The Work of the Commons
The Six Main Responsibilities of the British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the democratically elected chamber of the British Parliament where much of the business of government is conducted. The work carried out by the Commons can be divided into 6 main areas:
Making Laws
The House of Commons spends almost 50 percent of its time making laws. There are 3 types of Bill which are dealt with in the Commons. Government Bills and Private Members’ Bills are both Public Bills so they affect society as a whole whereas Private Bills only affect one particular area or group.
Controlling Finance
Permission must be granted by Parliament before the Government can raise or spend public money. Since the House of Lords has no control over financial issues, it is the House of Commons which must give this permission. Since the majority of government money is raised through taxation, it is the duty of the Commons to ensure that taxes are not raised without good reason. The Commons must also study the Government’s Estimates and agree to any spending proposals before they can go ahead. The Public Accounts Committee is that body tasked by Parliament with ensuring that the Government Departments have kept their financial activities in order.
Scrutinising the Work of the Government
The Government must explain its policies to the Commons and give opportunities for criticism. Scrutiny of the Government in the House of Commons is carried out in several ways:
- By Select Committees – each Committee is tasked with examining the work of one or more Government Departments and then reporting its findings back to the rest of the Commons.
- By asking questions – each Government Department has at least on Minister in the House of Commons who must answer other Members’ Question about the work of that Department.
- During Adjournment Debates - however late the Commons sits, there is an Adjournment Debate for at least half an hour where individual MPs can raise matters of special concern to their constituents.
- On Opposition Days – there are twenty days in each Parliamentary session that are set aside for the Opposition party to question the Government. On seventeen of these days the topics to be discussed will be set by the Leader of the Opposition and on the other three days the choice is made by the leader of the second largest Opposition party.
Controlling Indirect Law-making
Due to a shortage of time, Parliament sometimes allows individual members to make laws affecting their own area of responsibility. Parliament has to keep overall control by passing a “parent” act which sets out the scope of activity that can be carried out by the Minister.
Examining European Proposals
The Select Committee on European Legislation examines all proposed European laws before they are passed. The effects that such laws are likely to have on Britain must be considered and proposals made for any changes that the Committee thinks necessary.
Protecting the Individual
Members of the public can bring grievances to the attention of the House of Commons through petitions presented to Parliament or, more commonly, by contacting their constituency MP and asking them to raise the issue with the Minister concerned or during Question Time. It is a vitally important element of democracy that the House of Commons remains accountable to the British people.
References:
McLean, I. and McMillan, A. (2003) The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics (2nd Rev Ed.) (Oxford University Press)
Jones, B. et al (2006) Politics UK (6th Ed.) (Longman)
Kingdom, J. (2003) Government and Politics in Britain: An Introduction (3rd Ed.) (Polity Press)
