What is the difference between a Parliament and a session?
A Parliament can last a maximum of five years and runs from one general election to the next.
A session of Parliament runs from the State Opening of Parliament – usually in autumn/November – through to the following autumn/November.
However, if there is a general election, the session begins after the election and runs to the autumn of the following year, eg May 1997 through to November 1998.
Following the general election on 6 May 2010, session 2010-12 of Parliament began with the State Opening of Parliament on 25 May 2010.
What is a recess?
Recess: a break within a session, eg Christmas, Easter, Whitsun, Summer.
What is prorogation?
Prorogation: the gap between the end of one session and the State Opening which begins the next session.
What is dissolution?
Dissolution: the end of one Parliament before an election and the beginning of the next Parliament.
When are the House of Lords recesses?
The House of Lords normally has a recess of two or three weeks at Christmas/New Year, about a week at Easter, and a week at Whitsun. The summer recess normally runs from August to early October.
What is the State Opening of Parliament?
The State Opening of Parliament marks the start of the parliamentary year and is the main ceremonial event of the parliamentary calendar - setting out the Government's agenda for the coming session.
For over 500 years, State Opening has served as a symbolic reminder of the unity of Parliament's three parts: the Sovereign; the House of Lords; and the House of Commons.
The State Opening ceremony takes place in the House of Lords Chamber but it is not a sitting of the House of Lords.
When is the State Opening of Parliament?
The State Opening of Parliament usually takes place in the autumn/November but sometimes as late as December. It marks the first day of the new parliamentary session. There is also a State Opening shortly after a general election.
The State Opening of the 2010-12 session of Parliament took place on Tuesday 25 May 2010.
What's in the Queen's Speech at State Opening?
The speech read by the Queen in the House of Lords Chamber, outlines the Government's programme of legislation and policies for the coming year - the speech is written by the Government and not by Her Majesty.
The Lords spends around 60 per cent of its time considering legislation - passing over 3,000 amendments in a normal session - the Queen's Speech, in many respects, sets Parliament's agenda for the year.
During State Opening, the House of Lords Chamber is full of people in red robes and other official and national costume - is it always like this?
The State Opening of Parliament is a state occasion. It's the one day in the year when Members of the Lords wear red parliamentary robes. Every other day they dress in normal day clothes.
Members who do not own their robes hire them for the occasion.
While the ceremony is symbolically important, it should not be confused with the day to day work of the Lords. The State Opening of Parliament is a ceremonial occasion and not a formal sitting of the House of Lords.
Who attends the State Opening ceremony in the Lords Chamber?
Members of the Lords are present but also ambassadors and high commissioners - often wearing their national dress - and judges from the High Court and the Court of Appeal as well as the Justices of the Supreme Court.
MPs from the Commons attend at the entrance to the Lords Chamber - often referred to as the 'bar' because of the rail across the entrance to the Chamber. Members of the Royal Procession and others gather around the throne.
What happens in the Lords after the State Opening ceremony?
The State Opening takes place in the morning. After the ceremony is over, the Lords meets for its first meeting of the session (with only Members of the Lords in the Chamber and not wearing robes).
Members of the Lords then spend the next five or so days debating the content of the Queen's Speech. After the five days of debate on the Queen's Speech, Bills start to get introduced in the Lords and it begins its year's work of debating, amending and passing legislation, and holding the government to account.
Can I attend the State Opening?
Members of the public can access Parliament in the afternoon – when the ceremony is finished and normal business resumes.
Roads around the Houses of Parliament are subject to closure before the ceremony.
Can I watch the State Opening?
Yes. State Opening is broadcast live on Parliament's Video and Audio pages and on television and radio.
Where can I find out more about State Opening?
Can members of the public attend debates at the House of Lords?
Yes. Members of the public are admitted to the Public Gallery of the House of Lords Chamber.
Can I view live coverage of the House of Lords online and on television?
Yes. Continuous live coverage of the proceedings is available online.
When will the next State Opening of Parliament take place?
The date for the next State Opening of Parliament has not yet been set.