Parliament and Legislature

What is Parliament and Legislature?

Within Economics & Civics, which covers money, markets, business, government, law and citizenship: how societies are organised and run, this topic explains Parliament and Legislature. Economics and civics topics explain how money, markets, laws and government affect people, so each topic here pairs a clear definition with a model.

Check that you can explain Parliament and Legislature in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.

Understanding Parliament and Legislature helps you read the news critically and weigh up policies, choices and arguments about society.

Parliament and Legislature in detail

A legislature is the body that makes laws. In the UK, Parliament has the House of Commons, with elected MPs, the House of Lords, with appointed and hereditary members, and the monarch. The Commons is the more powerful, as it is democratically elected.

A new law begins as a bill, goes through readings, committee and report stages in both Houses, and receives Royal Assent to become an Act of Parliament. Parliament also scrutinises the government through debates, Question Time and committees, and approves taxes. Devolved bodies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own powers.

How the interactive helps you understand Parliament and Legislature

Watch the seating plan in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the seating plan responds.

Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of Parliament and Legislature.

Real-life uses and examples

• Give a balanced answer about Parliament and Legislature by considering more than one point of view.
• Relate Parliament and Legislature to a news story about prices, jobs, elections or government spending.
• Use Parliament and Legislature to weigh up the pros and costs of a policy or decision.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Confusing a short-term effect with a long-term one.
• Giving an opinion without evidence or a clear economic or civic reason.
• Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.