Parliament and devolution

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The Houses of Parliament in Westminster are the primary source of legislation within the UK. Acts of Parliament are the main method by which Parliament creates binding law, and the process by which a legislative proposal becomes law follows a rigorous system of checks and balances. An Act of Parliament may also allow a government minister or other public authority to legislate further via secondary (subordinate or delegated) legislation.

For more information see:

  1. •

    Practice Note: Parliamentary procedure

  2. •

    Flowchart: Progress of a Bill in UK Parliament

For related further reading, see: Legislative powers—overview.

For commentary, see: Structure and format of an Act: Halsbury's Laws of England [263].

Members of Parliament

Members of Parliament (MPs) are elected by the public to represent their interests and concerns in the House of Commons. MPs raise matters through Parliamentary Questions, either orally in the House of Commons or in writing. The government is required to answer parliamentary written questions. Hansard is the official record of parliamentary questions and debates in the House of Commons.

MPs who are not government ministers may also introduce a Private Members’

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