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Lord Speaker
The Lord Speaker is the presiding officer, chairman and highest authority of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The office is analogous to the Speaker of the House of Commons: the Lord Speaker is elected by the members of the House of Lords and is expected to be politically impartial. Until July 2006, the role of presiding officer in the House of Lords was undertaken by the Lord Chancellor. Under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the position of the speaker of the House of Lords (as it is termed in the Act) became a separate office, allowing the position to be held by someone other than the Lord Chancellor. The Lord Chancellor continued to act as speaker of the House of Lords in an interim period after the Act was passed while the House of Lords considered new arrangements about its speakership. The current Lord Speaker is John McFall, Baron McFall of Alcluith. To date four people have held the role. History In 2003, following the decision to di ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John McFall, Baron McFall Of Alcluith
John Francis McFall, Baron McFall of Alcluith (born 4 October 1944), is a Scottish politician and life peer who has served as Lord Speaker, the presiding officer of the House of Lords, since 2021. He was a member of Parliament for the Labour and Co-operative Party from 1987 to 2010, first for Dumbarton and then from 2005 for West Dunbartonshire. He also served as Chairman of the House of Commons Treasury Committee. Following his appointment to the House of Lords, McFall served as Senior Deputy Speaker from 2016 to 2021 before succeeding Lord Fowler as Lord Speaker. Early life McFall went to a boys' school, St Patrick's Secondary School (since merged with Notre Dame High School to form Our Lady & St Patrick's High School), on Hawthornhill Road in Castlehill, Dumbarton, leaving without any qualifications at 15. His father was a school caretaker and his mother had a newsagents shop, which sparked his (later) interest in how to run businesses. He worked for the local Parks ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bill (proposed Law)
A bill is a proposal for a new law, or a proposal to substantially alter an existing law. A bill does not become law until it has been passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the Executive (government), executive. Bills are introduced in the legislature and are there discussed, debated on, and voted upon. Once a bill has been enacted into law by the legislature, it is called an ''Act of Parliament, act of the legislature'', or a ''statute''. Usage The word ''bill'' is mainly used in English-speaking nations formerly part of the British Empire whose legal systems originated in the common law of the United Kingdom, including the United States. The parts of a bill are known as ''clauses'', until it has become an act of parliament, from which time the parts of the law are known as ''sections''. In nations that have civil law (legal system), civil law systems (including France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain and Portugal), a proposed law is known as a "law projec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grace And Favour
A grace-and-favour home is a residential property owned by a monarch, government, or other owner and leased rent-free to a person as part of the perquisites of their employment, or in gratitude for services rendered. Usage of the term is chiefly British. In the United Kingdom, these homes are mostly owned by the Crown or a charity and, in modern times, are often within the gift of the prime minister. Most of these properties are taxed as a "benefit in kind", although this status does not apply to Downing Street or any home granted for security purposes, such as the residence of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. They are at times granted to senior politicians. It is possible that the term crept into English through the writings of Niccolò Machiavelli, who wrote of advisers who are ministers ''per grazia e concessione'', which has been translated as "through grace and favour". England In 1986, 120 grace-and-favour apartments were owned by the monarch, the most splen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pound Sterling
Sterling (symbol: £; currency code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of its associated territories. The pound is the main unit of sterling, and the word '' pound'' is also used to refer to the British currency generally, often qualified in international contexts as the British pound or the pound sterling. Sterling is the world's oldest currency in continuous use since its inception. In 2022, it was the fourth-most-traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar, the euro, and the Japanese yen. Together with those three currencies and the renminbi, it forms the basket of currencies that calculate the value of IMF special drawing rights. As of late 2022, sterling is also the fourth most-held reserve currency in global reserves. The Bank of England is the central bank for sterling, issuing its own banknotes and regulating issuance of banknotes by private banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Sterling banknotes issu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United Kingdom Order Of Precedence
The order of precedence in the United Kingdom is the sequential hierarchy for Peers of the Realm, officers of state, senior members of the clergy, holders of the various Orders of Chivalry, and is mostly determined, but not limited to, birth order, place in the line of succession, or distance from the reigning monarch. The order of precedence can also be applied to other persons in the three legal jurisdictions within the United Kingdom: * England and Wales * Scotland * Northern Ireland Separate orders exist for males and females. Determination of precedence The order of precedence is determined by various methods. The House of Lords Precedence Act 1539 (which technically applies only to determine seating in the House of Lords Chamber) and the Acts of Union with Scotland and Ireland generally set precedence for members of the nobility. The statutes of the various Orders of Chivalry set precedence for their members. In other cases, precedence may be decided by the sovereign's ord ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Warrant (document)
A warrant is generally an order that serves as a specific type of authorization, that is, a writ issued by a competent officer, usually a judge or magistrate, that permits an otherwise illegal act that would violate individual rights in order to enforce the law and aid in investigations; affording the person executing the writ protection from damages if the act is performed. A warrant is usually issued by a court and is directed to a sheriff, a constable, or a police officer. Warrants normally issued by a court include search warrants, arrest warrants, and execution warrants. Types * Arrest warrant, issued by a judge to detain someone * Execution warrant, writ issued by a judge authorizing the death of someone * Possessory warrant, a civil writ issued by a judge ordering property searched for, then delivered to a named person * Search warrant, a writ issued by a judge allowing law enforcement to look inside a property * Warrant of committal, issued by a judge ordering enforcem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lord McFall Of Alcluith (Lord Speaker 1
John Francis McFall, Baron McFall of Alcluith (born 4 October 1944), is a Scottish politician and life peer who has served as Lord Speaker, the presiding officer of the House of Lords, since 2021. He was a member of Parliament for the Labour and Co-operative Party from 1987 to 2010, first for Dumbarton and then from 2005 for West Dunbartonshire. He also served as Chairman of the House of Commons Treasury Committee. Following his appointment to the House of Lords, McFall served as Senior Deputy Speaker from 2016 to 2021 before succeeding Lord Fowler as Lord Speaker. Early life McFall went to a boys' school, St Patrick's Secondary School (since merged with Notre Dame High School to form Our Lady & St Patrick's High School), on Hawthornhill Road in Castlehill, Dumbarton, leaving without any qualifications at 15. His father was a school caretaker and his mother had a newsagents shop, which sparked his (later) interest in how to run businesses. He worked for the local Parks De ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Woolsack
The Woolsack is the seat of the Lord Speaker in the House of Lords, the Upper House of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Before 2006, it was the seat of the Lord Chancellor, who presided as the presiding officer of the House. The Woolsack’s status in the House was enshrined in the first standing orders in 1621. History In the 14th century, King Edward III (1327–1377) said that his Lord Chancellor, while in council, should sit on a wool bale, now known as "The Woolsack", to symbolise the central nature and great importance of the wool trade to the economy of England in the Middle Ages. Indeed, it was largely to protect the vital English wool trade routes with continental Europe that the Battle of Crécy was fought with the French in 1346. In 1938, it was discovered that the Woolsack was stuffed with horsehair. When it was remade, it was re-stuffed with wool from the British Isles and 15 countries across the Commonwealth, supplied by the International Wool Secretariat, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lord Chamberlain
The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, Sovereign of the United Kingdom while also acting as the main channel of communication between the Sovereign and the House of Lords. The office organises all ceremonial activity such as garden parties, state visits, royal weddings, and the State Opening of Parliament. They also oversee the Royal Mews and royal travel, as well as the ceremony around the awarding of honours. From 1737 to 1968, the Lord Chamberlain had the power to decide which Play (theatre), plays would be granted a licence for performance; this meant that he had the capacity to censor theatre at his pleasure. The Lord Chamberlain is always sworn of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, Privy Council, is usually a peerage, peer and before 1782 the post was of Cab ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clerk Of The Parliaments
The Clerk of the Parliaments is the chief clerk of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The position has existed since at least 1315, and duties include preparing the minutes of Lords proceedings, advising on proper parliamentary procedure and pronouncing royal assent. Many of the Clerk's duties are now fulfilled by his deputies and the Clerk of the Parliaments' Office. The ''Under Clerk of the Parliaments'' is the formal name for the Clerk of the House of Commons. The term ''Clerk of the Parliaments'' is also used as a formal alternative title by the Clerk of the Senate of Canada and the Clerks of the Legislative Councils of New South Wales and Western Australia. In the Australian state of Victoria the title is given to the longer-serving of the Clerks of the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly. The title was also formerly used for the Clerk of the Australian Senate and the longer-serving of the Clerks of the Legislative Council and Legisla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Instant-runoff Voting
Instant-runoff voting (IRV; ranked-choice voting (RCV), preferential voting, alternative vote) is a single-winner ranked voting election system where Sequential loser method, one or more eliminations are used to simulate Runoff (election), runoff elections. When no candidate has a majority of the votes in the first round of counting, each following round eliminates the candidate with the fewest First-preference votes, first-preferences (among the remaining candidates) and transfers their votes if possible. This continues until one candidate accumulates a majority of the votes still in play. Instant-runoff voting falls under the plurality-based voting-rule family, in that under certain conditions the candidate with the least votes is eliminated, making use of secondary rankings as contingency votes. Thus it is related to the Runoff election, two-round runoff system and the exhaustive ballot. IRV could also be seen as a single-winner equivalent of Single transferable vote, sin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crossbencher
A crossbencher is a minor party or independent member of some legislatures, such as the Parliament of Australia. In the British House of Lords the term refers to members of the parliamentary group of non-political peers. They take their name from the crossbenches, between and perpendicular to the government and opposition benches, where crossbenchers sit in the chamber. United Kingdom Crossbench members of the British House of Lords are not aligned to any particular party. Until 2009, these included the Law Lords appointed under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876. In addition, former Speakers of the House of Commons (such as Lord Martin of Springburn and Baroness Boothroyd) and former Lord Speakers of the House of Lords (such as Baroness Hayman and Baroness D'Souza), who by convention are not aligned with any party, also sit as crossbenchers. There are also some non-affiliated members of the House of Lords who are not part of the crossbencher group; this includes some o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
