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Difficulty: MediumThe UK Parliament

The House of Commons appoints cross-party groups of Members of Parliament (MPs) to monitor the activities of government departments and examine specific policy areas. What are these groups called?

  1. A
    The Cabinet
  2. B
    The House of Lords
  3. Select CommitteesAnswer
  4. D
    The Shadow Cabinet

Answer

Select Committees are the cross-party groups of MPs appointed to scrutinise government departments and policy areas.
Select Committees are groups of MPs from different political parties who are appointed to look at particular policy areas (such as health or education) or to scrutinise the work of a government department. They provide an essential check on the executive branch of government.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the purpose of the group mentioned in the question
The group monitors government departments and examines policy areas (scrutiny).
This helps distinguish between executive roles and legislative oversight roles.
2
Distinguish between executive and legislative bodies
The Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet are executive/party-led roles, whereas the question asks for a formal cross-party structure.
Select Committees are specifically designed to include MPs from different political parties to ensure balanced oversight.
3
Match the function to the correct terminology used in the Life in the UK handbook
The term used for these scrutiny groups in the House of Commons is 'Select Committees'.
This is the official name for the bodies that perform this specific function in the UK Parliament.

Key Concept

Parliamentary Scrutiny and Select Committees

Practice More

Review the specific roles of the House of Lords in the legislative process to understand how it differs from the House of Commons.
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

The UK Parliament

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