The Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949 set out the modern relationship between the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The 1911 Act removed the Lords' power to block "money bills" (those concerned with taxation and public spending) altogether and limited their power to delay other legislation to two years. The 1949 Act reduced this delaying power further to one year.
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Together the Acts make clear that the elected Commons has the final say on legislation. The Lords can revise and improve bills, demand justifications and slow down controversial measures, but in the end they cannot indefinitely block what the Commons has decided. The Acts have been used only a handful of times — most notably for the War Crimes Act 1991 and the Hunting Act 2004.
You may be asked which Acts limit the power of the House of Lords (the Parliament Acts), what a money bill is, or what the maximum delay the Lords can impose on most bills (one year under the 1949 Act).
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