Numbers
CCEA AS-Level Government and Politics 4830
The Northern Ireland Assembly
Topic overviewThe Good Friday Agreement: origins and principlesThe three strands of the AgreementRights, equality, policing and prisoners under the AgreementImplementing the Agreement: referendums, devolution and suspensionSubsequent agreements from St Andrews to New Decade, New ApproachComposition, elections and designationCross-community voting and the petition of concernThe Assembly's representative functionThe Assembly's legislative functionThe Assembly's scrutiny functionThe Assembly's independence of the Executive
The Northern Ireland Executive Committee
Topic overviewThe composition of the Executive CommitteeAppointing the Executive and the d'Hondt formulaThe First Minister and deputy First MinisterThe Office of the First Minister and deputy First MinisterThe Pledge of Office and the Ministerial CodeHow the Executive determines legislationThe Programme for Government and the budgetDivisions within the ExecutiveEvaluating the Executive's policy makingThe Executive as a power-sharing governmentCollapse, restoration and reform of the Executive
The Northern Ireland Political Parties
Topic overviewThe role and functions of political partiesThe Northern Ireland party systemThe Democratic Unionist PartySinn FéinThe Ulster Unionist PartyThe Social Democratic and Labour PartyThe Alliance PartySmaller parties and independentsChanging party strategies since 1998Changing electoral support since 1998Explaining electoral change
The UK Parliament
Topic overviewRepresentation in the House of CommonsLegislation and the passage of a bill through the CommonsScrutiny of government on the floor of the CommonsSelect committees and the scrutiny of governmentThe effectiveness of the House of CommonsComposition and representation in the House of LordsThe House of Lords and the legislative processScrutiny and committee work in the House of LordsThe effectiveness of the House of LordsThe fusion of powers and executive control of ParliamentParty discipline, backbench independence and parliamentary privilege
The UK Executive
Topic overviewThe role of the Prime MinisterThe powers of the Prime MinisterThe Cabinet and its roleCabinet committees, the Cabinet Office and the core executiveMinisterial responsibilityLimitations on the powers of the Prime MinisterThe Executive and its control of the legislaturePrime ministerial government or cabinet governmentThe civil service, special advisers and the centre of government
Option: The British JudiciaryJudiciary
Topic overviewThe judiciary, the rule of law and the separation of powersThe courts and the United Kingdom Supreme CourtJudicial review and its groundsJudicial review and the Human Rights ActLandmark rulings against the ExecutiveJudicial inquiriesWhat secures judicial independenceTensions between the judiciary and the ExecutiveThe effectiveness of the judiciary in holding the Executive to account
Option: Pressure Groups in the UKPressure groups
Topic overviewThe concept of a pressure groupCause and sectional pressure groupsInsider and outsider pressure groupsSocial movementsPressure groups and the policy-making processInsider tactics: lobbying, consultation and the courtsOutsider tactics: protest, direct action and the mediaWhat makes a pressure group successfulPluralist, elitist and New Right interpretations of impactRegulating lobbying and the debate about influence
The UK Parliament
- 11 subtopics
- 33 things to know
- AS Unit 2
What The UK Parliament covers
The UK Parliament is examined in Unit AS 2, The British Political Process — compulsory. It covers representation in the House of Commons, legislation and the passage of a bill through the Commons, scrutiny of government on the floor of the Commons, select committees and the scrutiny of government, the effectiveness of the House of Commons, composition and representation in the House of Lords, the House of Lords and the legislative process, scrutiny and committee work in the House of Lords, the effectiveness of the House of Lords, the fusion of powers and executive control of Parliament and party discipline, backbench independence and parliamentary privilege.
The 11 subtopics
Each one has its own page. CCEA AS Government and Politics students sit this topic in the first year.
- Representation in the House of CommonsTrustee model of representation and doctrine of the mandate.Open →
- Legislation and the passage of a bill through the CommonsDecided at second reading, what happens at the committee stage of a Commons bill and purpose of the report stage.Open →
- Scrutiny of government on the floor of the CommonsFormat of Prime Minister's Questions, urgent question and ministerial statement.Open →
- Select committees and the scrutiny of governmentDistinctive about the Public Accounts Committee and liaison Committee.Open →
- The effectiveness of the House of CommonsPayroll vote, how control of the timetable strengthens the government's hand and programme motion.Open →
- Composition and representation in the House of LordsThree categories of member in the House of Lords and crossbench peer.Open →
- The House of Lords and the legislative processCalling the House of Lords a revising chamber, money bill and salisbury convention.Open →
- Scrutiny and committee work in the House of LordsThree investigative committees of the House of Lords, function of the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee and joint Committee on Human Rights.Open →
- The effectiveness of the House of LordsLegitimacy paradox of the House of Lords, one argument for replacing the Lords with an elected chamber and one argument against an elected second chamber.Open →
- The fusion of powers and executive control of ParliamentFusion of powers in the British system, how patronage limits parliamentary independence and doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty.Open →
- Party discipline, backbench independence and parliamentary privilegeDifference between a one-line, a two-line and a three-line whip, free vote and parliamentary privilege.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
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Key term
What is a programme motion, and why do critics object to it?
Key term
Why can peers scrutinise more freely than MPs?
Key term
Why has party discipline weakened since the 1970s?
Numbers
How many MPs sit in the House of Commons, and how is each one chosen?
Key term
Describe the format of Prime Minister's Questions.
Key term
What does a departmental select committee do?
Key term
Name the categories of member in the House of Lords.
Key term
Why does the absence of a guillotine matter in the Lords?
Key term
Summarise the case that the House of Lords is an effective revising chamber.
Key term
What is meant by a fusion of powers in the British system?
Numbers
How many members does Northern Ireland return to the House of Commons?
Key term
What is decided at second reading?
Numbers
What is an urgent question, and who decides whether one is granted?
Key term
How is the party composition of a select committee decided?
Key term
Why does the size of a government's majority matter for scrutiny?
Key term
What is a crossbench peer?
Key term
How does third reading in the Lords differ from third reading in the Commons?
Key term
How does the Lord Speaker's role differ from that of the Commons Speaker?
Key term
How does the absence of a government majority affect the Lords' behaviour?
Key term
Why does the fusion of powers make Parliament's independence harder to achieve?
Key term
What do the whips do?
Key term
How does the delegate model of representation differ from the trustee model?
Process
Describe what happens at the committee stage of a Commons bill.
Key term
Why is the power to grant urgent questions significant for scrutiny?
Numbers
Why did the change to electing chairs and members strengthen scrutiny?
Numbers
What has happened to the level of backbench rebellion since the 1970s?
Evaluation
Roughly how large is the House of Lords, and why is its size criticised?
Numbers
What did the Parliament Act 1949 change?
Key term
How are the Lords' investigative committees organised, and how does that differ from the Commons?
Key term
Explain the legitimacy paradox of the House of Lords.
Key term
Explain how patronage limits parliamentary independence.
Key term
Explain the difference between a one-line, a two-line and a three-line whip.
Take The UK Parliament further
The same content, four other ways.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
How many MPs sit in the House of Commons, and how is each one chosen?
Model answer
The House of Commons has 650 MPs, and each is elected by first past the post in a single-member constituency.
- 2
How many members does Northern Ireland return to the House of Commons?
Model answer
Northern Ireland returns 18 MPs to the House of Commons.
- 3
Explain the trustee model of representation.
Model answer
The trustee model holds that a member is elected to exercise independent judgement on behalf of the whole nation rather than to take instructions. Edmund Burke put the argument to the electors of Bristol in 1774.
- 4
How does the delegate model of representation differ from the trustee model?
Model answer
A delegate is bound to act on the expressed wishes of those who elected them, whereas a trustee may reach a different conclusion from the voters and still claim to represent them.
- 5
What is meant by the doctrine of the mandate?
Model answer
The doctrine of the mandate holds that a party winning a general election has authority to carry out the programme set out in its manifesto.
- 6
Distinguish descriptive representation from substantive representation.
Model answer
Descriptive representation means the membership of the Commons resembles the society it serves in characteristics such as sex, class and ethnicity. Substantive representation means a member acts for a group's interests whether or not they belong to that group.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
The UK Parliament revision questions
- Is The UK Parliament examined at AS in CCEA Government and Politics?
- Yes. It sits in AS Unit 2, which you take in the first year, so it is on the AS paper as well as counting towards the full A level.
- What does The UK Parliament cover in CCEA AS-Level Government and Politics?
- 11 subtopics: representation in the house of commons, legislation and the passage of a bill through the commons, scrutiny of government on the floor of the commons, select committees and the scrutiny of government, the effectiveness of the house of commons, composition and representation in the house of lords, the house of lords and the legislative process, scrutiny and committee work in the house of lords, the effectiveness of the house of lords, the fusion of powers and executive control of parliament and party discipline, backbench independence and parliamentary privilege. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is The UK Parliament organised?
- By the CCEA 4830 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in The UK Parliament, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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