ABSTRACT
Parliament is composed of the Crown, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Its origins lie in the King’s Council – the assembly of advisers summoned by the King – and the term ‘parliament’ can be traced to the thirteenth century. A Parliament is summoned by the sovereign to meet following a general election, and the life of the Parliament will run until the subsequent general election. Prior to 2010, the choice of date for a general election was at the Prime Minister’s discretion. The incoming Coalition government of 2010 announced that the new Parliament would run until May 2015. A parliamentary session is the parliamentary year, which as a consequence of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 runs from spring to spring. At the end of the session, Parliament stands ‘prorogued’ until the new session begins. The term ‘parliamentary sitting’ relates to the daily business of the House.
