Chapter 5 Test 8

The National Assembly has 60 Assembly members (AMs) and elections are held every four years using a form of proportional representation.

The Commonwealth is an association of countries that support each other and work together towards shared goals in democracy and development.

In 1969, the voting age was reduced to 18 for men and women.

The Northern Ireland Parliament established for the first time in 1922.

The second largest party in the House of Commons is called the opposition.

In the UK, there are several different parts of government. The main ones are: the monarchy, the Parliament (the House of Commons and the House of Lords),  the Prime Minister, the cabinet, the judiciary (courts), the police, the civil service and the local government.

Debates in the House of Commons are chaired by the Speaker.

Anyone who is violent towards their partner – whether they are a man or a woman, married or living together – can be prosecuted.

Many MPs, Assembly members, MSPs and MEPs hold regular local ‘surgeries’, where constituents can go in person to talk about issues that are of concern to them.

Forced Marriage Protection Orders were introduced in 2008 for England, Wales and Northern Ireland under the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007. Similar Protection Orders were introduced in Scotland in November 2011.

The electoral register is updated every year in September or October.

In Scotland the elected members, called MSPs, meet in the Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood in Edinburgh.

The Queen has important ceremonial roles, such as the opening of the new parliamentary session each year. On this occasion the Queen makes a speech which summarises the government’s policies for the year ahead.

If you have a licence from another country, you may use it in the UK for up to 12 months.

If you are arrested and taken to a police station, a police officer will tell you the reason for your arrest and you will be able to seek legal advice.

This statement is true.

The Chartists campaigned for every man to have the vote, elections every year, for all regions to be equal in the electoral system, secret ballots, for any man to be able to stand as an MP and for MPs to be paid.

It is illegal and a criminal offence to sell tobacco products (for example, cigarettes, cigars, roll-up tobacco) to anyone under the age of 18.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, serious criminal offences are tried in front of a judge and a jury in a Crown Court.

The Speaker is neutral and does not represent a political party, even though he or she is an MP, represents a constituency and deals with the constituents’ problems like any other MP.

The Scottish Parliament was formed in 1999.

The Queen’s eldest son, Prince Charles (the Prince of Wales), is the heir to the throne.