently 40 select committees ranging from things such as the Communities and Local Government Committee to the Science and Technology Committee, examining the spending, policies and administration of each government department. Select Committees can choose the subject of their investigations, and who and when to interview allowing them to scrutinize them very effectively. Since 2002, the Prime minister has appeared twice a year in front of the