Parliamentry Law Making: Process of a Bill

• A green paper is a tentative government report of a proposal without any commitment to action.
• Optional stage/pre-legislative

• Issued by Government and lay out policy of proposed action on a topic of current concern.
• Consultation as to details of new legislation.

• Legislative stages start
• Normanly starts in the House of Commons.
• The short title and main aims of the Bill are announced.
• No debate at the stage but verbal vote is taken.
• If the vote is in favour of the Bill is the set for the Bill's second reading.

• The House debates the Bill and is focused on the main principles.
• At the end there is a vote
• Should the Bill progress beyond this stage it is quite likely it will eventually become an Act of Parliament.

• Each amendment is debated and a vote is taken to decide whether it should be accepted or rejected by the whole house.

• Detailed examinarion by a Standing Comittee which is made up of between 16 and 50 MPs.
• They scrutinise the Bill clause by cluase and makes amendments.
• Some Bills, for example Money Bills, are subjected to examination by the whole House.

• Third reading is the final chance for the commons to debate the contents of a Bill. This stage is often a formality. There is another vote.
• As the Bill has successfully completed its earlier stages it is unlikely to now fail.

• The Bill is passed to the Other House where it goes through the same stage.
• Under Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 the Lords can delay the passage of a Money Bill fpr one month and all other bills for one year but they cannot reject it.
• Sexual (amendment ) Act 2000 and the Hunting Act 2004 have used this power.

• On the day Royal Aswsent is granted, the Bill becomes an Act of Parliament.
• That night at mid-night, the law starts- it comes into force then.
• However, implementation of some Acts has to be delayed so as to allow necessary resources to be prepared and put into place.

They are the people who have the most power in this country to make laws.

• Parliament can make laws about anyhting/ legislate anything.
• Parliament are not banned by the previous Parliament. when a new Parliament comes in they can change laws if they want to.
• No body can overide an act of Parliament. Only Parliament can change an act.
  • However the European Union can, European Court of Human Rights.