House of Ministers (Wellmoore)
House of Ministers Câmara dos Ministros | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom of Wellmoore | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
| Founded | 14 March 2020 |
| Leadership | |
Lord Axel MP, LGBT Party since September 2020 | |
None Elected | |
| Elections | |
| First Past the Post | |
First election | September 2020 |
| Meeting place | |
| Houses of Parliament, Midnight City | |
| Constitution | |
| Constitution of Wellmoore | |
The House of Ministers is the Lower House of the Government of Wellmoore. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Houses of Parliament in Midnight City.
The House of Ministers is an elected body consisting of a number of members called Members of Parliament (MPs). MPs are elected to represent constituencies by the First Past The Post system and hold their seats until parliament is dissolved.
Role
Relationship with His Majesty's Government
The House of Ministers doesn't formally elect the Prime Minister but the Prime Minister is answerable to the House and should maintain support.
Whenever the office of Prime Minister falls vacant, the monarch appoints the person who has the support of the House, or who is most likely to command the support of the House - normally the Leader of the Largest Party in the House. The Leader of the Second Largest Party becomes the Leader of the Opposition.
When a Government has lost the confidence of the House of Ministers, the Prime Minister is obliged either to resign, making way for another MP who can command confidence, or request the Monarch to dissolve Parliament, thereby initiating a general election.
Terms in the House of Ministers last 5 years. However, an early general election can be brought about.
Legislative Functions
The House of Ministers debate and create the Acts of Parliament. Once these Acts have been written they are given to the House of Lords. Once approved by the House of Lords the Act(s) are presented to The Monarch for Royal Assent.
History
The House of Ministers was founded on 14 March 2020 with the foundation of The Kingdom of Wellmoore as part of the Houses of Parliament.
Members and Elections
Every Wellmoorean Constituency is represented by a single Member of Parliament.
All elections happen 5 years after the previous.
Once elected, Members of Parliament normally continue to serve until the next dissolution of Parliament. But if a member dies or ceases to be qualified, his or her seat falls vacant. It is also possible for the House of Ministers to expel a member, a power exercised only in cases of serious misconduct or criminal activity.
Qualifications
There are numerous qualifications that apply to Members of Parliament. All MPs and Candidates must typically be aged at least 18 and must be a citizen of the Kingdom of Wellmoore.
Members of the House of Lords may not serve in the House of Ministers, or even vote in parliamentary elections (just as the King typically does not vote). However those who sit in the House of Lords may be in chamber to observe debates.
Anyone found guilty of high treason may not sit in Parliament until he or she has either completed the term of imprisonment or received a full pardon from the Crown and His Majesty's Government. Moreover, anyone serving a prison sentence of one year or more is ineligible.
Officers
At the start of each new parliamentary term, the House of Ministers may choose to elect or re-elect a Speaker of the House of Ministers. A Speaker Elect cannot take office until he or she has been approved by the monarch. The Speaker is assisted by three Deputy Speakers.
Procedures
Like the House of Lords, the House of Ministers meet in the Houses of Parliament in Midnight City. The clerks sit at one end of the table, close to the Speaker so that they may advise him or her on procedure when necessary.
Members of the Government occupy the benches on the Speaker's right, whilst members of the Opposition occupy the benches on the Speaker's left. The Prime Minister and the Government Ministers, as well as the Leader of the Opposition and the Shadow Cabinet sit on the front rows, and are known as frontbenchers. Other members of parliament are known as backbenchers.
Speeches are addressed to the Speaker of the House of Ministers, using the words "Mr Speaker", "Madam Speaker", "Mr Deputy Speaker", or "Madam Deputy Speaker". Only the presiding officer may be directly addressed in debate; other members must be referred to in the third person. Traditionally, members do not refer to each other by name, but by constituency, using forms such as "The Honourable Member for [constituency]", or "The Right Honourable Member for [constituency]". The addressing vary depending on the individual's posting.