THE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. The head of the state is Queen Elizabeth II. The queen reigns, but does not rule. A Cabinet of government officials, called ministers, actually rules the country. These ministers normally belong to the political party that has a majority in the House of Commons, which dominates in Parliament, the country's lawmaking body. They are responsible to Parliament, which, in turn, is responsible to the people.

The Constitution of the United Kingdom is not one document, as are the constitutions of many other countries. Much of it is not ever in writing, and so the country is often said to have an unwritten constitution. Some of the written parts of the Constitution come from laws passed by Parliament. Some written parts come from such old documents as Magna Carta, which limited the king's power. Other written parts come from common law, a body of laws based on people's customs and beliefs, and supported in the courts.

The monarchy is over 1,000 years old. The throne passes from a king or a queen to his or her oldest son or daughter. The crown symbolizes the British monarch's supreme power/ For hundreds of years, the monarch held most authority. But as Parliament's power grew, the monarch's power declined. Parliament makes the laws of the United Kingdom. Parliament consists of the Queen, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The Queen must approve all bills passed by Parliament before they can become laws. Although the Queen may reject a bill, no monarch has done it since the early 1700s.

The country is ruled by the elected government with the Prime Minister at the head. The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Four groups of people sit in the House of Lords: archbishops, bishops of the Church of England, the law lords, hereditary peers and life peers. The House of Lords is the final court of appeal in civil lawsuit and, in special circumstances, in criminal cases. When it sits as a law court, only law lords attend. The House of Commons is made up of 651 elected members known as Members If Parliament (abbreviated to MPs), each of whom represents an area (constituency) If the United Kingdom. They are elected either at a general election, or at a by-election following the death or retirement of an MP. The Queen, Lords and Commons all have to agree to any new law which is Billed. In reality, the House of Commons is the only one of the three which has true power. The Prime minister is usually the leader of the political party that has the most «teals in the I louse of

Commons, The monarch appoints the Prime minister after each of general election. The monarch asks the Prime minister to form a government that II, to select ministers to head governmental departments and to hold various offices. The Prime Minister selects about 100 ministers. From them, the Prime Minister picks a special group to make up the Cabinet. The Cabinet decides what the government shall do and how it shall be done. The Prime Minister chairs the Cabinet, 'which usually consists of about 20 ministers. Mr. Blair, the leader of the Labour Party, became Prime Minister in May 1997. The United Kingdom has 110 Ministry of Justice. Responsibility for the administration of the judicial

system in England and Wales is divided between the courts themselves. The Lord Chancellor is responsible for the composition of the courts, civil law, parts of criminal procedure and law reform in general. The Home Secretary is responsible for the prevention of criminal offences, trial and treatment of offenders and for the prison service.