Read the text and match the headings (A-H) to the paragraphs (1-8). There is one
extra heading you do not need to use.
a) The House of Commons
b) Parliamentary Procedure
c) The House of Lords
d) Westminster
e) The System of Government
f) Parliamentary Committees
g) Whitehall
h) The Crown
1. Her Majesty’s Government, in spite of its name, derives its authority and power from its party
representation in Parliament. Parliament is housed in the Palace of Westminster, once a home of
the monarchy. Like the monarchy, Parliament is an ancient institution, dating from the middle of
the thirteenth century. Parliament is the seat of British democracy, but it is perhaps valuable to
remember that while the House of Lords was created in order to provide a council of the nobility
for the king, the Commons were summoned originally in order to provide the king with money.
2. The reigning monarch is not only head of state but symbol of the unity of the nation. The
monarchy is Britain’s oldest secular institution, its continuity for over a thousand years broken
only once by a republic that lasted a mere eleven years (1649-60). The monarchy is hereditary,
the succession passing automatically to the oldest male child, or in the absence of males to the
oldest female offspring of the monarch. In law the monarch is head of the executive and of the
judiciary, head of the Church of England, and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
3. The dynamic power of Parliament lies in its lower chamber. Of its 650 members, 523
represent constituencies in England, 38 in Wales, 72 in Scotland and 17 in Northern Ireland.
There are only seats in the Commons debating chamber for 370 members, but except on matters
of great interest, it is unusual for all members to be present at any one time. Many MPs find
themselves in other rooms of the Commons, participating in a variety of committees and
meetings necessary for an effective parliamentary process.