How does Parliament make laws? Passage of a Bill

A bill is a draft law that is debated in Parliament A bill is a draft law that is debated in Parliament. When a bill has passed through the legislative process it becomes a law and is known as an “Act of Parliament” The government generally introduces between 25 and 35 bills each session. The government sets out its plans for the year in the Queen’s Speech at the beginning of the Parliamentary session

Introducing a Bill Green Paper – this is a consultation paper which sets out different options for legislation White Paper – explains the objectives of government policies Committees may also get the chance to look at a Bill, and redraft it before it passes to the next stage (this happened with the coalition government’s bill on the recall of MPs)

First Reading The formal presentation of the title of the bill on the floor of the house by a minister from the responsible party. There is no debate at this stage. MPs simply shout Aye or No to pass the bill to the next stage

Second Reading The main debate on the principle of the bill. The government minister explains and justifies the objectives of the bill. The opposition responds – questioning and scrutinising the bill. A vote is taken – governments are generally never beaten at this stage.

Committee Stage Bills are sent to a public bill committee – detailed scrutiny of every line, full stop and comma of the bill, by a group of MPs. The committee is set up just for the bill – there can be between 16-50 members, and they are made up proportionally based on the size of parties in the House Big important bills are scrutinised on the floor of the House of Commons by a committee of the whole house

Report Stage Amendments that have been made in committees are considered by the whole House. MPs who weren’t in the committee now get a chance to have a say

Third Reading A debate on the amended bill on the floor of the House. No further amendments can be made

House of Lords The bill is sent to the House of Lords – where all of these stages are repeated. If the Lords make changes then the Commons have to agree them, so a bill can go back and forth between the two houses in a process known as “parliamentary ping-pong” If agreement can’t be reached, the government has to decide to drop the bill, accept the Lords’ changes or invoke the Parliament Act

Royal Assent Then the Queen has to sign it to make it a law

Time to make a lovely poster! Activity Time to make a lovely poster! Show how bills become laws!