The house of commons

known as Members of Parliament (MPs). The House of Commons is presided over by the Speaker, a member acceptable to the whole House.

the governing party and the other for the opposition. The first two rows of seats are occupied by the leading members of both parties (called ‘front-benchers’), the back benches belong to the rank-and-file MPs (‘back-benchers’). Each session of the House of Commons lasts for 160-175 days.

parliamentary work and have to attend -the sittings. MPs have to catch the Speaker’s eye when they want to speak, then they rise from where they have been sitting to address the House and must do so without either reading a prepared speech or con­sulting notes.

the lion’s share of parliamentary time is taken by the party in power.

in order to become an Act of Parliament. These are called readings. The first reading is a formality and is simply the publication of the proposal. The second reading involves debate on the principles of the bill, its examination by a parliamentary committee, and the third reading-a report stage, when the work of the committee is reported on to the House. This is usually the most important stage in the process.