Very helpful revision notes and practice workbook for Criminology A Level course - a useful resource which really helped in the final exams as someone who achieved A* on all units
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Unit 4, year 13
, AC1.1 – Describe processes used for law making
Please remember for this section, we only need to look at governmental processes, this
means that there will be no mention of precedent or statutory interpretation as these are
the judicial processes.
The UK is a parliamentary democracy
This means that most of the country’s laws are made by passing Acts of Parliament
Laws made by Parliament are also often referred to as statutes or legislation
Parliament is made up of three parts
The Monarch (King or The House of Lords The House of Commons
Queen)
The monarch only has a formal role in law making
The King or Queen simply gives the Royal Assent – their agreement to the new law
The Lords
Members of the House of Lords are called peers
There are about 800 peers
In the past, all peers were noblemen (such as Dukes and Barons) and they were
hereditary positions that passed from father to eldest son
However, today there are only 92 hereditary peers; there are also 26 Church of
England Bishops and Archbishops
The rest of the members are life peers who cannot pass their position onto their
children
The main job of the Lords is to act as a “double check” on new laws
2
,The Commons
The House of Commons is the most important part of Parliament because it is made
up of the elected representatives of the people; the 650 members of Parliament
(MPs)
Each MP is elected at a general election to represent a constituency (a geographical
area of the country)
The Government
While Parliament’s job is to represent the people, the government’s job is to run
the country
The government is formed by the political party that has a majority of the 650
MPS
The prime minister is the leader of the majority party
Most proposals for new laws come from the government
A proposal for a new law is called a Bill
Bills must be agreed by both Houses of Parliament and receive Royal Assent before
they can become Acts of Parliament (laws)
The above is just some background on how the government works. The information
below is what is really important. Please can you ensure that you learn this in order.
Stage Description
Before putting a bill before Parliament, the
government usually publishes a Green Paper
Green Paper This is an initial report to provoke a public discussion
of the subject
It often includes questions for interested individuals
and organisations to respond to
After the consultation, the government publishes a
White Paper
White Paper This is a document setting out their detailed plans for
legislation
It often includes a draft version of the Bill they
intend to put before Parliament
The government introduces the Bill into the commons,
where it receives a first reading
First reading This is just a formal announcement of the Bill and it is
followed by a vote to allow it to the next stage
3
, The main principles of the Bill are considered and
debated by the whole House of Commons and a vote is
Second reading taken
The government will usually win this vote
If they do, it moves onto the next stage
The Bill is now examined in detail, line by line, by a
small committee made up of MPs from different
The Committee Stage parties
The committee will report back to the whole House
and will often propose amendments (changes) to the
Bill
Gives MPs an opportunity to consider the committee’s
report and to debate and vote on any amendments
The Report Stage they might wish to make to the bill
For major bills, the debates may be spread over
several days
The report stage is normally followed immediately by
a third reading of the bill
Third reading This is the final chance for the Commons to debate
the Bill’s contents
No amendments are allowed at this stage
The House either votes to pass the bill or to reject it
After the third reading, the bill goes to the House of
Lords, where it goes through the same stages as in
the Commons
The Lords If the Lords have amended the bill, it must return to
the Commons so MPs can decide whether to accept or
reject the Lords’ amendments
The House of Commons has the final say as it is made
up of the people’s elected representatives
Once a Bill has been passed by both Houses of
Parliament, it goes to the monarch for signing, this is
known as Royal Assent
Royal Assent This is the Monarch’s agreement to make the bill into
an Act of Parliament or law and is a formality
The new law will come into force immediately, unless
the Act specifies a later date (commencement order)
4
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