UK Parliament: House of Commons and House of Lords Functions

The key functions of the House of Commons include representing the will of the people, proposing legislation, providing the largest part of the Government, providing the opposition to the Government, scrutinizing the Government, maintaining the Government, and keeping the public informed.

The key functions of the House of Lords include debating matters of public interest, providing a broader range of expertise, maintaining a less partisan environment for debate, functioning independently, scrutinizing Government proposed Bills and subordinate legislation, scrutinizing proposed EU legislation, providing an additional layer for holding the Executive to account, and initiating its own Bills free from the political constraints of the House of Commons.

Green Papers are consultation documents produced by the Government. Their purpose is to allow people both inside and outside Parliament to debate the subject and give the department feedback on its suggestions.

<p>White Papers are documents produced by the Government setting out details of future policy on a particular subject. They often form the basis for a Bill to be put before Parliament.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The House of Lords enables a more in-depth scrutiny of Government proposed Bills and subordinate legislation due to its high number of independents, broader range of expertise, less partisan environment, and their ability to hold the Executive to account.</p> Signup and view all the answers