What is the Parliament? And what are its Constituents?
Parliament is the law-making body of the British people. It consists of three elements: the Monarchy, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. They meet together only on occasions of ceremonial significance, such as the state opening of Parliament, although the agreement of all three is normally required for legislation. House of Commons The House of Commons consists of 659 elected members called Members of Parliament or MPs. Election to the House of Commons is an important part of Britain’s democratic system. The main purpose of the House of Commons is to make laws by passing Acts of Parliament, as well as to discuss current political issues. Some of the liveliest sessions in the Commons debating chamber take place at Prime Minister’s Question Time when MPs have the opportunity to quiz the Prime Minister on burning issues of the day. House of Lords The House of Lords currently consists of 674 non-elected members (hereditary peers and peeresses, life peers and peeresses and 24 arch
