House of Lords: What's it all about?

Summary

The video script discusses the roles and functions of the UK's Houses of Parliament, emphasizing the House of Commons as an elected body initiating legislation and the House of Lords as an appointed chamber with a focus on scrutiny and amendment of bills. Members of the public express varied perceptions, from the Lords being a check on the Commons to a collection of experts. Peers highlight the Lords' expertise, part-time nature, and role in refining legislation, often leading to better Acts. The dialogue underscores the importance of this bicameral system in ensuring thorough law review and public protection against ill-considered laws.

Takeaways

• 🏛️ The UK Parliament has two chambers: the House of Commons (elected) and the House of Lords (appointed).
• 🗳️ The House of Commons is entirely elected, while the House of Lords members are appointed.
• 📜 The House of Lords primarily scrutinizes, revises, and sometimes amends legislation.
• 💡 The House of Lords can't make the final decision on laws but can suggest changes and provide revisions.
• 🔄 There is a 'ping-pong' process where the House of Commons and House of Lords send bills back and forth for revisions.
• 🎓 The House of Lords is a body of experts from various fields, including medicine, law, arts, and science.
• ⚖️ The House of Lords acts as a check-and-balance to the decisions of the House of Commons and the Government.
• 👥 Lords are often part-time members with other professional roles, such as chairing boards or leading initiatives.
• 🛡️ The House of Lords helps protect the public from poorly thought-out laws and improves legislation quality.
• 🏛️ The House of Lords is part of the country's heritage, and people are encouraged to visit and see its workings.

Q & A

What are the two Houses of Parliament in the UK?

The two Houses of Parliament in the UK are the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

How is the House of Commons different from the House of Lords in terms of election?

The House of Commons is wholly elected, while the House of Lords members are appointed.

What is the core function of the House of Lords according to Lord Puttnam?

The core function of the House of Lords is to scrutinize legislation, comment on it, criticize it where necessary, and amend it from time to time.

What powers does the House of Lords have in terms of making laws?

The House of Lords can revise and suggest laws but does not have the final say; only the elected House of Commons has that power.

What is the 'ping-pong' process mentioned by Lord Wright of Richmond?

The 'ping-pong' process refers to the back-and-forth exchange of a bill between the House of Commons and the House of Lords when amendments are not accepted by one house.

Why does the House of Lords review legislation?

The House of Lords reviews legislation to produce better Acts by scrutinizing, critiquing, and amending them as necessary.

What is the role of the House of Lords in the legislative process when a bill starts in the House of Lords?

When a bill starts in the House of Lords, members try to make a good bill to go to the Commons for further revision.

What kind of expertise does the House of Lords possess according to Baroness D'Souza?

The House of Lords possesses a large amount of expertise in various fields such as science, medicine, law, arts, architecture, and prison studies, with members at the top of their professions.

How does the House of Lords membership typically engage outside of the Chamber?

Members of the House of Lords often engage in other fields of activity outside the Chamber, as their membership tends to be part-time.

What does the House of Lords aim to provide for the public according to Lord Fowler?

The House of Lords aims to produce better legislation for the public by protecting them from laws that haven't been sufficiently thought through.

How does the House of Lords serve as a check-and-balance in the UK's legislative process?

The House of Lords serves as a check-and-balance by ensuring that there are people with expertise who can scrutinize legislation and provide a counterbalance to the Government's initiatives.

Outlines

00:00

🏛️ Structure and Function of the UK Parliament

The video script discusses the structure and roles of the UK's two parliamentary chambers: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Members of the public express varying degrees of understanding about the two chambers, with some recognizing the elected status of the Commons and the appointed nature of the Lords. The script clarifies that one chamber initiates policy while the other reviews and amends it. It also touches on the public's perception of the Lords as a collection of experts and the 'ping-pong' process of legislative review between the two houses.

Keywords

💡House of Commons

The House of Commons is one of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is the lower house and is composed of Members of Parliament (MPs) who are elected by the public. In the video, it is mentioned that the House of Commons is 'wholly elected' and is responsible for initiating policy. This is a key element of the UK's democratic process, ensuring that the government is accountable to the electorate.

💡House of Lords

The House of Lords is the second chamber of the UK Parliament. Unlike the House of Commons, members are not elected but are appointed for life or for a set term. The video script highlights that the House of Lords is involved in scrutinizing and amending legislation, which is crucial for ensuring that laws are thoroughly reviewed and improved before they become Acts.

💡Scrutinise

To scrutinise means to examine something in detail, often critically. In the context of the video, the House of Lords is said to scrutinise legislation, which involves a close examination of bills to comment on, criticise, and amend them where necessary. This process is vital for the quality and integrity of the laws that are passed.

💡Legislation

Legislation refers to the process of making or enacting laws. The video script mentions that the core function of the House of Lords is to scrutinise legislation as it comes through. This indicates the importance of the legislative process in the functioning of the UK Parliament and the role of the House of Lords in shaping it.

💡Ping-pong

In the context of the video, 'ping-pong' refers to the back-and-forth process between the House of Commons and the House of Lords where a bill is sent back and forth for further revisions and consideration. This term is used metaphorically to describe the iterative process of law-making, ensuring that both houses have a say in the final form of the legislation.

💡Expertise

Expertise in this context refers to the specialized knowledge or skill that members of the House of Lords possess in various fields. The video script highlights that the House of Lords is composed of individuals who are at the top of their professions, bringing a wide range of expertise to the legislative process. This diversity of expertise is seen as a strength in ensuring that laws are well-informed and comprehensive.

💡Check-and-balance

Check-and-balance is a concept in political systems where different branches have the power to limit each other's actions to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful. In the video, the House of Lords is described as providing a check-and-balance to the House of Commons, ensuring that laws are not passed without proper consideration and that the government is held accountable.

💡Part-time membership

The term 'part-time membership' refers to the fact that many members of the House of Lords continue to have interests and activities outside of their parliamentary duties. This is mentioned in the video as a characteristic of the House of Lords, suggesting that members bring a variety of experiences and perspectives to their roles, which can enrich the legislative process.

💡Heritage

Heritage in the video refers to the historical and cultural legacy that the House of Lords represents. It is described as belonging to the people and being part of their heritage, indicating the importance of the institution in the UK's political and cultural identity.

💡Judiciary

While not explicitly mentioned in the video, the term 'judiciary' is often used in contrast to the legislative branches of government. The video script suggests a comparison between the roles of the House of Lords and the judiciary, with the House of Lords focusing on law-making and revision rather than legal judgments.

💡Initiate

To initiate in the context of the video means to start or begin a process, particularly in reference to policy-making. The House of Commons is said to initiate policy, which implies that it is the starting point for new laws and policies, setting the agenda for the legislative process.

Highlights

The House of Lords serves as the second chamber of Parliament, with the core function of scrutinizing legislation.

The House of Commons is wholly elected, while the House of Lords members are appointed.

The House of Lords is involved in the legislative process but does not have the final say on legislation.

Members of the House of Lords come from a wide range of backgrounds and are often experts in their fields.

The House of Lords can revise and suggest laws, contributing to the legislative process.

The House of Lords goes through the details of bills, often improving them before they go to the House of Commons.

A legislative 'ping-pong' can occur between the two Houses as they exchange and revise bills.

The House of Lords is seen as a check-and-balance against the House of Commons, ensuring thorough legislation.

Members of the House of Lords often have part-time roles and maintain interests in other fields of activity.

The House of Lords is composed of independent experts, politicians, ex-Cabinet Ministers, and Bishops.

The House of Lords is described as a collection of knowledgeable people aiming to improve the country.

The House of Lords protects the public from laws that haven't been sufficiently thought through.

The House of Lords can defeat the Government and make them reconsider their legislation.

The House of Lords is a check-and-balance against the Government, ensuring legislation is well-considered.

The House of Lords is part of the public's heritage and should be accessible for them to enjoy and understand.

Transcripts

Baroness Hayman

We have two Houses of Parliament, the House of Commons and the House of Lords

[which] is the second Chamber.

Male member of the public 1: The two chambers of Parliament.

Male member of the public 2: Well, the House of Commons is wholly elected.

Male member of the public 3: And the House of Lords are appointed.

Female member of the public 1: Oh, one of them are elected into and one of them is in

the family, or something. Oh, I don't know.

Male member of the public 4: One is supposed to initiate policy, the other is supposed

to rubber-stamp it or object to it, as far as I know.

Male member of the public 5: Um, I thought it was the same thing.

Male member of the public 6: The House of Commons is an elected body and the House of Lords isn't.

Female member of the public 2: One is like a judiciary branch and one is like a legislative

branch.

Lord Puttnam: The core function of the House of Lords is to scrutinise legislation as it

comes through, to comment on it, to criticise it where necessary and, from time to time, to amend it.

Lord Adebowale: We can't have the final say - we don't have that power. Only the elected

Chamber has that power, but we can revise law and we can make law, we can suggest laws.

Baroness Williams of Crosby: Often [what] the House of Lords has to do, is to go through

the absolute detail, little by little, of the bills that come up to it.

Baroness Massey of Darwen: Sometimes, if a Bill starts off in the House of Lords, like

it has with the Children and Young People Bill, we try to make a good Bill to go to

the Commons for further revision.

Lord Wright of Richmond: Sometimes, the House of Commons then send it back to us, not having

accepted our amendments, and even, occasionally, we send it back to them again, in a game that

is known as ping-pong, but I'm glad to say that doesn't happen very often.

Lord Fowler: The net result is that the Acts which come out at the other end should be

better as a result of that.

Female member of the public 3: my impression of the House of Lords would be [um] a big

building where lots of [um] men and women meet.

Male member of the public 7: I know they're kind of there to stop the House of Commons

doing what they want to do.

Female member of the public 4: I haven't got a clue.

Male member of the public 8: They review legislation.

Male member of the public 9: A group of very knowledgeable people.

Female member of the public 5: Well, they try to promote good things, and they try to

change the world, the country for the better.

Baroness Young of Old Scone: I think the great virtue of the House of Lords is the wide range of backgrounds that people come from.

Lord Desai: The House of Lords is an amazing [er] sort of collection of independent experts,

hack politicians, ex-Cabinet Ministers and Bishops.

Baroness D'Souza: It has a very large amount of expertise in very many different

fields. Whether it be in science or in medicine or in law or the arts or architecture or prison

or child studies, they are people who are at the absolute top of their profession.

Baroness Hayman: Its membership tends to be part-time, people who still have an interest

in another field of activity.

Baroness Massey of Darwen: Outside the Chamber, as I said, I chair the Health Authority on

Drugs, which takes up quite a bit of time.

Lord Adebowale: I'm currently Chair of the London Youth Crime Prevention Board, and I'm

also Chair of the Stop-and-Search Advisory Community Panel, so there's a number of things

I do that, perhaps, I wouldn't do if I wasn't called Lord Adebowale.

Lord Fowler: What do the House of Lords do for you, do for the public? I think it produces

better legislation.

Lord Adebowale: It protects the public from [um] laws that haven't been thought through

sufficiently.

Lord Tyler: Our votes are absolutely critical. We defeat the Government quite regularly,

we make them think again.

Baroness Warsi: It's a check-and-balance, it's about ensuring that there are other

people, who are not just directly elected, but people who come to legislation with a

sense of expertise, can look at legislation and try and be a check-and-balance against

where the Government is going.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Helping people to know this is their

House. It belongs to them, it's part of their heritage and they need to come and see and

enjoy what happens here.