Week 4: Law making and the UK Parliament

Introduction

In this week you explore the role of the UK Parliament in law making. You have learnt that the UK Parliament legislates on reserved matters. It can also legislate on devolved matters with the agreement of the Scottish Parliament.

Figure 1 Inside the UK Parliament

Figure 2 Inside the House of Lords

The law making process at Westminster is a very different process from that of the Scottish Parliament. It involves both the Houses of the UK Parliament. Unlike the Scottish Parliament, the UK Parliament is bicameral, it has two chambers, the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

By the end of this week you will be able to:

• understand the law-making process in the UK Parliament
• explain the difference between the House of Commons and House of Lords
• explain the types of Bills introduced in the UK Parliament.