Making New Laws

(…) Finally, the Bill goes to the reigning monarch for the Royal Assent. All Bills must pass through both houses before being sent for signature by the Queen, when they become Acts of Parliament and the Law of the Land.

(…) Nowadays the Royal Assent is merely a formality. In theory, the Queen can still refuse to sign the Bill, but she always signs them.

(…) The Bill then goes to one of the Houses for the report stage, when it can be amended. If passed after its third reading, it goes to the other house. Amendments made to a Bill by the House of Lords must be considered by the Commons. In case the House of Commons does not agree, the Bill is altered and sent back to the Lords for reconsideration. If disagreement between the two Houses persists, the Commons prevails. The House of Lords has no power to deal with money Bills, but it can table them.

(…) New legislation in Britain usually starts in the House of Commons which plays the major role in law-making. However the House of Lords also has the power to initiate legislation. In each House a Bill is considered in three stages, called readings. The first reading is purely formal, to introduce the bill. The second reading is usually the occasion for debate. After the second reading the bill is examined in detail by a committee.

TASK 12. Fill each gap with the appropriate preposition from the box. Some prepositions can be used more than once:

Before, out, of, on, over, by, for between, in, to

1. Government Bills enable the Government to carry … important aspects of party policy and to meet the demands … a changing society.
2. Government Bills are unlikely to be rejected completely because the Government is normally able to rely … the support of its majority in the House of Commons, so most Government Bills succeed … becoming Acts of Parliament.
3. The Bills concerning policy are often a subject … fierce arguments … the Government and opposition.
4. A debate is a formal discussion … a topic in the House of Commons or the House of Lords.
5. MPs take turns to speak … the subject concerned.
6. The debate is strictly controlled … a set of rules and is presided … by the Speaker in the House of Commons.
7. In the House of Lords, members are responsible … controlling the debate themselves.
8. Any Bill has to be properly written …, or drafted.
9. A White Paper is often the basis for a Bill to be put … Parliament.

TASK 13. Translate the following text into English, paying special attention to words and expressions in bold type. Make use of the active vocabulary of the unit: