The House of Lords
(Before Tony Blair’s Constitutional Reforms)
The House of Lords consists of: all hereditary peers; life peers; Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the Bishops of London, Durham and Winchester, and the 21 next most senior diocesan bishops of the Church of England. Peerages, both hereditary and life, are created by the Sovereign on the advice of the Prime minister. They are usually granted in recognition of service in politics or other walks of life. In July 1992 there were 1,211 members of the House of Lords, including the two archbishops and 24 bishops. Peers who attend the House – the average daily attendance is 320 – receive no salary for their parliamentary work. The House is presided over by theLord Chancellor. The House of Lords cannot prevent proposed legislation from becoming law if the House of Commons insists on it, and it has little influence over legislation involving taxation. The House of Commons is a representative assembly elected by universal adult election and consists 659 Members of Parliament, ‘MPs’, directly elected by voters. The House of Commons meets in Westminster from Mondays to Fridays throughout the year, except when Parliament is in recess. The hours of sitting for normal business are: Mondays to Thursdays from 14.30 to 22.30, and Fridays 09.30 to 15.00. Members are paid an annual salary of £ 30,854 (from January 1992) and an office costs allowance of up to £39,960. 1 Give Ukrainian equivalents for the following words and expressions. Hereditary peer, succession, to grant peerage, to stand as candidate, to rival. 2 Translate words and word combinations from Ukrainian into English and use them in your own sentences. Отримувати у спадщину титул пера, нести витрати, незалежно від доходу, забезпечити присутність, додаткові вибори. 3 Complete the sentences. 1. What does hereditary peerage mean? 2. Do all peers attend the House? 3. Who presides over the House of Lords? 4. Is the legislative role of the House of Lords important? 5. What are the working arrangements in the House of Commons?
4 Translate into English paying attention to the active vocabulary. Палата лордів розглядає і змінює законодавчі акти, а також контролює діяльність уряду та палати громад за допомогою усних і письмових запитів, політичних дебатів і перевірки доповнень до законодавчих актів. Палата лордів є вищою апеляційною інстанцією в Об'єднаному Королівстві під час розгляду цивільних справ. Ці обов'язки покладені на 12 лордів-суддів з апеляцій, які отримують платню і є довічними перами. Вони також беруть участь у законодавчій роботі палати.
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