Safe Seats
Safe seats are Constituencies contested at an election which have been held by one party for a long time and where it is expected that the same party will win in the next election. The seat is 'safe' from being lost to another party. Seats with small majorities that change hands more frequently are known as marginal constituencies.

Scotland Office
The Scotland Office, formerly the Scottish Office, is the government department responsible for representing Scottish interests within the United Kingdom Government in matters that are reserved to the UK Parliament under the terms of the Scotland Act 1998. These reserved matters include employment, fiscal and economic policy, taxation, social security benefits, pensions, UK defence and national security and most aspects of transport safety and regulation. On 12 June 2003 the Scotland Office became part of the Department for Constitutional Affairs, for administration purposes only, whilst retaining its separate identity. It continues to report to the Secretary of State for Scotland.

Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament was set up as part of the process of devolution developed by the 1997 Labour Government. In 1997 the Scottish people voted to set up this Parliament in a referendum. The new Parliament took on many of the responsibilities for making new laws for Scotland and has the power to vary the rate of income tax there.

Second Reading
The Second Reading is the most important stage for a Bill. It is when the main purpose of a Bill is discussed and voted on. If the Bill passes it moves on to the Committee Stage.

Secret Ballot
All ballots in the United Kingdom are secret. That means no one can tell whom you voted for. Gladstone introduced the Secret Ballot with the Ballot Act 1872. Secret Ballots are generally regarded as the way to get a fair representation of the voters' opinions.

Secretary of State
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

Select Committees
Select Committees are Committees set up by either House, usually for a whole Parliament, to look at particular subjects. Some of the most important ones in the House of Commons examine the expenditure, administration and policy of each of the main Government Departments and associated public bodies. The committees do not usually look at Bills. Select Committees have the power to take evidence and issue reports. Select Committees in the House of Commons can be departmental (eg agriculture), domestic (eg catering) or non departmental (eg Environmental Audit).

Session
Session is the word used to describe the Parliamentary year. A Session begins with the State Opening of Parliament, usually in November, and finishes the following November when Parliament is prorogued. These dates can change if the Prime Minister calls a General Election, depending on the date of the election.

Shadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet is made up of front bench MPs and peers from the second largest party, or official Opposition party in the House of Commons. The Opposition Party appoints an MP to 'shadow' each of the members of the Cabinet. In this way the Opposition can make sure that it looks at every part of the Government and can question them thoroughly. It also means that the Opposition has MPs and peers ready to take on the job of the Cabinet if they win at the next General Election.

Short Money
"Short" money is the common name given to the annual payment to Opposition parties in the House of Commons to help them with their costs. It is named after Edward Short who first proposed the payments. It is technically called Financial Assistance to Opposition Parties. Its equivalent in the House of Lords is known as Cranborne Money.

Single Transferable Vote
The Single Transferable Vote (STV) is a proportional voting system that is designed to give the voter maximum freedom of choice. The elector lists candidates in order of preference in a multi-member constituency. A candidate is elected once his votes reach the relevant quota and any excess votes over this quota are then transferred, according to the second preferences of the voters. Candidates with insufficient votes are eliminated and their preferences transferred until all the seats in the constituency are filled. Voters can choose between candidates of the same party as well as between those of different parties. The system is used in Ireland, Malta and Australia. It is used for elections to the European Parliament in Northern Ireland as well as for their local elections. It was almost adopted for the UK following the First World War.

Sitting
The House of Commons normally sits on Monday from 2.30 pm to 10.30 pm, Tuesday and Wednesday from 11.30 am to 7.30 pm and on Thursday from 11.30 am to 6.30 pm. The House sits on thirteen Fridays every session to debate Private Members' Bills. The House of Commons also sits in the Westminster Hall Chamber on Tuesday and Wednesday from 9.30 am to 11.30 am and 2.00 pm to 4.30 pm and from 2.30 pm to 5.30 pm on Thursday. The House of Lords normally sits from 2.30 pm on Monday to Wednesday and from 11.00 am on Thursday and rises when business is finished and not at a fixed time. The House also sits on Fridays at 11.00 am when pressure of business makes it necessary. The Government tries to deal with its most important business early in the week to allow MPs to spend plenty of time in their constituencies over the weekend. In very rare cases, the House will sit at weekends, the last time being on the Falkland Islands crisis on 3 April 1982.

Speaker
The Speaker is an MP who has been elected to act as Chairman during debates in the House of Commons. He or she is responsible for ensuring that the rules laid down by the House for the carrying out of its business are observed. It is the Speaker who calls MPs to speak, and maintains order in the House. He or she acts as the House's representative in its relations with outside bodies and the other elements of Parliament such as the Lords and the Monarch. The Speaker is also responsible for protecting the interests of minorities in the House. He or she must ensure that the holders of an opinion, however unpopular, are allowed to put across their view without undue obstruction.

Stages of Legislation
Legislation goes through a number of stages before it becomes law. These are the same in both Houses. Bills (other than Money Bills) can start in either the House of Commons or the House of Lords. They go through the following stages in each House, though with important procedural differences in both Houses: First Reading, Second Reading, Committee Stage, Report Stage, Third Reading. Once the Bill has completed these stages in one of the Houses, the process is repeated in the other. After this any amendments from the second House are considered by the first. When both Houses agree on a Bill then it is presented to the Queen for Royal Assent.

Standing Committee
A Standing Committee is a committee set up by the House of Commons to consider the details of a particular Bill. All Bills other than Money Bills are automatically sent to a Standing Committee following their second reading unless they are committed to a Committee of the Whole House. This is called the Committee Stage. Although they are called ‘standing’ committees which suggests that they are permanent committees, they only last for the duration of the Bill concerned. The composition of the Committees must match the size of the parties in the House. If a party has 60% of the seats in the Commons then the party will have 60% of the membership of the Standing Committee.

Standing Orders
Standing Orders are the rules that set out how the House of Lords and the House of Commons should operate. There are many Standing Orders for all of the different procedures of Parliament. The rules cover very different things, from the language that members may use in Parliament to the calling of an emergency debate.

State Opening of Parliament
The State Opening of Parliament takes place after a General Election and at the beginning of each new session of Parliament. It is one of the most spectacular ceremonies associated with any Parliament in the world. On the day, the Queen arrives in the Irish State Coach from Buckingham Palace and enters the Palace of Westminster by her own route, the Sovereign's Entrance, which is under the Victoria Tower. From there she goes into the Royal Robing Room where she puts on her Crown and ceremonial robes. She then processes through the Royal Gallery to take her place on the Throne in the House of Lords. The chamber is full and all of the Lords present wear their Parliamentary robes. Black Rod is sent to the House of Commons to summon MPs to the Lords. When Black Rod arrives at the entrance to the Commons Chamber the door is always slammed in his face, and he has to knock three times on the door before he is admitted - a tradition that symbolises the right of the Commons to debate without interference. MPs then process into the House of Lords but remain behind the bar of the House. The Lord Chancellor hands the speech to the Queen who then reads it out.

Strangers
Stranger was the term used for anyone who was not a member of either the House of Commons or the House of Lords. It was replaced by 'Members of the Public' in November 2004.

Courtesy of www.parliament.uk