1. The Process In Order
   1. Green Paper
      1. a.k.a. public consultation
      2. Not the final version
   2. White Paper
      1. A more finalised version of the bill
   3. 'Bill' & 1st Reading
      1. Simply introduced into HoC
   4. 2nd Reading
      1. Debated in HoC
      2. Scrutinised by MPs
      3. Amendments can be made
      4. VOTE!
   5. Committee Stage
      1. Made up of select MP's & experts
   6. Report Stage
      1. From the committee
      2. Suggests amendments to be made
   7. 3rd Reading
      1. Final scrutiny
      2. Final vote
   8. Other House (Same Stages)
      1. Goes to the HoL usually
      2. But when introduced in HoL first, goes to HoC
   9. Royal Assent
      1. The bill is rubber-stamped by the Queen
      2. She has the power to say no, but never does
2. Types of Bills
   1. Hybrid Bills
      1. Alter general law but only affect rights of small number of people
      2. Channel Tunnel Act 1987
      3. Crossrail Act 2008
         1. As these major projects would impact local people
   2. Public Bills
   3. Private Bills
      1. Introduced by local authorities or large public companies
      2. Only affect the bodies concerned
      3. Medway Council Act 2004
         1. R.e. Street Trading in the Area
   4. Private Members' Bills
      1. Introduced by back-bench MPs
      2. 20 Name Ballot
      3. Or '5-minute Rule'
      4. Due to limited time, few become law and the success rates vary year on year
      5. Abortion Act 1967
      6. Marriage Act 1994
      7. Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act 1965
      8. Computer Misuse Act 1990
3. HoL & Ability to Block
   1. Parliament Act 1911
      1. House of Lords can no longer block a bill - as long as it goes through all the stages in the House of Commons for a second time
   2. Parliament Act 1949
      1. The length of time the House of Lords can play 'ping-pong' to delay a bill is reduced from 3 to 2 years
   3. Examples of when used
      1. Hunting Act 2004
      2. War Crimes Act 1991
   4. The HoL is unelected, so their power was reduced
4. Advantages & Disadvantages
   1. Advantages
      1. HoC is Elected
      2. Public Opinion
      3. HoL is Not Elected
      4. HoL has Expertise
      5. Thorough Process
      6. Acts can be Passed Quickly
   2. Disadvantages
      1. Lack of Time
         1. Parliament never has enough time to pass all necessary legislation
         2. Reform bills are often left out
      2. HoC Majority
         1. Difficult for Parliament to change what the government wants
         2. Subtopic 2
      3. Not Encough Scrutiny
      4. Passed Too Quickly
      5. HoL Delays
      6. Amended Bills
5. Influences on Parliament
   1. Political
      1. From voters and opposition parties
      2. Manifesto Promises
         1. House of Lords Act 1999
      3. Anti-Terrorism and Security Act 2001
      4. Abortion Act 1967
      5. Advantages
         1. Governments unlikely to pass unpopular acts due to public opinion
         2. Can respond quickly to emergency situations
         3. Has a forum to listen to individual MPs
         4. Have experts go through proposals thoroughly
      6. Disadvantages
         1. Quickly-introduced bills can be flawed
            1. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991
         2. Government usually gets its way - House of Commons majority
   2. EU Law
      1. European Communities Act 1972
         1. The act that makes the UK implement UK law
      2. Sex Discrimination Acts 1975 & 1986
      3. Consumer Protection Act 1987
      4. Advantages
         1. Upholds human rights
         2. Certainty and unity with rights and laws amongst EU Member states
      5. Disadvantages
         1. Their law does not always benefit UK citizens
   3. Pressure Groups
      1. Groups of people with a shared interest in changing the law
      2. Cause Groups - Promote a particular ideal or belief
      3. Sectional Groups - Seek changes for their section of society e.g. Law Society
      4. Smoking Ban 2007
      5. Stonewall - Civil Partnership Act 2004
      6. Advantages
         1. Give the public & minorities a voice in numbers
         2. Effectively raise public awareness
         3. Remind Parliament on the importance of issues
         4. Some groups have huge memberships e.g. TUC - 6 million
         5. Groups tend to have expertise in their area
      7. Disadvantages
         1. Biased in favour of their cause
         2. Sometimes use extreme tactics
            1. Fathers4Justice - Building climbing & protesting outside MP's house
         3. Opinions held by groups may not reflect majority public opinion
   4. The Media
      1. A method of transmitting information - Internet, News, Magazines, Radio
      2. Jamie Oliver School Dinners Campaign
      3. News of The World - Sex Offenders Register
      4. Stephen Lawrence Case - double jeopardy law scrapped
      5. Advantages
         1. Public can easily contact the media
         2. Helps raise public awareness on an issue
      6. Disadvantages
         1. Newspaper's don't ahve to be politically neutral
         2. Only support causes that their sponsors will allow
   5. Law Commission
      1. Keep under review & promote law reform
      2. Law Commission Act 1965
      3. Sale and Supply of Goods Act 1994
      4. Computer Misuse Act 1990
      5. Advantages
         1. Made up of lawyers with area expertise
         2. Commissioners change every 5 years
         3. Produces draft bills ready for Parliament
         4. Recommendations for reform are well informed
      6. Disadvantages
         1. Parliament often ignores proposals
         2. Hard to find time to introduce reforms