The System of Government and Lawmaking Process in Great Britain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Nothern Ireland is a constitutional mornarchy. There are three branches of power: legislative, executive and judicial. Parliament makes laws, the government «executes» laws, i.e. puts them into effect, and the law courts interpret laws. Although the Queen is officially head of all three branches, she has little direct power. Parliament, the legislative body, consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

To become a law a bill must pass through Parliament in several stages. At first it is introduced in the House of Commons where it recieves a formal first reading. It is then printed and read a second time. After that it is discussed in detail and amended.

At the third reading it is debated. After that the bill goes to the House of Lords, where it passes the same procedure as in the House of Commons. Then the bill is signed by the Queen and becomes law.

Vocabulary:

brunch of power – ветвь власти

legislative - законодательная

executive - исполнительная

judicial - судебная

head – глава

bill – законопроект

introduce - представлять

amend – вносить поправку

sign - подписывать

put into effect – приводить в действие

1. Выпишите все глаголы, связанные с существительным «a bill» и переведите эти сочетания на русский язык.

2. Заполните пропуски словами и выражениями из текста.

a) The UK is a ____ monarchy.

b) There are ____ of power.

c) Parliament consists of ____ and ____.

d) A bill must_______in several stages.

e) It is discussed_________and _______.

UNIT 7

COURT SYSTEM

Text a The court system of England and Wales

The most common type of law court in England and Wales is the magistrates' court. There're 700 magistrates' courts and about 30,000 magistrates.

More serious criminal cases then go to the Crown Court, which has 90 branches in different towns and cities. Civil cases (for example, divorce or bankruptcy cases) are dealt with in County courts.

Appeals are heard by higher courts. For example, appeals from magistrates' courts are heard in the Crown Court, unless they are appeals on points of law. The highest court of appeal in England and Wales is the House of Lords. (Scotland has its own High Court in Edinburgh, which hears all appeals from Scottish courts.) Certain cases may be referred to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. In addition, individuals have made the British Government change its practice in a number of areas as a result of petitions to the European Court of Human Rights.

The legal system is also includes juvenile courts (which deal with offenders under seventeen) and coroners' courts (which investigate violent, sudden or unnatural deaths). There are administrative tribunals, which make quick, cheap and fair decisions with much less formality. Tribunals deal with professional standards, disputes between individuals and government departments (for example, over taxation).