Question

Describe the composition and roles of: (20 marks)

a. The House of Commons: -

b. The Cabinet: -

c. Cabinet Members: -

d. The Prime Minister: -

Answer 1

1. House of Commons – It is the popularly elected legislative body of the British Parliament which is bicameral in nature. The lower house of British Parliament is purely an elected body with more than 650 seats, with seats from England (around 523), Scotland (around 72), Wales (around 38) and Northern Ireland (around 17 seats).

As far as the roles and functions are concerned, the House of Commons has extensive power and authority in the Parliamentary system of Britain, with powers ranging from legislative to judicial powers –

Legislative Powers – The House of Commons have more power over general legislation. Majority of the bills originate in the lower house and it has the vital discretion to accept or reject any modification proposed by the upper house in any bill originated in the lower house. Additionally, they have the discretion to accept or reject proposals made by the House of Lords.

Financial Powers – A money bill and the budget is to be introduced only in the House of Commons. Even the Queen has no veto power to reject the bill. Allocation of funds to different departments is done by the House of Commons.

Executive Powers – The Prime Minister individually and the cabinet is collectively responsible to the House of Commons. To ensure the responsibility of the ministry, the House of Commons can take up a No-confidence motion.

Judicial Powers – The House of Commons can recommend the Monarch to remove a judge and punish anyone guilty of contempt of the House.

Constituent Powers – The House of Commons can amend the constitution through ordinary bills.

2. The Cabinet – It comprises of a group within the executive government consisting of the Prime Minister and other top-level Ministers. It has a stipulated fixed number and is the main decision-making group within the executive government.

The role of the Cabinet is to direct and guide government policy and decision-making for all national issues. They discuss all current national problems and arrive at a resolution for them all. In their meetings, ministers also present bills or proposed laws from the respective government department. Here the discussion takes place before the bill can be sent to the Parliament. The Cabinet is accountable to the Parliament for the running of the government.

3. Cabinet Members – The members are primarily selected from the elected members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. This selection is done by the Prime Minister. As a role, they are primarily assigned as the heads of various government departments, with the office of “Secretary of State”. However, there can be some Cabinet Members who are ministers without any portfolio.
4. The Prime Minister – is the head of the government of the United Kingdom. The PM, together with the Cabinet members are collectively accountable to not only the Monarch and the Parliament but also the mass electorate who have directly elected them. Typically, the PM is the leader of the party or the coalition of parties that have got the largest number of seats in the House of Commons. The PM is the First Lord of the Treasury and the Minister for the Civil Service. As the leader of the House of Commons, the powers of the PM were further enhanced by the Parliament Act of 1911 which reduced the influence of the House of Lords in the legislative process.