Вопросы для контроля и самоконтроля

1. Who is the formal head of the country?

2. Who is the monarch nowadays?

3. What power does the monarch have?

4. What is the legislative body of the country?

5. What parts does the Parliament consist of?

6. Who does the House of Lords comprise?

7. Who is the head of the House of Lords?

8. How many members are there in the House of Commons?

9. Who is the head of the House of Commons?

10. How can a bill become a law?

11. How often does the parliamentary election take place?

12. Who has a vote?

13. How is voting taken?

14. What parties take part in election?

15. What party forms the Government?

16. What body represents the executive branch of power?

17. Who becomes the Prime Minister?

18. What is the Cabinet of Ministers?

The Court System of Great Britain

1. Law is a system of rules, which regulates the relations between the individual and the government or between the individuals. If there is a conflict in these relations, law provides institutions, the court system, where the parties can litigate a problem and reach a solution. There are three separate court systems in the United Kingdom: the courts of England and Wales, the courts of Scotland and the courts of Northern Ireland. The court system of England and Wales has two main areas of jurisdiction: civil and criminal. Some courts have both jurisdictions, some only one.

2. A criminal case usually begins in a Magistrates’ Court, which consists of three lay justices of the peace, or a legally trained district judge. As the lowest criminal court, a Magistrates’ Court is empowered to hear minor cases, such as parking violations, involving rather mild punishment. More serious crimes, like bank robbery or murder, must go to the Crown Court. In the Crown Court cases are tried before the jury. The jury is a group of 12 people, who bring a verdict of “guilty” or “not guilty”. The Crown Court also hears appeals from the Magistrates’ Courts.

3. Magistrates’ Courts also deal with some civil matters. They have civil jurisdiction in relation to certain debts, licenses and domestic proceedings. The main civil courts in England are county courts hearing cases in tort and contract or relating to land, trust, divorce, etc. The judges of county courts try cases alone without the jury. Being inferior courts county courts have no appellate jurisdiction. 4. The High Court of Justice functions both as a court of the first instance and as an appellate court for cases from the subordinate courts. The High Court is divided into three divisions: Queen’s Bench Division hears criminal cases, Chancery Division and Family Divisions hear civil cases. The Court of Appeal sits in both civil and criminal divisions. The Civil division hears appeals from the High Court, county courts and certain special courts. The Criminal division deals with appeals by defendants found guilty in the Crown Court.

5. Formerly the House of Lords, the upper house of the British Parliament, was the final court of appeal. The Constitution Reform Act 2005 established the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and transferred the House of Lords’ judicial functions to that Court. In Britain there are special courts often described as tribunals. They are responsible for making decisions in particular types of disputes. For example, Youth Courts deal with offenders under seventeen. Employment tribunals deal with disputes between employers and employees.