How effective is Parliament at performing its roles?
Legislation Scrutiny Representation
Executive Dominance: Scrutiny through Committee Work: Electoral Representation in the House of Commons:
+ Effective as Standing Order 14 gives + Committees, especially select committees can + Effective as constituents can influence their
government business precedence over other hold Parliament accountable. E.g. The MP’s actions through petitions and
matters on most days. This ensures the Commons Privileges Committee investigated correspondence. E.g. In 2021, pressure from
government, directly elected by the population, is and found BJ guilty of misleading Parliament during constituents led several Conservative MPs to
given legislative freedom and helps reduce Covid. A further example is the Public Accounts oppose vaccine passports, showing MPs are
gridlock, whilst prioritising the most important Committee, which uncovered wasteful spending responsive when local opinion is strong. This
bills over the Covid test-and-trace program. This shows strengthens representative democracy.
committees role in checking the executive and
ensuring financial accountability
+ Effective as The Salsbury Convention ensures + Effective as MPs are directly elected in single-
a newly elected government faces no member constituencies, creating a clear link
opposition to implementing their manifesto - The composition of committees often reflects between MPs and their constituents. MPs hold
points. E.g. The Illegal Migration Act 2023 was the government majority, limiting true constituency surgeries and respond to local
passed despite opposition in the Lords, because independence. E.g. The Public Bill Committee casework, helping ensure local issues are
minsters argued it was in their manifesto so has a big government majority and was represented in Parliament. Often, the constituency
protected by the Salsbury Convention. This instrumental in the passage of the Illegal link is so strong it can encourage MPs to vote
ensures the elected government can prioritise Migration Bill 2023 against their party. E.g. Several Conservative
the views of the voters, as they have a MPs voted against the 3rd Heathrow runway in
mandate from the people 2018. This enhances accountability and
- Lack of enforcement power: Committees can
strengthens democratic representation.
make recommendations but cannot compel
These points show Parliament is effective at ministers to act. E.g. In 2021, the Joint
legislating, as mechanisms like Standing Committee on Human Rights recommended - Ineffective as FPTP limits proportionality. E.g.
Order 14 and the Salisbury Convention substantial revisions to the Police, Crime, In 2015, UKIP won 12.6% of the vote but only
streamline the passage of government-backed Sentencing and Courts Bill 2022, arguing it one seat, showing that millions of voters had
bills, ensuring the elected government's would disproportionately restrict protest rights — no meaningful representation in Parliament.
agenda can be implemented without excessive but the government largely ignored these This undermines legitimacy and electoral
obstruction recommendations. fairness.
- The Whip System limits the effectiveness of - Representation is limited through the part
Parliament by ensuring government MPs vote whip system. E.g. Dominic Grieve was among
in line with ministers, often at the expense of 21 Conservative MPs expelled for voting
scrutiny. E.g. The Health and Social Care Act against the party line over Brexit
2012, which introduced major NHS reforms. Lib
Dem and Conservative MPs were heavily whipped,
even despite concerns over conditions for
healthcare workers. This shows how party
discipline can override independent judgment,
limiting Parliament’s effectiveness in shaping
or challenging controversial legislation.
- The use of statutory instruments (SI) by the
executive limits the effectiveness of
government. E.g. The Coronavirus Act 2020
gave ministers the power to make statutory
instruments (over 400 passed) without
parliamentary debate, and SI are very rarely
rejected; Lords only ever rejected a few in
history.
This undermines Parliament’s legislative
, effectiveness because it allows the
government to bypass parliamentary debate,
reducing transparency, and potentially
allowing rushed laws to be passed.
Legislative Scrutiny:
+ Effective as the House of Lords acts as a
revising body, using its industry experts to Scrutiny by the House of Lords: Descriptive Representation:
improve legislation. E.g. The Nationality and + Lords includes experts who can offer high- + Effective as Parliament is becoming more
Borders Bill 2022 was heavily revised by the quality, non-partisan scrutiny. E.g. The demographically representative. E.g. In 2019,
Lords, who pushed back against provisions such as Nationality and Borders Bill 2022 was heavily 220 MPs (34%) were women, the highest
criminalising some asylum seekers arriving by illegal revised by the Lords, even though it was a partisan proportion in history. This has led to greater
routes. This enhances legislation by using flashpoint. This shows how the Lords can attention to gendered policy areas — for example,
expert, often non-partisan oversight to improve legislation by focusing on legal and the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 was significantly
improve its quality and fairness moral considerations overlooked by party shaped by female MPs and received widespread
politics. cross-party support, helping to improve legal
protections for victims. This shows how improved
+ Parliament’s multi-stage legislative process
gender representation can shape the
(From the First Reading to Royal Assent) in + Peers aren’t elected, so they don’t have re-
legislative agenda in more inclusive ways
both houses allow for line-by-line scrutiny of election pressures, and can prioritise long-
legislation. E.g. The Online Safety Act 2023 was term policy outcomes over party loyalty. E.g.
only passed after multiple amendments were made The Counter-terrorism and sentencing Bill + Effective as ethnic minority representation
throughout the process, particularly from the 2020 was heavily influenced by cross-bench peers, has increased. E.g. 65 MPs (10%) in 2019 were
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) who raised legal concerns over indefinite detention from minority ethnic backgrounds, compared
Committee. Legislation is thus improved as its to just 4 in 1987. This diversity has helped push
more robust and better scrutinised throughout racial justice and inequality higher up the political
- The Lords is limited in its ability to scrutinise
the stages agenda — such as increased scrutiny over the
due to concerns over the fact that they are
Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill’s
unelected. Critics argue that elected governments
impact on ethnic minority communities. This
These examples highlight Parliament’s should not be blocked by unelected legislators.
improves Parliament’s legitimacy among
effectiveness in refining legislation, as both
underrepresented groups
the Lords’ expert scrutiny and the multi-stage
- Power limited by the 1949 Parliament Act, E.g.
legislative process ensure bills are thoroughly
The Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000
examined and improved for fairness, clarity, - Ineffective as working-class people remain
was passed using the Parliament Acts after the
and robustness before becoming law. severely underrepresented. E.g. Only 7% of
Lords repeatedly rejected it. This shows the
MPs come from working-class backgrounds,
limited power of the Lords to scrutinise as
despite around a third of the UK population
- Parliament’s ability to effectively scrutinise they can only advise
doing so. This social gap may explain why
legislation is limited by the sheer volume of
Parliament is slower to act on issues like low
bills passing through Parliament. E.g. The
pay, zero-hours contracts, or housing
Retained EU Law Act 2023 proposed to sunset
insecurity, weakening its representative
thousands of EU-derived laws, placing enormous
legitimacy
time pressure on Parliament, with many MPs
admitting they had little time to analyse the
changes. This weakens Parliament’s - Ineffective as key voices remain excluded from
effectiveness by forcing it to process complex formal representation. E.g. There are no MPs
legislation too quickly, increasing the risk of who openly identify as disabled in a country
errors and poor-quality laws. where roughly 1 in 5 people live with a
Legislation Scrutiny Representation
Executive Dominance: Scrutiny through Committee Work: Electoral Representation in the House of Commons:
+ Effective as Standing Order 14 gives + Committees, especially select committees can + Effective as constituents can influence their
government business precedence over other hold Parliament accountable. E.g. The MP’s actions through petitions and
matters on most days. This ensures the Commons Privileges Committee investigated correspondence. E.g. In 2021, pressure from
government, directly elected by the population, is and found BJ guilty of misleading Parliament during constituents led several Conservative MPs to
given legislative freedom and helps reduce Covid. A further example is the Public Accounts oppose vaccine passports, showing MPs are
gridlock, whilst prioritising the most important Committee, which uncovered wasteful spending responsive when local opinion is strong. This
bills over the Covid test-and-trace program. This shows strengthens representative democracy.
committees role in checking the executive and
ensuring financial accountability
+ Effective as The Salsbury Convention ensures + Effective as MPs are directly elected in single-
a newly elected government faces no member constituencies, creating a clear link
opposition to implementing their manifesto - The composition of committees often reflects between MPs and their constituents. MPs hold
points. E.g. The Illegal Migration Act 2023 was the government majority, limiting true constituency surgeries and respond to local
passed despite opposition in the Lords, because independence. E.g. The Public Bill Committee casework, helping ensure local issues are
minsters argued it was in their manifesto so has a big government majority and was represented in Parliament. Often, the constituency
protected by the Salsbury Convention. This instrumental in the passage of the Illegal link is so strong it can encourage MPs to vote
ensures the elected government can prioritise Migration Bill 2023 against their party. E.g. Several Conservative
the views of the voters, as they have a MPs voted against the 3rd Heathrow runway in
mandate from the people 2018. This enhances accountability and
- Lack of enforcement power: Committees can
strengthens democratic representation.
make recommendations but cannot compel
These points show Parliament is effective at ministers to act. E.g. In 2021, the Joint
legislating, as mechanisms like Standing Committee on Human Rights recommended - Ineffective as FPTP limits proportionality. E.g.
Order 14 and the Salisbury Convention substantial revisions to the Police, Crime, In 2015, UKIP won 12.6% of the vote but only
streamline the passage of government-backed Sentencing and Courts Bill 2022, arguing it one seat, showing that millions of voters had
bills, ensuring the elected government's would disproportionately restrict protest rights — no meaningful representation in Parliament.
agenda can be implemented without excessive but the government largely ignored these This undermines legitimacy and electoral
obstruction recommendations. fairness.
- The Whip System limits the effectiveness of - Representation is limited through the part
Parliament by ensuring government MPs vote whip system. E.g. Dominic Grieve was among
in line with ministers, often at the expense of 21 Conservative MPs expelled for voting
scrutiny. E.g. The Health and Social Care Act against the party line over Brexit
2012, which introduced major NHS reforms. Lib
Dem and Conservative MPs were heavily whipped,
even despite concerns over conditions for
healthcare workers. This shows how party
discipline can override independent judgment,
limiting Parliament’s effectiveness in shaping
or challenging controversial legislation.
- The use of statutory instruments (SI) by the
executive limits the effectiveness of
government. E.g. The Coronavirus Act 2020
gave ministers the power to make statutory
instruments (over 400 passed) without
parliamentary debate, and SI are very rarely
rejected; Lords only ever rejected a few in
history.
This undermines Parliament’s legislative
, effectiveness because it allows the
government to bypass parliamentary debate,
reducing transparency, and potentially
allowing rushed laws to be passed.
Legislative Scrutiny:
+ Effective as the House of Lords acts as a
revising body, using its industry experts to Scrutiny by the House of Lords: Descriptive Representation:
improve legislation. E.g. The Nationality and + Lords includes experts who can offer high- + Effective as Parliament is becoming more
Borders Bill 2022 was heavily revised by the quality, non-partisan scrutiny. E.g. The demographically representative. E.g. In 2019,
Lords, who pushed back against provisions such as Nationality and Borders Bill 2022 was heavily 220 MPs (34%) were women, the highest
criminalising some asylum seekers arriving by illegal revised by the Lords, even though it was a partisan proportion in history. This has led to greater
routes. This enhances legislation by using flashpoint. This shows how the Lords can attention to gendered policy areas — for example,
expert, often non-partisan oversight to improve legislation by focusing on legal and the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 was significantly
improve its quality and fairness moral considerations overlooked by party shaped by female MPs and received widespread
politics. cross-party support, helping to improve legal
protections for victims. This shows how improved
+ Parliament’s multi-stage legislative process
gender representation can shape the
(From the First Reading to Royal Assent) in + Peers aren’t elected, so they don’t have re-
legislative agenda in more inclusive ways
both houses allow for line-by-line scrutiny of election pressures, and can prioritise long-
legislation. E.g. The Online Safety Act 2023 was term policy outcomes over party loyalty. E.g.
only passed after multiple amendments were made The Counter-terrorism and sentencing Bill + Effective as ethnic minority representation
throughout the process, particularly from the 2020 was heavily influenced by cross-bench peers, has increased. E.g. 65 MPs (10%) in 2019 were
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) who raised legal concerns over indefinite detention from minority ethnic backgrounds, compared
Committee. Legislation is thus improved as its to just 4 in 1987. This diversity has helped push
more robust and better scrutinised throughout racial justice and inequality higher up the political
- The Lords is limited in its ability to scrutinise
the stages agenda — such as increased scrutiny over the
due to concerns over the fact that they are
Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill’s
unelected. Critics argue that elected governments
impact on ethnic minority communities. This
These examples highlight Parliament’s should not be blocked by unelected legislators.
improves Parliament’s legitimacy among
effectiveness in refining legislation, as both
underrepresented groups
the Lords’ expert scrutiny and the multi-stage
- Power limited by the 1949 Parliament Act, E.g.
legislative process ensure bills are thoroughly
The Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000
examined and improved for fairness, clarity, - Ineffective as working-class people remain
was passed using the Parliament Acts after the
and robustness before becoming law. severely underrepresented. E.g. Only 7% of
Lords repeatedly rejected it. This shows the
MPs come from working-class backgrounds,
limited power of the Lords to scrutinise as
despite around a third of the UK population
- Parliament’s ability to effectively scrutinise they can only advise
doing so. This social gap may explain why
legislation is limited by the sheer volume of
Parliament is slower to act on issues like low
bills passing through Parliament. E.g. The
pay, zero-hours contracts, or housing
Retained EU Law Act 2023 proposed to sunset
insecurity, weakening its representative
thousands of EU-derived laws, placing enormous
legitimacy
time pressure on Parliament, with many MPs
admitting they had little time to analyse the
changes. This weakens Parliament’s - Ineffective as key voices remain excluded from
effectiveness by forcing it to process complex formal representation. E.g. There are no MPs
legislation too quickly, increasing the risk of who openly identify as disabled in a country
errors and poor-quality laws. where roughly 1 in 5 people live with a
