4. POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS
3 BRANCHES OF POWER
NAME Legislative Executive Judicial
INSTITUTION House of Parliament The Government The Courts of Law
TASK Makes laws Carries out the laws Evaluates laws
Legislative branch
- Location: Westminster Palace
Devolution: the 4 nations have separate Parliament/legislative institution. The devolved bodies, Wales,
Scotland, and Northern Ireland have their own decision in certain issues such as health, education, housing,
environment, transportation… etc. but the decision concerning international relations, defense, economy,
taxation are in the hand of the UK Parliament only.
The responsibilities of Parliament:
1. Law-making
2. Scrutiny – checking the Government
3. Representation
Bi-cameral legislation: There are two Houses/Chambers – The House of Commons, and the House of
Lords.
Bi-cameral legislation
The House of Commons The House of Lords
MPs elected by voters of the UK Appointed or Hereditary (Aristocrats) members
The House of Lords:
- Life-peers (appointment by the Monarch)
- Lords’ spiritual (bishops and archbishops of the Church of England)
- Elected Hereditary peers – The House of Lords could stop the bill, so they lost most of their powers.
o The House of Lords Act ended most hereditary posts but elected 92 remaining that stayed,
the others became life peers.
The House of Commons
- Speaker
o Encourages debate
Beneficial for law—making
o Has to be dragged to the chair
Historical significance:
Speakers were spokespeople
before the King and if the King
didn’t like the laws that were
made, the speaker could have been
executed.
3 BRANCHES OF POWER
NAME Legislative Executive Judicial
INSTITUTION House of Parliament The Government The Courts of Law
TASK Makes laws Carries out the laws Evaluates laws
Legislative branch
- Location: Westminster Palace
Devolution: the 4 nations have separate Parliament/legislative institution. The devolved bodies, Wales,
Scotland, and Northern Ireland have their own decision in certain issues such as health, education, housing,
environment, transportation… etc. but the decision concerning international relations, defense, economy,
taxation are in the hand of the UK Parliament only.
The responsibilities of Parliament:
1. Law-making
2. Scrutiny – checking the Government
3. Representation
Bi-cameral legislation: There are two Houses/Chambers – The House of Commons, and the House of
Lords.
Bi-cameral legislation
The House of Commons The House of Lords
MPs elected by voters of the UK Appointed or Hereditary (Aristocrats) members
The House of Lords:
- Life-peers (appointment by the Monarch)
- Lords’ spiritual (bishops and archbishops of the Church of England)
- Elected Hereditary peers – The House of Lords could stop the bill, so they lost most of their powers.
o The House of Lords Act ended most hereditary posts but elected 92 remaining that stayed,
the others became life peers.
The House of Commons
- Speaker
o Encourages debate
Beneficial for law—making
o Has to be dragged to the chair
Historical significance:
Speakers were spokespeople
before the King and if the King
didn’t like the laws that were
made, the speaker could have been
executed.
