Nearly all important bills are introduced by the Government. About fifty bills are passed each year, some short, some long, some needing much discussion. Once the Government has decided to introduce a bill, a minister is put in charge of it. The preparation of the text may take many months, with long consultations involving civil servants in the minister’s department on the one hand and Parliamentary Counsel on the other.
At last the bill is ready to be submitted to Parliament. It will have to be passed by both Houses of Parliament, one after the other. It can begin its journey in either the House of Commons or the House of Lords, though all really important bills are in fact submitted to the House of Commons first.
The typical bill of moderate importance, then, will begin in the House of Commons. According to very ancient practice, it must have three “readings” there. The “first reading” is in effect merely an announcement that the bill is coming forward. Then after being in circulation for a reasonable length of time (usually one or two weeks at least) it goes to the ‘second reading”. This is the main debate on the general principles of the bill, and at the end of the debate a vote is taken. The important thing about this stage is not the final decision, but the words spoken in the debate, the arguments for and against, the discussion of principles and of details from many points of view.
After the bill has passed its second reading, a “standing committee” of up to forty-five MPs is set up to consider it in detail. The bill is printed in clauses and committee members may propose changes to the text. After the committee has finished with the bill, the next stage is called “the report stage”. The House itself now repeats the committee stage, though taking much less time. The House has before it the new text of the bill, incorporating the committee’s amendments. Some new amendments are proposed and there may be further discussion of the amendments which were proposed in committee but withdrawn so as to give the minister time to examine them thoroughly.
The last stage is the debate on the proposal to “read the bill a third time”. This debate is usually short. It is a final review and discussion of the
bill as it stands after amendment.
Next the bill must go through the same stages in the House of Lords. If the House of Lords rejects a bill which has been passed by the Commons, the bill can go no further for a few months; but if the Commons pass it again, in the same form as before, it must go to the Queen for her signature no matter what the Lords do. The Lords can merely delay bills which they don’t like.
A bill becomes an Act of Parliament when the Queen signs it.
Task 1. Find the English equivalents for the words and word-combinations given below.
Государственные служащие (чиновники), законопроект средней важности, чтения, сообщение, находиться в обращении, точка зрения, постоянная комиссия, статьи, объединяющий, основательно.
Task 2. Match the English words and word-combinations given below with their Russian equivalents.
| 1) принять законопроект
| a) to put in change
|
| 2) выдвинуты законопроект
| b) to submit
|
| З) поставить во главе
| c) to reject a bill
|
| 4) представить на рассмотрение
| d) to pass a bill
|
| 5) в действительности
| e) to withdraw
|
| б) провести голосование
| f) to introduce a bill
|
| 7) учреждать
| g) to take a vote
|
| 8) отводить, изымать
| h) to set up
|
| 9) отклонить законопроект
| i) in effect
|
Task 3. Answer the following questions.
1 What is the difference between a bill and an Act of Parliament?
2. How many readings should a bill receive to become a law?
3. Which of the two Houses of Parliament has more power?
4. How does a bill go through Parliament?
Task 4. К указанным ниже словам подберите из текста синонимы и переведите их на русский язык.
| 1. to conduct
2. profit
3. to perform
4. wide
5. general
| 6. to require
7. right (adj)
8. purpose
9. type
10. essential
|
Task 5. К указанным ниже словам подберите из текста антонимы и переведите их на русский язык.
| 1. to control
2. to agree
3. heavy
4. liable
5. frequently
| 6. individual
7. public
8. future
9. to receive
10. to distribute
|
