ROYAL ASSENT 

Once all the necessary stages in both Houses of Parliament have been passed through, the House of Commons and the House of Lords have to agree a text for the Bill. If the House of Lords amends a Bill which started life in the House of Commons, then the House of Commons must agree to those amendments before the Bill can become law. The Commons may also agree to the Lords' amendments but with new amendments of its own, or it may reject the Lords amendments.

If the Commons do not like the Lords' amendments they will send a message to the Lords saying precisely that. The Lords will either back down, or refuse to budge.

Generally the Lords will give way.  If, however, the Lords persist in their objections and the Government insists on having its way, it can invoke the Parliament Act. The 1949 Parliament Act procedure allows the Bill in question to become law one year after it received its 2nd Reading in the Commons. It is very rarely used. The most notable example of its use in recent years was for the 2004 Hunting Bill, which outlawed hunting with dogs.

Incidentally, the Lords cannot amend a money Bill, this right was stripped of the Lords with the original 1911 Parliament Act.

Royal Assent is the seal of approval from the Queen, as head of state. It is the final stage of a Bill's journey through Parliament and these days is just a formality. Bills which receive Royal Assent then become and Act of Parliament. It is then law.

The Queen has the power to refuse to give her assent to a Bill, but this never happens in practice. The last occasion on which a monarch refused Assent, was in 1707 when Queen Anne refused Royal Assent to a Scottish Militia Bill.

The Queen does not come to Parliament to give her assent in person, that role falls to the of the Lord Chancellor in the House of Lords and the Speaker of the House of Commons.

Royal Assent is given, by tradition, in Norman French, with the words "La Reyne le veult" - The Queen wills it to be so.

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