The Parliament of Grenada is composed of the monarch and two chambers: Senate and the House of Representatives. It operates from the New Parliament Building in St. George's. Structure Parliament consists of the King, represented by the Governor General, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Governor-General summons Parliament, brings its session to an end by prorogation, and formally assents to every bill before it can become law. In practice, she exercises all these powers on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. The passage of legislation depends on the participation of all three component parts of Parliament. A bill must be agreed to by both Houses and receive the Royal Assent before it can become an Act of Parliament. The powers of the Senate and the House of Representatives are constitutionally equal except that financial legislation may not be introduced in the Senate. All Senators are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister of Grenada and the Leader of the Opposition. The House of Representatives is directly elected by the people, and although by tradition the Senate is the Upper House and the House of Representatives is the Lower House, it is the House of Representatives which plays the predominant part in the parliamentary system. The Parliament of Grenada came into being in 1974 when Grenada became an independent country. Functions of the Senate To act as a house of review with responsibility for expressing second opinion in relation to legislative and other proposals initiated in the House of Representatives; To ensure proper consideration of all legislation; To provide adequate scrutiny of financial measures; To initiate non-financial legislation as the Senate sees fit: the Senate’s capacity to initiate proposed legislation effectively means that Parliament is not confined in its opportunities for considering public issues in a legislative context to those matters covered by bills brought forward by the executive; To probe and check the administration of laws and to keep itself informed, and to insist on ministerial accountability for the administration of the Government; To provide effective scrutiny of Government and enable adequate expression of debate about policy and government programs. As a parliamentary forum, the Senate is one place where a Government can be, of right, questioned and obliged to answer. All bills must be passed by the Senate before they can become law, and it has the constitutional right