The Parliament consists of two Houses: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The Queen is the head of the Parliament. The three elements of the Parliament are separate and they meet together only on very important occasions (a coronation etc).
The House of Commons is the centre of parliamentary power. It is the main law-making organ. It is elected every five years. The whole of the UK is divided into 650 electoral districts. Each district elects one member to the House of Commons. The minimum voting age is 18. Voting is on the same day (usually a Thursday) in all districts. The chief man of the House of Commons is the Speaker.
British parliamentary system depends on the political parties. Although there is no limit to the number of political parties, only two parties dominate: the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. The party, which has a majority of seats in the House of Commons, forms the Government. The leader of the party becomes Prime Minister. The Queen appoints him (her). Then the Prime Minister forms the Cabinet of Ministers.
The House of Lords consists of 26 bishops, and hereditary and life peers and peeresses. All the members of the House are not elected. They have the seats there because of their rank. The chairman of the House of Lords is the Lord Chancellor.In addition to its parliamentary work as a legislative Chamber, the House of Lords has important legal function. It is the final Court of Appeal (аппеляционный суд) for Great Britain and Nothern Ireland.
The two Houses of Parliament sit in the same building, the Palace of Westminster. The life of Parliament is divided into sessions.
A Bill (a draft law - проект закона) to become a law must go through some necessary stages in both Houses of Parliament. Firstly it is presented in the House of Commons and passes three reading there. Then the Bill is sent for consideration to the House of Lords.And finally the Bill must be signed by the Queen, though it is a formality. Only then the Bill becomes law.