Read and translate the text.

Vocabulary

The Privy Council.

Three parts of the executive

1. Read the words correctly: Privy, executive authority, constitutional issues, although, Judicial Committee, court of appeal, Commonwealth, influential, either, signature.

Her Majesty's Most Honorable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign in the United Kingdom. Its membership is mostly made up of senior politicians who are members of either the House of Commons or the House of Lords.

The Privy Council developed from a group of royal advisers at court into the chief source of the executive authority. As the power of the monarch declined, the Cabinet replaced the Privy Council as the senior decision-making body.

Today the Privy Council’s duties are mostly formal and ceremonial. Its main role is to advise the monarch on a range of matters, like the resolution of the constitutional issues and the approval of Orders in Council. The Council also advises the Sovereign on the granting of Royal Charters to certain public institutions.

Some judicial functions are also performed by the Council, although in practice the actual work of hearing and deciding upon cases is carried out by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The Judicial Committee serves as the final court of appeal from the dependencies and the Commonwealth countries. It may also be used as an arbiter for a wide range of courts and committees in Britain and overseas, and its ruling can be influential.

The office of Privy Councillor is an honorary one, conferred for example, on former Prime Ministers. Membership of the Council is given by the sovereign and usually retained for life.

The Privy Council has about three hundred members, including all Cabinet members (past and present), the leaders of all main parties, and the Speaker.

The members of the Council are collectively known as "The Lords of Her Majesty's Most Honorable Privy Council". The chief officer of the body is the Lord President of the Council, who is the fourth highest Great Officer of State, a member of the Cabinet, and normally, the Leader of either the House of Lords or the House of Commons. Another important official is the Clerk, whose signature is appended to all orders made in the Council.

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Nick Clegg was appointed Lord President of the Council in May 2010.

3. Give English equivalents to the Russian words from the text:королевские советники, основной источник исполнительной власти, главный руководящий орган, давать советы монарху по ряду вопросов, вручение королевских грамот, окончательный апелляционный суд, влиятельное руководство, главное должностное лицо(чиновник).

4.See the text and give the definitions to the following words:

-The Privy Council is…;

-The Judicial Committeeis…;

5.Match the office and the person in charge of it:

a)The Lord President of the Council;

b)The Clerk;

c)The Privy Councillor;

1)The signature of this person is appended to all orders in the Council;

2)The fourth highest Great Officer of State, the chief of the Privy Council;

3)An honorary office given by the sovereign and conferred for life.