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by MPs. The bills then go to the House of Lords. The House of Lords can suggest changes to a bill, but does not have the power to stop it from becoming law. When the bills come back to the Commons, MPs vote on them, and if they are PASSED (=if the MPs vote for them) they are signed by the Queen or King and become Acts of Parliament, which means that they become part of British law.
Devolution for Scotland and Wales
In 1997, the people of Scotland and Wales voted for DEVOLUTION, and now have their own separate parliaments, called the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly. The UK government in Westminster continues to deal with things such as foreign affairs, defence, and immigration, but the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly deal with things such as health, education, transport, and the environment. Scotland has had a separate legal and educational system for a long time.
Local government
The organizations that are responsible for local government in the UK are called COUNCILS. Their main job is to provide local services such as schools, libraries, and the Fire Service. They are also responsible for the local environment, and take rubbish from people's houses and clean the streets.
Councils are given an amount of money each year by the national government, and also get money from local taxes. Local councils are elected by people who live in that area. The people who are elected, known as COUNCILLORS, usually represent one of the national political parties, but are often elected because of their policies (POLICY) on local issues. Councils can make small laws known as BYLAWS, which only apply in their area. For example, councils decide which streets people can park their cars on, and how much parking FINES (=money paid as a punishment for parking illegally) should be.
Government of the European Union
The 25 members of the EU (European Union) are: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, the UK, Denmark, the Republic of Ireland, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.
Laws made by the EU apply across all of the member countries. These laws typically concern things such as trade, CONSUMER PROTECTION, the environment, and money given to certain industries or certain places in Europe to help with economic development. The EU is made up of three institutions
- the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the Council of the European Union, informally known as the Council of Ministers. The European Parliament is the only one of these that is elected by the people of the member countries.
The European Commission is a group of 25 politicians known as Commissioners. The Commission is changed every five years. The governments of the member countries suggest the politicians who they want to become Commissioners, and then the European Parliament decides whether to accept them.
The European Parliament meets in Strasbourg in France, but most of its committees meet in Brussels, and the word Brussels is often used to mean the EU. The European Parliament currently has 626 members called EURO-MPS or MEPS, who are elected every 5 years. The European Parliament has the power to get rid of the Commission by à VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE, although this has never happened.
The European Parliament has much less power and influence over people's daily lives than the national governments, but its power has increased since the SINGLE EUROPEAN ACT in 1986 and the MAASTRICHT TREATY in 1992. Its powers cannot be increased any further without the agreement of all of the member countries.
The European Commission make proposals for new laws, which are then sent to the European Parliament, where they are discussed and changes are suggested. The proposals are then discussed by the Council of Ministers. If the European Parliament does not agree with the changes made by the Council of Ministers, it has the power to VETO (=refuse to allow) a proposal.
The Single Currency
In 2002, the Euro became the official currency in most of the 15 states that then formed the EU, replacing the different currencies that had existed in those countries. The UK, Denmark, and Sweden did not switch to the Euro but kept their own currencies, though they may start using the Euro at a later date.