Supplementary tasks

Task 1. Translate the words into English.

приймати політичні рішення, міністр зовнішніх справ, виборчий округ, розпускати парламент, робити перерву в роботі парламенту, палата, розпочинати роботу парламенту, тривалість роботи парламенту, критикувати роботу уряду, займати вищу судову посаду, успадковувати титул, змінюватися, контролювати поведінку членів парламенту, найближчі радники, урядові міністерства, міністр фінансів Великобританії, в теорії, на практиці, конституційна угода, видатний юрист, резиденція, виконавча гілка влади, повноваження лорда-канцлера, таємна рада, лідер опозиції, призначати, офіційне оголошення.

Task 2. Complete the text using the proposed words.

debates, housing, elect, constituencies, Speaker, midnight, news, Government, mail, abroad, Sittings, letters, morning, MP, constituents, House of Commons

The country is divided into 651 voting areas or … which each … one MP to serve in the … . MPs have to present all of their …, regardless of whether they vote for them. In addition MPs have a duty to their political party, to themselves and their own beliefs and to the nation as a whole.

Once or twice a week people in a constituency have the chance to meet their … when they can talk about their problems, large or small.

People may come to their MP with … or money problems or perhaps someone has a relative in hospital and finds it difficult to get there on public transport. An MP spends time at and during holidays, meeting people in local factories, clubs, schools, etc.

The working hours of the House of Commons are very unusual. Most MP start their day in the … and may not get home until … or later. It is important for MPs to keep up with the … so the first thing they do in the morning is to look at the newspapers to know what has been happening overnight both in this country and … MPs often do this over breakfast.

The first thing an MP does after arriving at the House of Commons is to collect his … MPs receive huge amounts of mail every day; so reading and answering … takes a large amount of time. At 2.30 p.m. each day, the … walks in procession to the Chamber of the House of Commons to begin the day’s …

The first hour of the afternoon from 2.30 no 3.30 p.m. is Question Time, at which most MPs like to be present because they have a chance to ask the … about what it is doing – and why. They specially like to be present on Tuesdays and Thursdays for Questions to the Prime-Minister.

From teatime until about 1.00 p.m. there are … in the Chamber in which MPs may try to speak, especially if the subjects are of interest to their constituents. Sometimes a MP finally gets to bed when it is nearly time to begin the next day’s work.

Task 3. Make up the dialogues on the basis of the following texts.

I. The Privy Council: The Privy Council developed from a small group of royal advisers at court into the chief source of executive authority. But its position was weakened in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as more of its functions were transferred to a developing parliamentary Cabinet.

Today its main role is to advise the monarch on a range of matters, like the resolution of constitutional issues and the approval of Orders in Council, such as the granting of Royal Charters to public bodies. The most important task of the Privy Council today is performed by its Judicial Committee. This serves as the final court of appeal from those dependencies and Commonwealth countries which have retained this avenue of appeal. It may also be used as an arbiter for a wide range of courts and committees in Britain and overseas, and its rulings can be influential.

The office of Privy Councilor is an honorary one, conferred, for example, on former Prime Ministers.

II. The Ministry: The Ministry is the government of the moment. The head of the Ministry is the Prime Minister. The functions of the Prime Minister are: leading the majority party; running the Government; appointing Cabinet Ministers and other ministers; representing the nation in political matters.

Upon accepting office the Prime Minister must form a government, that is, select a cabinet and ministry from among the Members of Parliament of his own party. The Cabinet constitutes the centre of the government and is composed of about 20 of the most important ministers. All major decisions of the Government are made by the Cabinet, and therefore it is the Cabinet which forms Government policy. Decisions made by the Cabinet must be unanimous. It makes its decisions collectively and is collectively responsible to Parliament,

After the Prime Minister has formed his cabinet, he selects the rest of his ministry. Most of these ministers are the political heads of Government Departments and are members of one of the Houses.

III. Government Departments: Government departments are responsible for implementing Government policy. Each department is headed by two people: a political head who is usually the minister, and an administrative head from the Civil Service, called a permanent secretary. They are responsible for a permanent staff which is part of the Civil Service. There are many such departments, for example the Home Office, the Department of Education, the Ministry of Defence, etc. The most important department is the Treasury, and the Prime Minister is usually its political head. It is the Department which controls the economy of the nation.

As well as government departments there are government agencies formed to operate public services, e.g., the Post Office, British Rail, etc. Most of these agencies are subject to the control of one of the government departments.

Task 4. Discuss the text with the partner. Agree with him if he is right or correct him if he is wrong. Use the following phrases.

Sure. It’s not so, I’m afraid.

That’s the thing. It’s a pity, I can’t agree.

Exactly so. That’s wrong.

Nothing wrong with that. No, it’s vice versa.

Perfectly correct. I’m of different opinion.

The House of Lords is called the upper house of Parliament, though it has less power than the House of Commons.

The main function of the Lords is to review legislation passed by the House of Commons. Although the Lords can amend bills, it rarely changes their basic principles. The Lords also serves as the United Kingdom’s highest court of appeals.

The House of Lords has about 1,170 members but only 25% of the members attend most debates in the House of Lords.

This house is not elected assembly. Most of its members inherit their seats.

Each session of the Parliament is usually opened in the House of Lords by the Queen who is attended by heralds, officers of the Court and members of the Diplomatic Corps. The Commons are ‘summoned’ to the Chamber by Black Rod (the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, whose title derives from the black staff with golf fittings which he carries on formal occasions).

Over the past two centuries of more modern times, there has been pressure for the House of Lords to be abolished or reformed.

The members of the House of Commons take their seats on the green leather benches according to their party and position. From this we get the term ‘frontbenches’, ‘backbenches’ and ‘crossbenches’. The Government and the Opposition sit facing one another.

The leaders of the Government and the Opposition are known as the frontbenches because they sit on the nearest the center of the chamber.

Task 5. Read the texts and answer the questions.