Versions of... · Web viewAsk each group to decide on a ‘peer’ to present the Bill before Parliament and decide on one student to act as the Lord Speaker. Choose the first ‘peer’

‘HOW’TEACHERS’ PACK

How

HOW TO USE THE ‘HOW’ HOUSE OF LORDS RESOURCES

You can use the House of Lords ‘How’ Jump Start animation and Public Pops film in three steps to explore how the House of Lords works and its key functions in Parliament, with a focus on law making.

1) Jump Start: watch the ‘How’ Jump Start animation with your class to set the scene for your lesson.This fast-moving, three minute film is packed with information to get your students thinking.You can use the questions and topics included in this pack to support classroom discussions.You’ll also find lots of useful information in the Background Information notes which can be used to create handouts, including ‘The passage of a Bill’ following a Bill from the House of Lords to Royal Assent.

2) Get Active: once you’ve watched the Jump Start animation, your class can try out one of the main roles of the House of Lords themselves with the hands-on ‘Create your own Bill’ exercise. Full instructions and worksheets are included in this pack.

3) Public Pops: debate the key themes as a class by watching the ‘How’ Public Pops film. In this film you’ll find young people and members of the public sharing their own opinions on how they think the House of Lords works.You can use the prompt information and debate cards in this pack to direct follow up discussions.

4) A Day-In-The-Life: Why not develop what the class has already learned about what the House of Lords does by showing them the‘How?’ Day in the Life video. In this film members and staff of the House of Lords take you through the various stages of a bill as it passes through the chamber on its way towards becoming law, and would serve as a great resource to open up a more detaileddebate on how the House of Lords is run, withsome possible questions suggested in this pack.

‘How’ filmsFind the ‘How’ Jump Start animation, Public Pops and Day in the Life films here: www.parliament.uk/lords-resource

Contents:Jump Start Animation – key topics p. 2 and questionsGet Active – ‘Create Your Own Bill’ p. 3-7 instructions and worksheetsPublic Pops Debate – instructions p. 8-9 and debate cardsA Day In The Life:‘How’ p. 10Background Information: – ‘How’ p. 11-13

Howwww.parliament.uk/lords-resource 1

JUMP START: ‘HOW’ ANIMATION

You can view and discuss the Jump Start animation in around 30 minutes. Extend this activity to up to two lessons by following on with the ‘Create your own Bill’ exercise included in this pack.All timings approximate.

You will need‘How’ Jump Start animation ready to view –www.parliament.uk/lords-resource

Step One – ten minutesBefore you watch the Jump Start animation, ask the class to openly share their views on role of the House of Lords by asking a few key questions:– What does the House of Lords do?– What is the relationship between the House

of Commons and the House of Lords?– What role does the House of Lords play

in law making?

Step Two – approx three minutesNow watch the Jump Start animation together (around three minutes).This short animation introduces the functions of the House of Lords with a focus on the three main roles – making laws, in-depth consideration of public policy and holding government to account.

Step Three – ten minutesOnce the film has finished, allow some time for the class to share their thoughts:– Did you pick out the three main roles –

what were they?– How do you think the work of the

Lords complements that of the Commons?

– Did anything surprise you about the work ofthe Lords?

Step Four – optional extensionsRun the ‘Create your own Bill’ activity (full instructions and worksheets included) to give the class a chance to try out one of the main roles of the House of Lords themselves.Alternatively, go straight to the ‘Public Pops’ film to spark further debate about the membership of the House of Lords and use the debate cards in this pack to get your class talking.If your class are interested in the role ofCommittees, you may also want to take a lookat the ‘Hold a Committee’ exercise in the ‘What’supporting pack.


GET ACTIVE:CREATE YOUR OWN BILL

Use this exercise to put into practice one of the main roles of the House of Lords explored in the Jump Start animation – making laws. More information on the passage of a Bill is included in the Background Information in this pack.

You will need‘How’ Jumpstart animation ready to view: www.parliament.uk/lords-resource Copies of Bill WorksheetsPaper and pensNewspaper articles (optional – for extensionactivity)

Learning aimsTo introduce the three main roles of theHouse of LordsTo introduce the concept of making laws and the work of Lords in this processTo encourage students to empathise with others and consider different perspectivesTo work effectively in a groupTo use presentation skills to present ideas to the class

LEARNING OUTCOMES Must (all)– Understand that creating laws (legislation) is

a main function of the House of Lords– Understand the difference between a Bill

and a law– Work in groups to create a Bill, which is voted

on by the class

Could (some)– Have engaged with and reflected on

different ideas, opinions, beliefs and values when exploring a topical issue

– Have empathised with other people’s points of view

Should (most)– Have expressed their own opinions to others

through discussion, debate and voting– Understand that a draft law goes through many

stages within Parliament before becoming a law.


CREATE YOUR OWN BILL: CLASSROOM INSTRUCTIONS

Step One – ten minutesReiterate the three main roles of the House of Lords. Explain that today your class are going to use these skills to create their own law.Ask the students to discuss in pairs what makes a good rule, e.g. fair, achieves something, easy to apply, everyone agrees to the principle of the rule. Ask students to feedback their thoughts.Prompt if necessary.Ask what else needs to be considered when making a rule, e.g. how is it going to be applied, who does it apply to, what is the punishment if it isn’t followed?

Step Two – 20 minutesAsk students to get into groups of up to six and distribute the Bill worksheets.Their task is to create a new Bill for all schools/colleges across the UK.Before deciding on the Bill, groups will needto consider the following:Identify a problem E.g. litter.What are they trying to fix? E.g. less litter, more recycling.Who is responsible? E.g. the school for not having bins, the students for dropping it? Who is creating the problem? E.g. students inside the school.Does their rule cost anything to set up? E.g. new bins, recycling, publicity, enforcing the ruleWho will enforce the rule? E.g. Head Teacher, Governors, School Council.What will the punishment be (if any)? E.g. litter picking duties.How will we know when it is fixed? What is theoutcome? E.g. less litter.Groups should fill out the Bill worksheets withthe information from their discussion.

Step Three – 20 minutesMove furniture around so that the classroom resembles the chamber - a couple of rows of

How

chairs facing opposite each other withcrossbench seats in between should suffice.Ask each group to decide on a ‘peer’ to present the Bill before Parliament and decide on one student to act as the Lord Speaker.Choose the first ‘peer’ to read their BillWorksheet out.The Lord Speaker then calls a vote for the proposal by repeating the title of the Bill. All students take a vocal vote, as in the House of Lords, of ‘content’ or ‘not content’.

Step Four – ten minutesOnce all groups have had their Bill voted on, discuss with the class which Bills succeeded / failed and why? Which were fair Bills? Were they realistic?If you have time, ask groups to swap their Bills to another team who should consider it line by line for possible amendments and present back their suggestions.

ReflectThe passage of a Bill is a lengthy process – what does this style of debate and scrutiny, and in particular the use of a second House for checks and balances offer to law making?

Optional extension activitiesFor more advanced students look at issues arising in the local community or nationally.You can use newspapers to choose an issue. Students should consider –what is currently being done? What are the pros and cons? Is Parliament currently looking at this topic?Discuss the Human Rights Act with regards to their rule/Bill - does their Bill comply?Identify and follow a Bill currently going throughParliament (www.parliament.uk/bills).

Other resourcesYou can explore the ‘What’ and the ‘Who’ of the House of Lords by using the further resources online: www.parlaiment.uk/lords-resource

www.parliament.uk/lords-resource 4

The name of the bill

Title of your Bill: School Litter Bill

A BILL

What the bill proposes to do

To stop littering within schools and to promote recycling……..…………….………………………………………………………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………..

Sponsors: _A. Bloggs__J. Smith_A. Nother Who is proposing the bill

These can be written on an attached piece of paper.

Description of your bill: This bill will provide extra funding for schools and colleges to provide appropriate litter bins and recycling bins throughout the school grounds.It will also provide extra resources for awareness raising campaigns for all students,teachers and parents to encourage everyone to use the litter bins and to recycle where possible. …………………………………………………………………………………

Explanatory notes attached:

1. Background and Summary (why is this bill needed?)

2. Financial Effects (How much it will cost?)

European Convention on Human Rights

An outline of what the bill is hoping to achieve

In my/our view the provisions of the _School LitterConvention rights

Bill are compatible with the

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PUBLIC POPS DEBATE: ‘HOW’

Watch the two minute Public Pops film to hear theopinions of the public on the ‘How’ of the House of Lords and inspire debate in the classroom. But watch out, some of what the public says is factually correct but the films also include some common misconceptions – can the pupils spot them?

Pose the three key questions to your class to inspire debate – additional questions are also included. Use the information below, which includes the correct answers, to direct the discussion.You can run this activity as a class or divide into pairs or small groups. Debate cards can be shared out so that each group explores a different point and can then present their opinions back to the class for further discussion.

1. DO PEERS BELONG TO POLITICAL PARTIES?

The answer – Some do... and some don’t!The chamber is divided up in the following

ways: Government benches – as with the House of Commons, peers who belong to the governing political party or parties sit on one side of the House.Opposition benches – the members of the opposition parties sit on the opposite side. Bishops and Archbishops – 26 Church of England archbishops and bishops sit in theHouse, passing their membership on to the next most senior bishop when they retire. Crossbenches – uniquely the House of Lordshas a set of benches between the two sides where members not affiliated to any party sit. This group makes up around a quarter of the whole make-up of the House.

Further discussion:– What might be the impact of having non-politically

affiliated members in the House? – consider howa crossbencher may approach law-making.

– Peers do not currently have to stand for public election – what are the pros and cons?

2. WHAT CAN PEERS DO?The answer – The Lords share the task of making and shaping laws and checking and challenging the work of the government.They have three main roles which are covered in more detail in the Background Information in this pack: making laws, in-depth consideration of public policy and holding government to account.Further discussion:– What are the pros and cons of having a

second chamber in the UK Parliament?– Why are there several stages of readings

and amendments to create a law?

3. HOW MUCH DO PEERS GET PAID? The answer – Most members do not receive a salary for their parliamentary duties but are eligible to receive allowances and, within certain limits, the travel expenses incurred fulfilling parliamentary duties. Members who are not paid a salary may claim a flat rate attendance allowance of £150 or£300 for each sitting they attend in the House.This daily allowance replaces the separate overnight subsistence, day subsistence and office costs inthe previous system. Entitlement is determined by attendance. Members who receive a ministerial or office holders’ salary are not entitled to claim the allowances based on attendance.Further discussion:– Should peers receive expenses for the work

they do?– Some peers continue with full-time roles

outside of the House, how might this inform their work within the House of Lords?

How

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Do peers belong to a political party?

What might be the impact of having

non-politically affiliated members

in the House?

Peers do not currently have to stand for public

election – what are the pros and cons?

What can peers do?

What are the pros and cons of having a second chamber

in the UK Parliament?

Why are there several stages

of readings and amendments to create a law?

Should peers get paid?

Should peers receive expenses for the work they do?

Some peers continue with full-time roles outside of the

House, how might this inform their work within the House of Lords?

How 9

A DAY IN THE LIFE: ‘HOW’

How does the House of Lords go about its work?How effective is the House of Lords in scrutinising and amending legislation?How would you change the House of Lords if you could?How much of what you saw in the film surprisedyou about the work of the House of Lords?

P o s s i b l e d i sc u s s i o n p o i n t s

The ‘Ping-Ponging’ of Legislation

The relationship between the House ofLords and the House of Commons

The traditions and procedures of theHouse of Lords

The way the House scrutinises Bills

The Royal Assent

Trivia Test!Get the class to try and answer these questions, or adapt the facts and figures to create your own,and then see what they make of the real answers.

Question AnswerHow many days a year do you think the House of Lords sat in the last Parliamentary year?And for how many hours per day?

In the last parliamentary year how many Bills do you think the House of Lords scrutinised, and how many successful amendments did they make?

How many questions would you think thePeers put to the Government in a year?

In the 2012-13 session the House of Lords sat for 137 days of the year (38%), with an average daily sitting lasting just over six and a half hours.In 2012-13 the House of Lords worked on 71Bills, amending 11, with 38 receiving the RoyalAssent. In the same session the Lords tabled3,581 amendments, they were successful in1132 of them (32%), and they defeated theGovernment 21 times.In 2010-11 members of the House of Lords put7,546 questions to the government.


BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The House of Lords is the second chamber of the UK Parliament. It is independent from, and complements the work of, the elected House of Commons. The Lords and its members, commonly called peers, shares the task of making and shaping laws and checking and challenging the work of the government.

What does the Lords do?

The Lords has three main roles:

Questioning and challengingMembers of the Lords scrutinise the work of the government during question time and debates in the chamber, where government ministers must respond. In the 2010-2012 parliamentary sessions, members held the government to account with 18,162 oral and written questions and 273 debates on issues ranging from the economy to nursing.Shaping and making lawsMembers spend nearly 60 % of their time inthe House considering Bills (draft laws).All Bills have to be considered by both Houses of Parlia- ment before they can become law. In the 2010-2012 session, members checked 80 Bills on issues ranging from child poverty to immigration. They considered 10,031 changes and 49 Bills became laws. During several stages, members examine each Bill, line-by-line, before it becomes an Act of Parliament (actual law). Many of these Bills cover crucial areas of everyday life such as welfare, health and education.Investigating issuesMembers use their extensive individual experience to debate public policy. Much of this work is done in select committees whichare small groups appointed to consider specific policy areas. In 2010-2012, House of Lordsselect committees produced 73 reports on

subjects including economic affairs, European Union powers and advances in science. Many select committee meetings involve questioning experts working in the field which is the subject of the inquiry. These meetings are open to the public.

What has the work of the Lords impacted upon?

Some useful examples of significant Parliamentary work the House of Lords has been involved in recent years include:

introducing civil remedies for victims or potential victims of forced marriagesensuring children with special educational needs have the same legal protection in academies asin other mainstream schoolsmaking sure the UK has leading stem cell research facilitiesensuring that women are treated more fairly by the state pension system.


THE PASSAGE OF A BILL – FROM THEHOUSE OF LORDS TO ROYAL ASSENT

One of Parliament’s main roles, and that of the House of Lords, is debating and passing laws, more formally known as passing statute law (legislation).

Laws can start in either the House of Commons or the House of Lords. Government introduces the majority of plans for new laws, with many included in the Queen’s Speech at the opening ofeach session of Parliament, and changes to existing laws. However, new laws can originate from an MP or a peer.

The creation and passing of new laws is a lengthy and serious business and can often take up to or over a year to become statute. The Lords in particular do not have a time limit when considering new laws.

When a Bill starts in the House of Lords it alwaysfollows a set process:

FIRST READINGFirst reading is the first stage of a Bill’s passage through the House of Lords - usually a formality, it takes place without debate. First reading of a Bill can take place at any time in a parliamentary session.

The long title (indicating the content of the Bill)is read out by the member of the Lords in charge of the Bill.And that is it! The Bill has been formally introduced and can now be printed.

SECOND READINGSecond reading is the first opportunity for members of the Lords to debate the main principles and purpose of the Bill and to flag up

How

concerns and areas where they think changes (amendments) are needed. The second reading usually takes place no less than two weeks after first reading.

Before second reading takes place a list of speakers for the second reading debate is opened and interested members add their names to it. The list is published shortly before the debate in the order in which members will speak.

When second reading actually takes place, the Government minister, spokesperson or member of the Lords responsible for the Bill opens the debate. Any member can speak in the debate so this stage can indicate those members particularly interested in the Bill - or a particular aspect of it - and those who are most likely to be involved in amending the Bill at later stages. Second reading debates usually last for a few hours but sometimes stretch over a couple of days.

COMMITTEE STAGEDetailed line by line examination of the separate parts (clauses and schedules) of the Bill takes place during committee stage and any member of the Lords can take part. Committee stage can last from one or two days to eight or more. It usually starts no fewer than two weeks after the second reading.

The day before the committee stage starts, amendments (proposals for change) are published in a Marshalled List – in which all the amendments are placed in order. Amendments on related subjects are grouped together and a list (“groupings of amendments”) is published on the day.

All proposed amendments can be discussed and there is no time limit on discussion of amendments. Votes on the proposed amendments may also take place.

After committee stage if the Bill has been amended it is reprinted with all the agreed amendments.


THE PASSAGE OF A BILL – FROM THEHOUSE OF LORDS TO ROYAL ASSENT

REPORT STAGEReport stage in the Chamber gives all members of the Lords further opportunity to consider any amendments (proposals for change) suggested at this stage to a Bill and to examine the detail further know that changes have been made.

Report stage usually starts 14 days after committee stage. It can be spread over several days (but usually fewer days than at committee stage).

The day before report stage starts, amendments from committee stage are again published in a Marshalled List – in which all the amendments are placed in order. Amendments on related subjects are grouped together and a list (“groupings of amendments”) is published on the day.

During report stage, detailed line by line examination of the Bill continues. Votes can take place and any member of the Lords can take part. If the Bill is amendedit is reprinted to include all the agreed amendments made at this stage.

THIRD READINGThird reading in the Chamber is the final chance for the Lords to debate and change the contents of the Bill. At least three sitting days usually pass between report stage and third reading.

The day before third reading starts, amendments (proposals for change) are again published in a Marshalled List – in which all the amendments are placed in order. Amendments on related subjects are grouped together and a list (“groupings of amendments”) is published on the day.

Unlike the Commons, amendments can be made at third reading stage, provided the issue has not been fully considered and voted on at an earlier stage.

Amendments at third reading in the Lords areoften used to clarify specific parts of the Bill to close loopholes and to allow the Government to make good any promises of changes to the Bill made at earlier stages.

How

AFTER THIRD READINGIf the Bill started in the Lords, it goes to the House of Commons for its first reading. The Commons reprints the Bill with the Lords amendments.

If the Bill started in the House of Commons, after third reading in the Lords, the amended Bill is sent back to the Commons for it to consider the Lords amendments. A Bill may go back and forth between the two Houses until agreement is reached – this is known as Ping Pong.

ROYAL ASSENTWhen a Bill has completed all its parliamentary stages in both Houses, it must have Royal Assent before it can become an Act of Parliament (law). Royal Assentis the Monarch’s agreement to make the Bill into anAct and is a formality.

There is no set time period between the consideration of amendments to the Bill and Royal Assent – it can even be a matter of minutes after Ping Pong is complete.

When Royal Assent has been given to a Bill, the announcement is usually made in both Houses – at a suitable break in each House’s proceedings – by the Lord Speaker in the Lords and the Speaker in the Commons.

At prorogation (the formal end to a parliamentary year), Black Rod interrupts the proceedings of the Commons and summons MPs to the Lords Chamber to hear the Lords Commissioners announce Royal Assent for each Bill.

COMMENCEMENT ORDERThe legislation within the Bill may commence immediately, after a set period or only after a ‘commencementorder’ has been given by a Government minister.

A commencement order is designed to bring into force the whole or part of an Act of Parliament at a date later than the date of the Royal Assent, but if there is no commencement order, the Act will come into forcefrom midnight at the start of the day of the Royal Assent.

The practical implementation of an Act is the responsibility of the appropriate government department, not Parliament.


Documents

Versions of... · Web viewAsk each group to decide on a ‘peer’ to present the Bill before Parliament and decide on one student to act as the Lord Speaker. Choose the first ‘peer’