Who sits in the UK Parliament?
• The UK Parliament is made up of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Crown. • There are 646 Members of Parliament (MPs) in the House of Commons. • There are 59 MPs from Scottish constituencies in the House of Commons, representing the people of Scotland on reserved matters. • MPs are elected using the first-past-the-post system. Under this system, the candidate who gets most votes at the election wins the seat. • The Prime Minister decides when to call an election, but the maximum length of a Parliament is five years. • The House of Lords is the second chamber of the Houses of Parliament and acts as a revising chamber. Most members of the House of Lords (known as Peers) are appointed, not elected by members of the public. • The Queen is head of state for the whole of the UK. She approves laws made by Parliament and performs ceremonial functions. Where does the UK Parliament meet? The Houses of Parliament are located in the Palace of Westminster, London. How can I find out
