Parliament Act

The Parliament Acts are two Acts of Parliament of the United Kingdom, passed in 1911 and 1949 respectively. They form part of the Constitution of the United Kingdom.

Related Topics:
Acts - Parliament - United Kingdom - Constitution of the United Kingdom

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The first Act, the Parliament Act 1911, limited the powers of the House of Lords to block House of Commons legislation, asserting the supremacy of the Commons. The Parliament Act 1911 was amended by the second Act, the Parliament Act 1949, which reduced the power of the Lords further by cutting the time they could delay bills from two years to one.

Related Topics:
House of Lords - House of Commons

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The Parliament Acts have been used to pass legislation against the wishes of the Lords on only 7 occasions since 1911, one instance being passing of the Parliament Act 1949. Doubts have been raised about the validity of the 1949 Act, and the members of the Countryside Alliance took a case to court to challenge the validity of the Hunting Act 2004. In February 2005, the Court of Appeal held that the 1949 Act was valid, since it made only minor changes to the 1911 Act and was thus within the scope of the 1911 Act. However, permission was granted for an appeal to the House of Lords, which was heard by a panel of nine law lords in July 2005. A final decision should be delivered in late 2005.

Related Topics:
Countryside Alliance - Hunting Act 2004 - Court of Appeal - House of Lords

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A previous Parliament Act, the Parliament Act 1660, was repealed by the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1969.

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