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83-556: Following acts of Parliament ; the Colchester, Stour Valley, Sudbury and Halstead Railway Act 1846 ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. lxxvi) and the Colchester, Stour Valley, Sudbury and Halstead Railway Act 1847 ( 10 & 11 Vict. c. xi) the Colchester, Stour Valley, Sudbury and Halstead Railway was authorised to construct a line from Marks Tey to Sudbury and then extend from Sudbury to Clare, with

166-540: A break-of-gauge with other states. The cost savings were due to light rails, low axleloads and low speeds as much as due to the gauge. Tasmania , Western Australia and South Australia followed suit with the narrow gauge to reduce costs, though South Australia ended up with an inefficient two-gauge system which negated some of the supposed cost savings of the narrow gauge. New South Wales resisted calls to introduce narrow gauge, but did adopt pioneer lines with 30 kg/m (60.5 lb/yd) rails to reduce costs without

249-420: A Hung Parliament, the party with the most seats has the opportunity to form a coalition with other parties, so their combined seat tally extends past the 326-seat majority. The House of Commons is the most powerful of the components of Parliament, particularly due to its sole right to determine taxation and the supply of money to the government. Additionally, the prime minister and leader of the government sits in

332-554: A bill may only delay its passage for a maximum of two parliamentary sessions over a year. After this, the bill may receive royal assent and become law without the Lords' consent. Like in the House of Commons, the House of Lords may scrutinise governments through asking questions to government ministers that sit in the Lords and through the operation of a small number of select committees . The Lords used to also exercise judicial power and acted as

415-631: A branch line to Bury St. Edmunds forking off at Long Melford. Before construction was completed, the company had changed hands twice and became part of the Eastern Union Railway . The Marks Tey to Sudbury section of the line opened on 2 July 1849 and ran for five years before being taken over by the Eastern Counties Railway on 7 August 1862. In 1862 the Eastern Union Railway and Eastern Counties Railway were amalgamated into

498-517: A new election will be held. Parliaments can also be dissolved if two-thirds of the House of Commons votes for an early election. Formerly, the demise of the Sovereign automatically brought a Parliament to an end, the Crown being seen as the caput, principium, et finis (beginning, basis and end) of the body, but this is no longer the case. The first change was during the reign of William and Mary, when it

581-522: A presumption that a Parliament will last for five years, unless two thirds of the House of Commons votes for an early general election, or the government loses the confidence of the House. This was repealed by the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 , which restored the ability for the government to call an early election while keeping five year terms. Summary history of terms of the Parliament of

664-561: A revolutionary unicameral parliament for the independent Irish Republic, called Dáil Éireann . In 1920, in parallel to the Dáil, the Government of Ireland Act 1920 created home rule parliaments of Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland and reduced the representation of both parts at Westminster. The number of Northern Ireland seats was increased again after the introduction of direct rule in 1973. The Irish republicans responded by declaring

747-401: A similar number in the reverse direction. The service was operated by primarily by Class 105 and Class 108 Diesel Multiple Units, although some services were locomotive hauled. Coal between Peterborough and Colchester and agricultural traffic were the main freight flows on the line. A study in 2004 looked into the possibility of reopening the route between Cambridge to Haverhill and maybe

830-406: A single standard gauge is dominant, the term light railway does not imply a narrow gauge railway. Most narrow gauge railways operate as light railways, but not all light railways need be narrow gauge. After Spooner 's development of steam haulage for narrow gauge railways, the prevailing view was that the gauge should be tailored according to the traffic: "The nearer the machine is apportioned to

913-589: A tie. Both Houses normally conduct their business in public, and there are galleries where visitors may sit. Originally there was no fixed limit on the length of a Parliament, but the Triennial Act 1694 set the maximum duration at three years. As the frequent elections were deemed inconvenient, the Septennial Act 1715 extended the maximum to seven years, but the Parliament Act 1911 reduced it to five. During

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996-683: A vague description; the purpose of the act is for building railways easily with less stringent standards and at low cost. The light railway concept in Japan is therefore similar to the UK and other countries. Many light railways were built for passengers or as military , industrial or forest railways in Japan, and in Japan's colonies in Taiwan , Korea , Manchuria , Sakhalin and Micronesia . Some light railways were destroyed during World War II , especially in Okinawa . By

1079-454: Is a cheap railway and a second class of railway." These terms are not pejorative, they simply recognise that the standards of main-line heavy railways are not needed in all situations. Their great advantage under UK law was that they avoided the need for an expensive act of parliament before each new line; they only required a much simpler Light Railway Order within the terms of the Act. The term

1162-454: Is also used more generally of any lightly built railway with limited traffic, often controlled locally and running unusual or older rolling stock . A light railway is properly distinct from a tramway which operates under differing rules and may share a road. The term "light railway" is generally used in a positive manner. Perhaps the most well-known caricature of a light railway is the film The Titfield Thunderbolt , made in 1953 as many of

1245-601: Is chosen by a single constituency by the First-Past-the-Post electoral system. There are 650 constituencies in the United Kingdom, each made up of an average of 65,925 voters. The First-Past-the-Post system means that every constituency elects one MP each (except the constituency of the Speaker, whose seat is uncontested). Each voter assigns one vote for one candidate, and the candidate with the most votes in each constituency

1328-625: Is currently underway with a report due by the end of 2017. This line has been identified by Campaign for a Better Transport as a priority 1 candidate for reopening. UK Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom , and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories . It meets at

1411-547: Is dissolved by virtue of the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 and previously the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 . Prior to that, dissolution was effected by the Sovereign, always on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister could seek dissolution at a time politically advantageous to their party. If the Prime Minister loses the support of the House of Commons, Parliament will dissolve and

1494-403: Is elected as MP to represent their constituency. Members sit for a maximum of five years, although elections are generally called before that maximum limit is reached. A party needs to win 326 constituencies (known as "seats") to win a majority in the House of Commons. If no party achieves a majority, then a situation of no overall control occurs – commonly known as a "Hung Parliament". In case of

1577-650: Is eligible from 2015 to 2025 under the Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 . Formerly, the Lords Spiritual included all of the senior clergymen of the Church of England—archbishops, bishops, abbots and mitred priors. The Lords Temporal consists of 92 hereditary peers and all life peers appointed under the Life Peerages Act 1958 (currently numbering around 700). Two hereditary peers sit ex officio by virtue of being

1660-680: Is held in the House of Lords Chamber. Before 2012, it took place in November or December, or, in a general election year, when the new Parliament first assembled. From 2012 onwards, the ceremony has taken place in May or June. Upon the signal of the Monarch, the Lord Great Chamberlain raises their wand of office to signal to Black Rod , who is charged with summoning the House of Commons and has been waiting in

1743-466: Is stopping the political system from evolving within the UK and hampering modernisation. The Lords Spiritual of the Lords' currently consists of the archbishops of Canterbury and York , the bishops of London , Durham and Winchester (who sit by right regardless of seniority) and 21 other diocesan bishops of the Church of England , ranked in order of consecration , subject to women being preferred if one

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1826-528: The Earl Marshal or the Lord Great Chamberlain . Each of the other 90 are elected for life upon a seat becoming vacant. 15 members are elected by the whole House whilst the other 75 are elected by all the hereditary peers , including those not sitting in the Lords. Currently, a standing rule divides these seats between the parties with a replacement peer from one party subject to an election only by peers of that party. Formerly, all hereditary peers were members of

1909-534: The English Civil War . The wars established the constitutional rights of Parliament, a concept legally established in the Glorious Revolution in 1688 and the subsequent Bill of Rights 1689 . Since then, no British monarch has entered the House of Commons when it is in session. On Black Rod's approach, the doors are slammed shut against them, symbolising the rights of parliament and its independence from

1992-428: The House of Commons to discuss a light railway link from Cambridge to Haverhill. In a Rail Haverhill press release, Matt Hancock MP stressed that "“Haverhill would benefit hugely from a railway" and went on to say "I am pushing to bring a railway back to Haverhill. There is no doubt that better communications will bring an economic boost to the town and an improved quality of life for the residents". A feasibility study

2075-663: The Palace of Westminster in London . Parliament possesses legislative supremacy and thereby holds ultimate power over all other political bodies in the United Kingdom and the Overseas Territories. While Parliament is bicameral , it has three parts: the sovereign , the House of Lords , and the House of Commons . The three parts acting together to legislate may be described as the King-in-Parliament . The Crown normally acts on

2158-495: The Parliament of England (established 1215) and the Parliament of Scotland ( c.  1235 ), both Acts of Union stating, "That the United Kingdom of Great Britain be represented by one and the same Parliament to be styled The Parliament of Great Britain." At the start of the 19th century, Parliament was further enlarged by Acts of Union ratified by the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of Ireland , which abolished

2241-648: The Reform Act 1832 , the electoral system for the House of Commons was progressively regularised. No longer dependent on the Lords for their seats, MPs grew more assertive. The supremacy of the British House of Commons was reaffirmed in the early 20th century. In 1909, the Commons passed the " People's Budget ", which made numerous changes to the taxation system which were detrimental to wealthy landowners. The House of Lords, which consisted mostly of powerful landowners, rejected

2324-499: The Second World War , the term was temporarily extended to ten years by Acts of Parliament. Since the end of the war the maximum has remained five years. Modern Parliaments, however, rarely continued for the maximum duration; normally, they were dissolved earlier. For instance, the 52nd , which assembled in 1997, was dissolved after four years. The Septennial Act was repealed by the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 , which established

2407-444: The UK's supreme legislative court . Appeals were not heard by the whole body, but a committee of senior judges that were appointed to the Lords to act for this purpose. This power was lost when it was transferred to the newly created Supreme Court of the United Kingdom in 2009. Many members of the general public have questioned the need for The House of Lords in today's society. They say it

2490-507: The United Kingdom "light railway" refers in its strictest sense to a railway built or operated under the 1896 Light Railways Act . That Act, though, gives only a vague description; a better one is found from John Charles MacKay in the same year: "A light railway is one constructed with lighter rails and structures, running at a slower speed, with poorer accommodation for passengers and less facility for freight. It can be worked with less stringent standards of signalling and safety practice. It

2573-694: The United States , "light railway" generally refers to an urban or interurban rail system, which historically would correspond to a streetcar network. The distinct term light rail was introduced in the 1970s to describe a form of urban rail public transportation that has a lower capacity and lower speed than a heavy rail or metro system, but which generally operates in exclusive rights-of-way , in contrast with streetcar systems which operate in shared road traffic with automobiles. Urban sprawl combined with higher fuel prices has caused an increase in popularity of these light rail systems in recent decades. In

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2656-418: The advice of the prime minister , and the powers of the House of Lords are limited to only delaying legislation. The House of Commons is the elected lower chamber of Parliament, with elections to 650 single-member constituencies held at least every five years under the first-past-the-post system . By constitutional convention , all government ministers , including the prime minister, are members of

2739-470: The 1890s six passenger trains ran each way on a weekday with the majority going from Cambridge or Bury St Edmunds to Marks Tey or Colchester. In 1964 conductor guards collected fares on the trains and all stations on the line became unstaffed apart from Haverhill and Sudbury. Before the line closed (1966–7) there were two trains a day between Sudbury and Cambridge, four between Colchester and Cambridge and six between Marks Tey or Colchester and Sudbury, with

2822-433: The 1930s they were being driven out of business by the motor car. Although World War II resulted in a brief increase in the importance of these railways, very few lasted beyond the early 1950s. Those that survive today are generally heritage railways . Queensland adopted a narrow gauge of 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) in order to make construction of lines lighter and thus cheaper, though this initiated

2905-536: The 1970s, most light railways in Japan had been driven out of business by the motor car. Some of the remaining lines survive in passenger service, and others have been restored as heritage railways . Taiwanese push car railways used handcars on 762mm gauge rails to transport sugarcanes of the Taiwan Sugar Corporation to the mainline railways of the Taiwan Railway Administration or

2988-677: The Budget. On the basis of the Budget's popularity and the Lords' consequent unpopularity, the Liberal Party narrowly won two general elections in 1910. Using the result as a mandate, the Liberal Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith , introduced the Parliament Bill, which sought to restrict the powers of the House of Lords. (He did not reintroduce the land tax provision of the People's Budget.) When

3071-564: The Commons lobby. Black Rod turns and, under the escort of the Door-keeper of the House of Lords and an inspector of police , approaches the doors to the Chamber of the Commons. In 1642, King Charles I stormed into the House of Commons in an unsuccessful attempt to arrest the Five Members , who included the celebrated English patriot and leading Parliamentarian John Hampden . This action sparked

3154-580: The Commons—or "Content!" and "Not-Content!" in the Lords—and the presiding officer declares the result. The pronouncement of either Speaker may be challenged, and a recorded vote (known as a division ) demanded. (The Speaker of the House of Commons may choose to overrule a frivolous request for a division, but the Lord Speaker does not have that power.) In each House, a division requires members to file into one of

3237-509: The Crown. After the pro forma bill is introduced, each House debates the content of the Speech from the Throne for several days. Once each House formally sends its reply to the Speech, legislative business may commence, appointing committees, electing officers, passing resolutions and considering legislation. A session of Parliament is brought to an end by a prorogation . There is a ceremony similar to

3320-475: The House of Commons (MPs), or less commonly the House of Lords, and are thereby accountable to the respective branches of the legislature. Most Cabinet ministers are from the Commons, while junior ministers can be from either house. The House of Lords is the upper chamber of Parliament, comprising two types of members. The most numerous are the Lords Temporal , consisting mainly of life peers appointed by

3403-689: The House of Lords, the bill is called the Select Vestries Bill , while the Commons equivalent is the Outlawries Bill . The Bills are considered for the sake of form only, and do not make any actual progress. Both houses of the British Parliament are presided over by a speaker, the Speaker of the House for the Commons and the Lord Speaker in the House of Lords. For the Commons, the approval of

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3486-418: The House, having acquiring this position by virtue of having the confidence of the other members. This also means that the House is also the primary location in which the government faces scrutiny, as expressed through Question Time and the work of various select committees . The State Opening of Parliament is an annual event that marks the commencement of a session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It

3569-642: The Lords Spiritual being bishops of the Church of England and the Lords Temporal being Peers of the Realm . The Lords Spiritual and Lords Temporal are considered separate " estates ", but they sit, debate and vote together. Since the passage of the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 , the legislative powers of the House of Lords have been diminished of that of the House of Commons. Whilst the Lords debates and votes on all bills (except money bills ), their refusal to pass

3652-465: The Lords from blocking a money bill (a bill dealing with taxation), and allowed them to delay any other bill for a maximum of three sessions (reduced to two sessions in 1949), after which it could become law over their objections. However, regardless of the Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949, the House of Lords has always retained the unrestricted power to veto any bill outright which attempts to extend

3735-501: The Lords refused to pass the bill, Asquith countered with a promise extracted from the King in secret before the second general election of 1910 and requested the creation of several hundred Liberal peers, so as to erase the Conservative majority in the House of Lords. In the face of such a threat, the House of Lords narrowly passed the bill. The Parliament Act 1911 , as it became, prevented

3818-635: The Lords, until the passage of the House of Lords Act 1999 limited their numbers to 92. Life peers are appointed by the monarch, on the advice of the prime minister. Typically, these are members of the party of the prime minister, however some peers from other parties are also generally appointed. As of 2019, the House consists of 650 members; this total includes the Speaker, who by convention renounces partisan affiliation and does not take part in debates or votes, as well as three Deputy Speakers, who also do not participate in debates or votes but formally retain their party membership. Each Member of Parliament (MP)

3901-469: The Monarch, the House of Lords , and the House of Commons . As a result, a bill must be passed by both houses (or just the House of Commons under the Parliament Act 1911 ) and receive royal assent for it to become law. Executive powers (including those granted by legislation or forming part of the prerogative) are not formally exercised by Parliament. However, these powers are in practice exercised on

3984-635: The Sovereign is required before the election of the Speaker becomes valid, but it is, by modern convention, always granted. The Speaker's place may be taken by the Chairman of Ways and Means , the First Deputy Chairman, or the Second Deputy Chairman. (The titles of those three officials refer to the Committee of Ways and Means, a body which no longer exists.) Prior to July 2006, the House of Lords

4067-527: The Sovereign) instruct them to elect a Speaker. The Commons perform the election; on the next day, they return to the House of Lords, where the Lords Commissioners confirm the election and grant the new Speaker the royal approval in the Sovereign's name. The business of Parliament for the next few days of its session involves the taking of the oaths of allegiance . Once a majority of the members have taken

4150-465: The Sovereign. Light railway A light railway is a railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail": it uses lighter-weight track, and may have more steep gradients and tight curves to reduce civil engineering costs. These lighter standards allow lower costs of operation, at the price of lower vehicle capacity. The precise meaning of the term "light railway" varies by geography and context. In countries where

4233-520: The State Opening of Parliament proceeds directly. To avoid the delay of opening a new session in the event of an emergency during the long summer recess, Parliament is no longer prorogued beforehand, but only after the Houses have reconvened in the autumn; the State Opening follows a few days later. Each Parliament comes to an end, after a number of sessions, in anticipation of a general election. Parliament

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4316-442: The State Opening, but much less well known to the general public. Normally, the Sovereign does not personally attend the prorogation ceremony in the House of Lords and is represented by Lords Commissioners. The next session of Parliament begins under the procedures described above, but it is not necessary to conduct another election of a Speaker or take the oaths of allegiance afresh at the beginning of such subsequent sessions. Instead,

4399-478: The United Kingdom Following a general election, a new Parliamentary session begins. Parliament is formally summoned 40 days in advance by the Sovereign, who is the source of parliamentary authority. On the day indicated by the Sovereign's proclamation, the two Houses assemble in their respective chambers. The Commons are then summoned to the House of Lords, where Lords Commissioners (representatives of

4482-543: The advice of government ministers , who much be drawn from and be accountable to the Parliament. Whilst the monarch is a constitutive element of parliament, they do not debate bills or otherwise contribute to political debate. Their royal assent is required for a bill to become law; however this has not been refused since 1708 and is largely formal. The House of Lords is known formally as "The Right Honourable The Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament Assembled",

4565-480: The automatic right of hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords, although it made an exception for 92 of them to be elected to life-terms by the other hereditary peers, with by-elections upon their death. The House of Lords is now a chamber that is subordinate to the House of Commons. Additionally, the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 led to abolition of the judicial functions of the House of Lords with

4648-428: The borough of Old Sarum , with seven voters, could elect two members, as could the borough of Dunwich , which had almost completely disappeared into the sea due to land erosion. Many small constituencies, known as pocket or rotten boroughs , were controlled by members of the House of Lords ( peers ), who could ensure the election of their relatives or supporters. During the reforms of the 19th century, beginning with

4731-501: The coming year. The speech reflects the legislative agenda for which the Government intends to seek the agreement of both Houses of Parliament. After the monarch leaves, each Chamber proceeds to the consideration of an "Address in Reply to His Majesty's Gracious Speech." But, first, each House considers a bill pro forma to symbolise their right to deliberate independently of the monarch. In

4814-478: The creation of the new Supreme Court of the United Kingdom in October 2009. Under the UK's constitution , Parliament is the supreme legislative body of the state. Whilst the privy council can also issue legislation through orders-in-council , this power may be limited by Parliament like all other exercises of the royal prerogative . The legislative authority, the King-in-Parliament , has three separate elements:

4897-692: The elections to these home rule Parliaments, held on the same day in 1921 , to be the basis of membership for a new Dáil Éireann. While the elections in Northern Ireland were both contested and won by Unionist parties, in Southern Ireland, all 128 candidates for the Southern Irish seats were returned unopposed. Of these, 124 were won by Sinn Féin and four by independent Unionists representing Dublin University (Trinity College). Since only four MPs sat in

4980-678: The entire line. The campaign is now being taken up by Rail Haverhill (formerly the Cambridge to Sudbury Rail Renewal Association). With thousands of new homes planned to be built in Haverhill in coming years, the need to improve the transport infrastructure between Haverhill and Cambridge has gained greater attention. On 12 July 2017, Members of Parliament Matt Hancock ( West Suffolk , the constituency which includes Haverhill), Heidi Allen ( South Cambridgeshire ) and Lucy Frazer ( South East Cambridgeshire ) met with Councillor James Palmer (Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority ), other councillors and further interested parties in

5063-489: The excavations to the dams that were constructed. Light railways have been used in several wars, especially before the advent of the combustion engine and motor car. These have often connect depots some distance behind the front line with the front lines themselves. Some armies have Divisions of Engineers trained to operate trains. Sometimes they operate a branch line of their own so that they can practise track and bridge building (and demolition) without disturbing trains on

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5146-493: The home rule Southern Irish parliament, with the remaining 124 being in the Republic's Second Dáil , the home rule parliament was adjourned sine die without ever having operated. In 1922, pursuant to the Anglo-Irish Treaty , the revolutionary Irish Republic was replaced by the Irish Free State , recognised by the United Kingdom as a separate state (and thus, no longer represented in the Westminster Parliament), while Northern Ireland would remain British, and in 1927, parliament

5229-571: The judiciary as a whole), though the Lords remain largely self-governing. Decisions on points of order and on the disciplining of unruly members are made by the whole body, but by the Speaker alone in the Lower House. Speeches in the House of Lords are addressed to the House as a whole (using the words "My Lords"), but those in the House of Commons are addressed to the Speaker alone (using "Mr Speaker" or "Madam Speaker"). Speeches may be made to both Houses simultaneously . Both Houses may decide questions by voice vote ; members shout out "Aye!" and "No!" in

5312-401: The latter and added 100 Irish MPs and 32 Lords to the former to create the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927 formally amended the name to the "Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland", five years after the secession of the Irish Free State . The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

5395-435: The life of a parliament. The result of the 1918 general election in Ireland showed a landslide victory for the Irish republican party Sinn Féin , who vowed in their manifesto to establish an independent Irish Republic . Accordingly, Sinn Féin MPs, though ostensibly elected to sit in the House of Commons, refused to take their seats in Westminster, and instead assembled in 1919 to proclaim Irish independence and form

5478-462: The light railways and other small branch lines were being closed. Despite the great public affection for these railways, very few were financially successful. Colonel H.F. Stephens was pivotal in the light railway world, and tried many techniques to make light railways pay, introducing some of the earliest railcars and also experimenting with a rail lorry built out of an old Model T Ford . Nevertheless, most light railways never made much money, and by

5561-407: The like. There is little through traffic with mainline railways so that break-of-gauge is not a problem. The Iron Knob Railway was legally a "tramway", but operated 2,000-ton iron ore trams which were heavier than most railways. Also in Japan , originally, "light railway" refers to a railway built or operated under the Light Railways Act enforced in 1909. The act in Japan also though gives only

5644-492: The line in 1967 under the Beeching Axe was the subject of a protracted battle and a proposal, led by Haverhill Urban District Council, that local authorities subsidise the line. The remaining operational section of the line is now known as the Gainsborough Line . There were four trains each way on weekdays between Marks Tey and Sudbury in 1850, one of which went to Colchester. When services started between Cambridge and Haverhill, there were three trains each way on weekdays. By

5727-411: The monarch. They then strike, with the end of their ceremonial staff (the Black Rod), three times on the closed doors of the Commons Chamber. They are then admitted, and announce the command of the monarch for the attendance of the Commons. The monarch reads a speech, known as the Speech from the Throne , which is prepared by the Prime Minister and the Cabinet , outlining the Government's agenda for

5810-418: The need for breaks-of-gauge. There were a significant number of small and isolated mining and timber railway built to a variety of gauges and improvised standards. There are still a large number of sugar cane tramways built to a common 610 mm ( 2 ft ) gauge, and sharing research and development into advanced features such as concrete sleepers, tamping machines, remotely controlled brake vans, and

5893-526: The new Great Eastern Railway . After several years of protracted legal disputes, the Great Eastern Railway opened the section from Haverhill to Shelford on 1 June 1865 and then the section from Sudbury to Haverhill on 9 August. The Long Melford-Bury St Edmunds branch line from Melford to Bury St. Edmunds was also completed in the same year. The line was now connected to the Colne Valley and Halstead Railway at Haverhill, serving Castle Hedingham , Halstead and Chappel and Wakes Colne . The closure of

5976-664: The oath in each House, the State Opening of Parliament may take place. The Lords take their seats in the House of Lords Chamber, the Commons appear at the Bar (at the entrance to the Chamber), and the Sovereign takes the seat on the throne. The Sovereign then reads the Speech from the Throne —the content of which is determined by the Ministers of the Crown—outlining the Government's legislative agenda for

6059-560: The processing plants of the Taiwan Sugar Cooperation for further production to turn the sugarcane to fine sugar. Many industrial railways were built to light railway standards. These may be of light and small construction, although the wagons carrying molten-steel in a steelworks can be several hundred tonnes in weight. The Panama Canal construction used a heavy network of 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ) temporary railways in its construction to move vast quantities of soil from

6142-462: The sovereign on the advice of the prime minister, plus up to 92 hereditary peers . The less numerous Lords Spiritual consist of up to 26 bishops of the Church of England . Before the establishment of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom in 2009, the House of Lords performed judicial functions through the law lords . The Parliament of the United Kingdom is one of the oldest legislatures in

6225-450: The two lobbies alongside the Chamber; their names are recorded by clerks, and their votes are counted as they exit the lobbies to re-enter the Chamber. The Speaker of the House of Commons is expected to be non-partisan, and does not cast a vote except in the case of a tie; the Lord Speaker, however, votes along with the other Lords. Speaker Denison's rule is a convention which concerns how the Speaker should vote should he be required to break

6308-428: The upcoming year. Thereafter, each House proceeds to the transaction of legislative business. By custom, before considering the Government's legislative agenda, a bill is introduced pro forma in each House—the Select Vestries Bill in the House of Lords and the Outlawries Bill in the House of Commons. These bills do not become laws; they are ceremonial indications of the power of each House to debate independently of

6391-406: The work it has to do the cheaper will that work be done." From the 1890s, it was recognised that cost savings could also be made in the construction and operation of a standard gauge railway: "light axle-loads and low speeds, not gauge, are the first condition of cheap construction and economical working. Gauge is quite a secondary factor." Break of gauge now became an important factor, and there

6474-517: The world, and is characterised by the stability of its governing institutions and its capacity to absorb change. The Westminster system shaped the political systems of the nations once ruled by the British Empire , and thus has been called the " mother of parliaments ". The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Treaty of Union by Acts of Union passed by

6557-582: Was created on 1 January 1801, by the merger of the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland under the Acts of Union 1800 . The principle of ministerial responsibility to the lower house (Commons) did not develop until the 19th century—the House of Lords was superior to the House of Commons both in theory and in practice. Members of the House of Commons (MPs) were elected in an antiquated electoral system , under which constituencies of vastly different sizes existed. Thus,

6640-410: Was much concern over whether this would become an additional cost for the transshipment of goods, or whether this was over-emphasised compared to the amount of warehousing and handling needed anyway. The Irish railway system in particular became a good example of a broad gauge main line system with many independent narrow gauge , 3 ft ( 914 mm ), light railway feeder branch lines . In

6723-446: Was presided over by a Lord Chancellor (a Cabinet member), whose influence as Speaker was very limited (whilst the powers belonging to the Speaker of the House of Commons are vast). However, as part of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 , the position of Speaker of the House of Lords (as it is termed in the Act) was separated from the office of Lord Chancellor (the office which has control over

6806-422: Was renamed the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Further reforms to the House of Lords were made in the 20th century. The Life Peerages Act 1958 authorised the regular creation of life peerage dignities. By the 1960s, the regular creation of hereditary peerage dignities had ceased; thereafter, almost all new peers were life peers only. The House of Lords Act 1999 removed

6889-510: Was seen to be inconvenient to have no Parliament at a time when succession to the Crown could be disputed, and an Act was passed that provided that a Parliament was to continue for six months after the death of a Sovereign, unless dissolved earlier. Under the Representation of the People Act 1867 Parliament can now continue for as long as it would otherwise have done in the event of the death of

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