How are laws made?
One of Parliament's main roles is debating and passing laws, this is known as "legislating".
Parliament is the UK’s main legislature (law-making body) and the laws that Parliament passes are known as legislation.
Find out why new laws are needed, and how they are developed and consulted upon.
A Bill is a proposal for a new law, or a proposal to change an existing law, that is presented for debate before Parliament.
Find out the stages that a Bill goes through in Parliament before it becomes law.
Acts of Parliament are known as primary legislation. An act of Parliament creates a new law or changes an existing law.
Secondary legislation is used to make changes to law if the existing act of Parliament allows it. The most frequently used type of secondary legislation is statutory instruments.
Although rarely used, the Parliament Acts provide a way of solving disagreement between the House of Commons and the House of Lords.