House of Commons (United Kingdom)

The House of Commons shares with the House of Lords the functions of scrutinising the actions of government and examining and approving proposed legislation, and it alone can authorise government expenditure. It has legislative priority in the sense that it cannot be overruled by the House of Lords. The conduct of its business is governed by rules and conventions that usually serve to facilitate the conduct of government, and is carried out by elected Members of Parliament with the support of an administrative staff. Members of Parliament serve in a range of rôles, including "ministers" who are the political managers of government departments, and "shadow ministers" who are their opposition counterparts; the "Leader of the House" and the "whips", who together manage the business of the House; and "backbenchers" to whom none of those duties have been assigned. The chief officer of the House of Commons is "the Speaker", who chairs its debates, enforces its rules and acts as its spokesman. The Speaker also chairs the "House of Commons Commission", which employs its administrative staff and directs its administrative departments.

History

(additional links are available on the timelines subpage of the Parliament article)
The development of the House of Commons as a representative body started in the early 14th century with the regular appointment of representatives of the counties (knights of the shire) and of the towns (burgesses). After 1341 they sat together in one chamber, became known as the House of Commons, and deliberated separately from the King and his nobles. . A restricted right to vote in elections of Members of Parliament was establised in the 15th century by The Franchise Act, 1429, which conferred that right upon freeholders of land worth more than 40 shillings, and it was expanded in stages that culminated in the establishment of universal adult suffrage by the Representation of the People Acts of 1918 and 1928.

The business of the House

The functions of the House of Commons include the scrutiny of the actions of government, the initiation and passage of legislation, and the approval of finance bills. Except for the approval of finance bills, it shares those responsibilities with the House of Lords, but it takes legislative precedence over the House of Lords. Most of its work is done in committees that consider policy issues, scrutinise the work and expenditure of the government, and examine proposals for legislation. "Select committees" conduct investigations into the conduct of government departments, or produce reports on specialist subjects. "Legislative committees" debate the detailed content of proposed legislation and decide upon its approval. Legislative procedures normally ensure that the government's legislative proposals pass into law in accordance with a predetermined timetable. The business of the House is executed by its elected Members with the support of its administrative staff.

Members and staff

Members of Parliament are elected to represent the inhabitants of regions termed "constituencies". A Member must be (i) aged 18 or over,(ii) a citizen of the United Kingdom, Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland, and (iii) not a disqualified person such as a government employee, or a member of the House of Lords. , and anyone with those qualifications can stand for election who has been nominated by ten registered electors. Most Members belong to one of the political parties and had been adopted as candidates by their parties' constituency committees. The members of the party that is in power make up the pool of talent from which the "ministers" who conduct the political management of government departments are drawn; and "the cabinet", which is the government's top policy-making body, is drawn from among the ministerial heads of the largest departments. The Leader of the House of Commons is also a government minister and member of the Cabinet. He is responsible for the organisation of government business in the Commons, and he chairs a number of Cabinet Committees, including the Ministerial Committee on Constitutional Affairs and the Legislative Programming Committee.

The Speaker is the House's chair, responsible for keeping debates to order and ensuring that proper parliamentary procedure is followed, and also acts as ceremonial spokesperson for the House, typically to convey good wishes or other messages to the monarch. The Speaker sits high up in a chair close to the despatch boxes, and from this position can call on MPs to speak - if they have been able to 'catch the Speaker's eye' by standing or half-standing - or, if necessary, cease their address. The Speaker has the power to suspend proceedings in the event of serious disorder, or when the chamber is disrupted in some other way (such as members of the public unlawfully gaining access to the floor). The 'Speaker's procession' occurs daily when the Speaker, formally attired, walks from their official residence through the Palace of Westminster to the House.

The Speaker is an MP who is no longer affiliated to their party - a tradition dating back to the eighteenth century, before which the Speaker was often an agent of the monarch. Following a general election, the Speaker is elected through a vote by all members. Candidates make speeches organised by the 'Father of the House', i.e. the MP with the longest record of continuous parliamentary service. Sometimes an arrangement exists where Speakers are drawn alternately from the governing and opposition parties, or from the government side. Traditionally, the elected Speaker makes a show of physically resisting the office, and is light-heartedly dragged to the Speaker's chair by other MPs. This reflects past times when being Speaker might incur the wrath of the monarch or others (between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, several were killed). From this point, the new Speaker must sever all ties to their old party, and be impartial at all times; in a general election, they stand in their constituency as 'the Speaker seeking re-election', and by tradition most parties do not contest the seat. It is therefore possible, but unlikely, that a Speaker could fail to win re-election as an MP. The Speaker also has three deputies, who are also MPs and generally do not vote; one of them, the 'Chairman of Ways and Means', presides during debates over taxation or the Budget.

Whips

Voting on party lines is organised by MPs known as 'whips'. They direct members of their parties to vote in certain ways, according to party policy. Party MPs are issued with a 'three-line whip' when the party requires members to vote in a certain way. Defying the whip is regarded as a serious breach of party discipline, and offenders may 'have the whip withdrawn', i.e. are excluded from the parliamentary party. This does not affect an MP's right to sit, speak or vote in the House. A 'two-line whip' allows MPs to be absent by prior arrangement, and for a 'one-line whip' attendance is merely requested.

Usually, whips also act as 'tellers' - MPs who count the votes. Voting is non-anonymous and a matter of public record. Four tellers oversee the voting, usually two from the governing party benches and two from opposition parties. When it is time to declare the results, the four tellers arrange themselves in a line on the floor of the House, in front of the Speaker and the despatch boxes. It is possible to determine whether the Government has won the vote before any announcement is made, as for such a victory it is one of the governing party tellers who makes the declaration. Once the result is announced, the paper is handed to the Speaker for confirmation, often to loud cheers or boos from all sides of the House.