House of Commons

2. Unit 1
Government, policies and the public services
View this in slide show now.

3. Rewind
• In our last session we explored:
– Local government

4. • The aim of this session is to enable you to
understand the different levels of
government in the UK.
• The objective is that upon completion of
this session you will have studied:
– Central government
• The House of Commons

5. Levels of government
• There are many levels of government.
• All levels have a direct or indirect impact
on our lives and the work of the uniformed
services.
• This session will focus on:
– Central government- The House of Commons

6. Central levels of government
• Central
– Issues that affect an
entire nation
– Changes in law
– Taxation policy
– National budgets
• Defence
• Education
• Infrastructure
– Central government is
called Parliament

7. Central Government
• Has very specific
responsibilities which
no other level of
government has:
– Signing treaties or
agreements with other
nations
– Making laws
– Defending the nation
• QUESTIONS?
• Why are such
responsibilities the
role of central
government?
• What would happen if
all levels of
government had
those powers?

8. All aspects of the governmental process
interact with and influence each other.
CENTRAL
Monarchy
House of Commons
House of Lords
Branches of government
REGIONAL
Devolved parliaments
Regional governments
LOCAL
Local authorities
County councils
Metropolitan councils

9. Central/national Government
• The central government of the UK is
based in London at the Palace of
Westminster.

10. Central Government
• The Palace of
Westminster contains the
major central political
institutions of the UK:
– House of Commons
– House of Lords
• They swear an oath of
allegiance to the Queen.
The Queen is also a
political institution called:
– The Monarch

11. Central Government
• The House of Commons, the House of Lords and The
Monarch are called Parliament: the name given to the
Central Government
The Monarch
The House of Commons The House of Lords
Parliament
(Central Government)

12. Central Government
The House of Commons
• 646 elected MPs from various political parties.
• Each MP represents a localised geographical area called
a constituency
• The constituency boundaries can change.
• All MPs are required to swear the following allegiance to
the Queen:

13. Central Government
The House of Commons
• ‘I swear by Almighty
God that I will be
faithful and bear true
allegiance to Her
Majesty Queen
Elizabeth, her heirs
and successors,
according to law. So
help me God.’
• Do you think it is important that
MPs swear allegiance to the
Queen, or should their
allegiance to the public who
vote them in be an MPs first
duty?

14. Central Government
The House of Commons
• The main political parties are:
– Conservative
– Liberal Democrats
– Labour
• Currently the Central Government is a
coalition (a shared responsibility) between
the Conservatives and the Liberal
Democrats

15. Central Government
The House of Commons
• A whole range of political views and
interests are represented in the House of
Commons.
• This ensures that legislation and decisions
are well debated by a variety of MPs who
hold different political views.

16. Central Government
The House of Commons
• The MPs vote on new legislation and
policies.
• Some vote for it, some vote against it.
• The most votes win.
• If a party has a majority of MPs they can
pass laws almost unopposed.
• This means that some unfair and flawed
laws and policies get voted in.

17. Central Government
The role of the House of Commons
• The House of
Commons has 6 main
roles:
– Making laws
– Controlling finance
– Scrutiny
– Delegated legislation
– Examining European
proposals (laws)
– Protecting the
individual
• Read table 1.4 on page
10 of the course book for
a description of these
roles. Do that now.

18. Research task
• In small groups use the resources in the
college to gather information on the role of
the House of Commons.
• Be prepared to feedback your findings to
the rest of the group.

19. Central Government
The House of Commons
• Summary
– Based in London
– At the Palace of Westminster
– Around 646 MPs
– Each represents an area of the country
– They swear an oath of allegiance to the
monarch
– Makes laws, scrutinising the work of
government and controls the countries
finances

20. Central Government
• Follow the link below for a virtual tour of
the Palace of Westminster:
– The House of Commons
• http://www.parliament.uk/about/visiting/virtualto

21. Look forward
• In our next session we will expand our
knowledge of central government by
exploring the role of the House of Lords.