How useful is it?

Should it be reformed and, if so, how?

Why has it not been substantially reformed since 1911?

The term 'Parliament' actually refers to three institutions grouped into one:

These are; The Queen, the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

The Queen

She is a largely historical hangover from times when Parliament's role was to sustain and legitimise activities, mostly financial, of Crown.

Today, the monarch's only legislative role is to grant Royal Assent (i.e, sign), Bills after they have been passed through all Parliamentary stages required. Royal Assent turns a Bill into a statute law and indicates that the courts should now enforce its measures. Since Royal Assent hasn't been withheld since 1707 (when Queen Anne refused it for a Bill for settling the militia in Scotland), one can assume that it is now merely a formal procedure. 

The House of Commons

The House of Commons is an assembly elected by universal adult suffrage. It is composed of Members of Parliament (MPs), each of whom represents a geographical area (constituency) in the UK.

Since 1945, the majority of MPs have stood for and won an election under a party label. 

Seating arrangements:

Government ministers occupy front benches on one side of the House of Commons. They face the front benches of the opposition parties on the other side. Seating arrangements thus are seen to favour a two-party system and a confrontational style of party debate. 

Business:

After each General Election, a new parliament begins. This has a life of up to five years. Each Parliament is divided into sessions, with each session lasting about a year (from November to November). At the start of each session, the Queen's Speech is delivered. This outlines what the government is going to do for that year. 

Our annual breaks are when Parliament is in recess.

Structure:

Members of Parliament - MPs are elected from constituencies throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. 

The Speaker - the Speaker is chosen from the elected members. This is a result of a ballot of all MPs. On election, the Speaker is no longer either a constituency MP or a party politician. Instead, they become chair of the House of Commons and must remain politically neutral. Much of their function is simply to organize debates, choose speakers and generally keep order, disciplining MPs if necessary. 

When MPs demand emergency debates of crucial issues, government might want to speed up passage of Bill through House by introducing a 'guillotine motion' - this cuts short opportunities for debate in interests of speed. There might also be variety of procedural disputes that could affect fortunes of legislation. In these, the Speakers might become involved in controversial political issues, but must still remain neutral. 

The front benches:

These comprise senior members of the two major parties. In the case of the governing party, these are ministers, while in the Opposition party, they are described as 'shadow ministers'. 

Leader of the House:

The leader is a Cabinet minister whose main role is to organize business of the House on behalf of the government. Virtually all Commons' programmed is controlled by the Cabinet. Time allocated to opposition parties or MPs' individual concerns is minority of total. The Leader, after consultation with full Cabinet at weekly meetings, arranges business with the speaker, including which front-bench members are to speak. He or she informs government whips, who pass information on to MPs. 

Whips:

They derive their name from fox-hunting circles, where hounds need to be organized and kept in order. It is an appropriate analogy in the context of the Commons. Chief Whip (the senior member of his or her party, also known as Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury, has several assistants, ensures MPs are informed about party business, turn up at important debates and remain loyal to the party. This means ensuring MPs vote in line with government wishes. MPs who may be prepared to defy official party line can expect visit from the whip, who will castigate them if they remain obstinate.