 Policy
> Government & Parliament > United Kingdom Parliament
The present U.K. Parliament came into being in 1800 after the abolition
of the Irish Parliament which saw Irish MP’s and Peers represent
their constituents in the British Parliament, Scotland & England
having already formed the British Parliament in 1707 with the abolition
of their respective institutions.
Role of the modern U.K. Parliament
Since the devolution of power to Scotland in 1999 the role of the
U.K. parliament has changed dramatically interms of impact upon
government in Scotland. Nevertheless, the U.K. parliament remains
sovereign in all matters including devolved issues. Devolved does
not necessarily mean at liberty to do anything that would constitute
a threat to the structure of the U.K.
The U.K. parliament’s role can be defined as dealing with
all matters not devolved or as they are commonly called ‘reserved
matters’. They include:
Constitutional Matters • Foreign Policy • Defence &
National Security • Economic Policy • Drugs •
Social Security • Gambling • Medical experimentation
(including abortion, embryology etc) • Elections • Broadcasting
• Elections • Employment Law • Energy •
Trade • Social Security • Data Protection
House of Commons:
The UK public elects Members of Parliament (MPs) to represent their
interests and concerns in the House of Commons. MPs are involved
in considering and proposing new laws, and can use their position
to ask government ministers questions about current issues, Scotland
has 59 MP's.
See the U.K. Parliament web site for more information
House of Lords
The Lords work in Parliament’s second chamber – the
House of Lords – and complement and operate alongside the
business of the House of Commons. It is one of the busiest second
chambers in the world. The expertise of its Members and flexibility
to scrutinise an issue in depth means the Lords makes a significant
contribution to Parliament’s work. The UK public does not
elect Members of the Lords. See
the U.K. Parliament web site for more information
For political parties of the U.K. parliament visit
our policy links page
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