UK House of Commons

The United Kingdom joined the European Community (now the European Union) in 1973, following the passage into law of the European Communities Act.

House of Commons
The business of Parliament takes place in two Houses: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Their work is similar: making laws (legislation), checking the work of the government (scrutiny), and debating current issues. The House of Commons is also responsible for granting money to the government through approving Bills that raise taxes. Generally, the decisions made in one House have to be approved by the other. In this way the two-chamber system acts as a check and balance for both Houses.

The Commons is publicly elected. The party with the largest number of Members in the Commons forms the Government.

Members of the Commons (MPs) debate the big political issues of the day and proposals for new laws. It is one of the key places where Government ministers, like the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, and the principal figures of the main political parties, work.

The Commons alone is responsible for making decisions on financial Bills, such as proposed new taxes. The Lords can consider these Bills but cannot block or amend them.

Each Member represents a constituency, which is a specific area within the United Kingdom. Constituencies have, on average, a population of about 90,000 (including those not entitled to vote).

Both the House of Commons and the House of Lords are situated in the Palace of Westminster in London.

The House of Commons and the EU
The European Scrutiny Committee is an all-party select committee based in the House of Commons. It is comprised of 16 Members of Parliament, and the current Chairman is Sir William Cash MP. Like all select committees, it has the power to conduct inquiries and to take oral or written evidence.

The Committee’s main role, as defined under Standing Order No. 143, is to sift EU documents on behalf of the House of Commons, identifying those of political or legal importance and deciding which should be debated.

It also has four other roles:

to be a source of analysis and information, reporting in detail on each document it judges to be legally or politically important;

to monitor business in the Council of Ministers, the negotiating position of UK Ministers, and the outcome;

to keep under review legal, procedural and institutional developments in the EU which may have implications for the UK and for the House of Commons;

to co-operate with the EU Committee (the equivalent committee in the House of Lords) and ensure that the scrutiny system works effectively and that the Government complies with its undertakings to Parliament.

A short guide on The European Scrutiny system in the House of Commons, can be found through the attached link