<P> The period of five years is chosen with the deliberate object of striking a compromise between, the old triennial Parliament advocated in Chartist days and the seven years' Parliament . Our object in limiting the period to five years is that there may be no risk run of the perils which have been enunciated with great vigour by right hon. and hon . Gentlemen opposite of a Government taking advantage of the powers granted to it under the second Resolution, outliving its welcome, getting completely out of touch with the country, and using its extended period of life, say of six years, for carrying through legislation of which the country does not approve . The five years named in the Resolution will in almost every case mean a four years' Parliament . It means therefore that if a Parliament divided its time in the manner described by the Leader of the Opposition, in the first two years doing the work for which it was returned, and in the second two years looking forward to the election about to come upon it, it would have filled up the whole of the four years' period for which this Resolution provides . Our only object in limiting the period of the duration of Parliament is that the House of Commons shall not get out of touch with the opinion of the electorate . </P> <P> This section was repealed by the Fixed - term Parliaments Act 2011 for the United Kingdom on 15 September 2011, when parliament was given a fixed five - year term . </P> <P> This Act was repealed for the Republic of Ireland on 16 May 1983 by section 1 of, and Part IV of the Schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1983 (No. 11). </P> <Table> Parliament Act 1949 <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Act of Parliament </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Parliament of the United Kingdom </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Long title </Th> <Td> An Act to amend the Parliament Act 1911 . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Citation </Th> <Td> 12, 13 & 14 Geo. 6 c. 103 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Territorial extent </Th> <Td> United Kingdom </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Dates </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Royal assent </Th> <Td> 16 December 1949 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Commencement </Th> <Td> 16 December 1949 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Other legislation </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Amends </Th> <Td> Parliament Act 1911 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Amended by </Th> <Td> Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1986 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Status: Amended </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Revised text of statute as amended </Th> </Tr> </Table>

The constitution allowed the two legislative houses to block each other as a measure to limit power