The house of commons under pressure

Norton, Philip

Abstract

The House of Commons fulfils a range of functions, but its capacity to do so effectively has been the subject of controversy. Members of Parliament (MPs) are called on to carry out the functions of the House of Commons. The increase in demands on MPs’ time can be ascribed to four sources: public business, organised interests, constituents and MPs themselves. So long as constituency work takes priority, then the time needed for public business is under particular pressure. The House of Commons is seen by many as weak in the face of executive dominance. Yet Parliament has survived for several centuries; it is at the heart of our political system. The capacity of the House to fulfil its functions is undermined not only by executive domination, but also by the creation of other policy-making bodies. The devolution of powers to elected assemblies in different parts of the United Kingdom also limits the decision-making capacity of Parliament.

Citation

Norton, P. (2021). The house of commons under pressure. In B. Jones, P. Norton, & I. Hertner (Eds.), Politics UK (434-448). (10th ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003028574

• Online Publication Date: Jul 29, 2021
• Publication Date: Jul 29, 2021
• Deposit Date: Apr 1, 2022
• Publisher: Routledge
• Pages: 434-448
• Edition: 10th ed.
• Book Title: Politics UK
• Chapter Number: 18
• ISBN: 9780367464059 ; 9780367464028
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003028574
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/3884678