NCTJ PUBLIC AFFAIRS REVISION DEFINITIONS #17
Collective responsibility - correct answer • All government ministers must publicly
support government policy.
• They must resign if they do not.
Individual ministerial responsibility - correct answer • If something goes wrong in their
individual department, a minister should resign.
E.g. Chris Grayling, Minister for Transport, should resign but hasn't.
Backbench mps - correct answer • A backbench MP is an MP who is not a member of
the governmen or the shadow opposition.
E.g. Robert Halfon for Harlow
Responsibilities of backbench mps - correct answer • Represent their constituents.
• They take part in debates and votes in Parliament.
• Hold surgeries where constituents can bring up issues they have.
• Backbench mps can put questions to ministers.
• Some are members of select committees (which are linked to government
departments, e.g. Robert Halfon is the Chair of the Education Select Committee).
• Backbench mps would normally support their government, as they take the
government whip.
• Backbench mps currently have taken control of Parliament and what's going on.
Party discipline - correct answer • Party discipline is enforced by the whips system.
• The large parties have a chief whip.
• A chief whip has the responsibility to keep all the members of the party in order and
ensure they vote the correct way.
• Every week the mps will receive a letter with the events of parliament.
They are marked with one line, two lines or three lines.
Three lines important events that the mps MUST attend, although recently they have
been ignored.
,UK general election voting requirements - correct answer • Aged 18+
• Resident in the UK.
• UK, Irish or Commonwealth citizen.
• Registered on the electoral register.
Voting bans - correct answer A person can be banned from voting if they are:
• A convicted felon - actively serving a prison sentence.
Or
• Convicted of corrupt electoral practices.
Requirements when standing for general election - correct answer • Aged 18+
• Resident in the UK.
• Be a UK, Irish or Commonwealth citizen.
• Registered on the electoral roll.
• Electoral deposit - £500. This can be lost if you don't get 5% of all the votes casted.
• Have to be nominated by 10 voters.
Requirements when standing for local elections - correct answer • Over 18.
• Be a UK, Commonwealth or EU citizen.
• Resident in the UK.
• Have a connection with the area you want to represent - e.g. Live, work or own
property in the area.
• Have to be nominated by 10 voters.
Election cycles - county councils and unitary authorities - correct answer • County
councils and unitary authorities have whole elections every 4 years.
• District councils have elections by thirds.
, E.g. Harlow District Council has 33 councillors, this means atleast 11 councillors are up
for election each year.
Exemplar timeline:
• 2017: 11 district councillors are up for re-election.
• 2018: 11 different district councillors are up for re-election
• 2019: Another different 11 district councillors are up for re-election
• 2020: County council and unitary authorities have their whole elections
• 2021: The 11 district councillors from the 2017 district council elections are up for re-
election again.
First-past-the-post - correct answer • An electoral system used in UK general elections.
• Also known as the plurality system.
• The candidate who gets the most votes in their consituency is elected.
Proportional representation - correct answer • An electoral system used in European
countries.
• The number of seats a party receives is in proportion to the percentage of votes they
receive.
For example:
In a parliament of 100, if the Blue party were to receive 25% of the vote they'd receive
25 seats in government.
List system - correct answer • A form of proportional representation used in European
Parliament elections.
For example:
If the Blue party put up a list of 100 candidates then receive 25 seats in government, the
first 25 names on their list of candidates receive the seats.
Additional member system - correct answer • A form of proportional representation used
in Scotland.
Collective responsibility - correct answer • All government ministers must publicly
support government policy.
• They must resign if they do not.
Individual ministerial responsibility - correct answer • If something goes wrong in their
individual department, a minister should resign.
E.g. Chris Grayling, Minister for Transport, should resign but hasn't.
Backbench mps - correct answer • A backbench MP is an MP who is not a member of
the governmen or the shadow opposition.
E.g. Robert Halfon for Harlow
Responsibilities of backbench mps - correct answer • Represent their constituents.
• They take part in debates and votes in Parliament.
• Hold surgeries where constituents can bring up issues they have.
• Backbench mps can put questions to ministers.
• Some are members of select committees (which are linked to government
departments, e.g. Robert Halfon is the Chair of the Education Select Committee).
• Backbench mps would normally support their government, as they take the
government whip.
• Backbench mps currently have taken control of Parliament and what's going on.
Party discipline - correct answer • Party discipline is enforced by the whips system.
• The large parties have a chief whip.
• A chief whip has the responsibility to keep all the members of the party in order and
ensure they vote the correct way.
• Every week the mps will receive a letter with the events of parliament.
They are marked with one line, two lines or three lines.
Three lines important events that the mps MUST attend, although recently they have
been ignored.
,UK general election voting requirements - correct answer • Aged 18+
• Resident in the UK.
• UK, Irish or Commonwealth citizen.
• Registered on the electoral register.
Voting bans - correct answer A person can be banned from voting if they are:
• A convicted felon - actively serving a prison sentence.
Or
• Convicted of corrupt electoral practices.
Requirements when standing for general election - correct answer • Aged 18+
• Resident in the UK.
• Be a UK, Irish or Commonwealth citizen.
• Registered on the electoral roll.
• Electoral deposit - £500. This can be lost if you don't get 5% of all the votes casted.
• Have to be nominated by 10 voters.
Requirements when standing for local elections - correct answer • Over 18.
• Be a UK, Commonwealth or EU citizen.
• Resident in the UK.
• Have a connection with the area you want to represent - e.g. Live, work or own
property in the area.
• Have to be nominated by 10 voters.
Election cycles - county councils and unitary authorities - correct answer • County
councils and unitary authorities have whole elections every 4 years.
• District councils have elections by thirds.
, E.g. Harlow District Council has 33 councillors, this means atleast 11 councillors are up
for election each year.
Exemplar timeline:
• 2017: 11 district councillors are up for re-election.
• 2018: 11 different district councillors are up for re-election
• 2019: Another different 11 district councillors are up for re-election
• 2020: County council and unitary authorities have their whole elections
• 2021: The 11 district councillors from the 2017 district council elections are up for re-
election again.
First-past-the-post - correct answer • An electoral system used in UK general elections.
• Also known as the plurality system.
• The candidate who gets the most votes in their consituency is elected.
Proportional representation - correct answer • An electoral system used in European
countries.
• The number of seats a party receives is in proportion to the percentage of votes they
receive.
For example:
In a parliament of 100, if the Blue party were to receive 25% of the vote they'd receive
25 seats in government.
List system - correct answer • A form of proportional representation used in European
Parliament elections.
For example:
If the Blue party put up a list of 100 candidates then receive 25 seats in government, the
first 25 names on their list of candidates receive the seats.
Additional member system - correct answer • A form of proportional representation used
in Scotland.
