Sessional Information Digest: 1997-98
SECTION A1
SITTINGS OF THE HOUSE AND DATES OF SESSION
The House sat on every Monday, bar one, every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and all but twelve Fridays during the following periods (all dates inclusive):
7 May - 22 May 1997
2 June - 1 July 1997
27 October - 22 December 1997
12 January - 8 April 1998
20 April - 21 May 1998
1 June - 31 July 1998
2 - 3 September 1998 (Emergency Recall)
19 October - 19 November 1998
The total number of sitting days was 241. The House sat for 2,117 hours and 36 minutes, and the average length of the daily sitting (including Fridays) was 8 hours and 47 minutes.
The House did not sit on the following Fridays: 13 June; 31 October 1997; 20 February; 3 April; 1 & 15 May; 12 & 26 June; 23 & 30 October; 6 & 13 November 1998 and on one Monday: 12 May 1997.
Analysis of the time of the session
|
Total time spent |
Type of Business
(hours:minutes) |
1. Addresses, other than Prayers
(including debate on Queen's Speech) | 31:34 |
| |
| 2. Government Bills |
| a) Second Reading debate (Bills committed to a Standing Committee) | 116:38 |
| b) Second Reading debate (Bills committed to a Committee of the Whole House) | 95:42 |
| c) Committee of the Whole House | 255:52 |
| d) Consideration (Report stage) | 201:08 |
| e) Third Reading | 25:52 |
| f) Lords Amendments | 71:50 |
| g) Allocation of Time Orders (including Programme Motions) | 13:31 |
| h) Committal Motion | 0:24 |
| |
| 3. Private Members' Bills |
| a) Motions for the introduction of Ten Minute Rule Bills | 16:29 |
| b) Second Reading | 35:11 |
| c) Other stages | 29:08 |
| |
| 4. Private Business | 6:33 |
| |
| 5. Government motions |
| a) European Community Documents | 21:17 |
| b) General | 41:02 |
| |
| 6. Opposition motions |
| a) Opposition Days (20 days) | 124:56 |
| b) Opposition Motions in Government Time (No Confidence Motions) | 10:14 |
| |
| 7. Adjournment |
| a) Government debates on motions for the Adjournment | 166:23 |
| b) Last day before Recesses | 17:34 |
| c) Emergency debates (SO No 24) | 00:00 |
| d) Daily (at end of business) | 121:58 |
| e) Wednesday morning adjournment | 203:03 |
| |
| 8. Estimates | 10:22 |
| |
| 9. Money Resolutions | 3:01 |
| |
| 10. Ways and Means Resolutions (including Budget Debate) | 47:43 |
| |
| 11. Affirmative Statutory Instruments | 36:59 |
| |
| 12. Prayers against Statutory Instruments etc. | 6:06 |
| |
| 13. a) Oral Questions | 190:05 |
| b) Private Notice Questions | 12:52 |
| c) Statements | 95:16 |
| d) Business statements | 28:56 |
| e) SO No 24 Applications* | 0:12 |
| f) Points of Order and Speaker's Rulings | 9:22 |
| g) Miscellaneous | 49:12 |
| h) Presentation of Public Petitions | 1:25 |
| | _______ |
| |
| Daily Prayers | 19:55 |
| _______ |
| |
| SESSIONAL TOTAL | 2117:36 |
Note: The time taken up by Divisions is included with the class of business upon which the divisions were called
* Previously SO No 20 Applications
SECTION A2
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS
Statistics of Parliamentary Questions are available in two forms. The figures for each, which for various reasons (mainly owing to methods of counting and recording) are not exactly comparable, are as follows:
Questions appearing on the Order Paper calculated by the Journal Office
| Appearing on the Order Paper for Oral Answer | 8,1131 |
| Put down for priority Written Answer | 23,532 |
| Put down for non-priority Written Answer | 29,120 |
| |
| | ________ |
| |
| Total | 60,765 |
| |
(Not more than about half of all questions put down for Oral Answer will receive such an answer - the rest are answered in writing)
Questions appearing in Hansard, and indexed in the Parliamentary On-line Information System (POLIS)
| Oral replies (including supplementaries) | 8,1322 |
| Written replies | 51,4513 |
| ________
| | Total | 59,583
|
The total number of private notice questions (excluding Business Questions) was 28
1 Of which 3,382 received an oral answer in the House on one of the 198 days on which such answers were given
2 Number of tabled questions answered (excluding supplementaries) was 3,382
3 With POLIS, several written questions from the same Member, if answered together by the Minister, may have been treated as one question
SECTION A3
OPPOSITION DAYS
| Date | Day No. | Subject of debate |
| 25.6.97 | 1 | a) Future of London Underground |
| | | b) Charging for NHS services |
| 9.7.97 | 2 | Pensions |
| 4.11.97 | 3 | a) Government’s proposals for student finance |
| | | b) Countryside under siege |
| 17.11.97 | 4 | a) Public services (LD) |
| 1.12.97 | 5 | a) Pension and Welfare Reform |
| | | b) Competition and Business Policy |
| 27.1.98 | 6 | a) Development in the countryside and the green belt |
| | | b) London Underground |
| 9.2.98 | 7 | a) Child Support Agency (LD) |
| | | b) Railway services (LD) |
| 3.3.98 8 | a) | ISAs, PEPs & TESSAs |
| | | b) The countryside |
| 10.3.98 | 9 | a) Labour’s hidden taxes |
| | | b) The Government’s damage to pensioners' incomes |
| 6.4.98 | 10 | a) Trade union recognition |
| | | b) Manufacturing industry |
| 18.5.98 | 11 | a) Sierra Leone |
| | | b) Territorial Army |
| 2.6.98 | 12 | Dangers of changing Britain’s successful and fair electoral system |
| 16.6.98 | 13 | a) NHS waiting lists |
| | | b) The Crisis in Scottish local government |
| 25.6.98 | 14 | a) Sitting on Friday 3rd July (LD) |
| | | b) Government strategy for social welfare (SNP) |
| 29.6.98 | 15 | a) Government’s mishandling of the economy |
| | | b) Government’s broken pledges on class sizes |
| 7.7.98 | 16 | a) Release of information to Select Committees |
| 13.7.98 | 17 | a) Crisis of manufacturing and the deterioration of industrial relations |
| | | b) Incompetent management at the Department of Social Security |
| 21.7.98 | 18 | a) Relationship between Government and Parliament (LD) |
| | | b) European Single Currency (LD) |
| 29.7.98 | 19 | a) Government’s obsession with style over substance |
| | | b) Government’s threat to the quality of life in rural areas |
| 4.11.98 | 20 | a) Economy |
| | b) Agriculture |
LD - Liberal Democrat motions
SNP - Scottish National Party motions
SECTION A4
USE OF GUILLOTINE AND PROGRAMME MOTIONS
The Guillotine, or Allocation of Time Motion (ATM), is used to timetable proceedings on a Bill. This Session saw the introduction, on a trial basis, for some Bills of a Programme Motion (PM). In the 1997-98 Session, Guillotine or Programme Motions were used 18 times on 13 Bills during the session. Factsheet 23, available from the House of Commons Information Office, contains more information. The details are as follows:
Bill title
and length |
Date of ATM/PM |
Stages
guillotined |
Progress before
ATM/PM (No. of
sittings on SC:
clause
reached) |
Time allowed
under ATM/PM |
| Referendums | 3.6.97 | C, R, 3R | 2R | 2 days (inc ATM) |
| (Scotland and Wales) |
| (6cl 2 sch) |
| |
| - ditto - | 30.7.97 | LA | 3R | ½ day |
| |
| Finance | 14.7.97 | CWH, | 2R | CWH - 2 days |
| (53cl 8 sch) | | R, R, 3R | | SC to report by 23.7.97 |
| | | | | R, 3R - 1 day |
| |
| - ditto - | 28.7.97* | R, 3R | - | R - 2 days |
| | | | | 3R - 1hr |
| |
| European | 17.12.97 | CWH,R,3R | 2R,CWH | 2 days |
| Communities | | (3 days, Cl.1) |
| (Amendment) |
| (3 cl) |
| |
| Scotland | 13.1.98* | CWH,R,3R | 2R | CWH-8 days |
| (116 cl 8sch) | (PM)+ | | R,3R-3 days |
| |
| - ditto - | 30.4.98 | R,3R | 2R,CWH | R,3R-3days |
| | (PM) | | | (6½ hrs each day) |
| |
| Government of | 15.1.98* | CWH,R,3R | 2R | CWH-7 days |
| Wales | (PM)+ | | | R,3R-2 days |
| (149 cl 14 sch) |
| |
| Regional | 27.3.98* | R,3R | 2R,CWH | R,3R-1 day |
| Development | (PM)+ |
| Agencies |
| (47 cl 9 sch) |
| |
| Northern | 22.4.98 | 2R,CWH | 1R | 2R-4 hrs |
| Ireland | (PM)+ | R,3R | | (CWH,R,3R-7 hrs) |
| (Elections) |
| (9 cl 1sch) |
| |
| Teaching and | 19.5.98* | R,3R | 2R,C | R,3R-2 days |
| Higher Education | (PM)+ |
| (32 cl, 3 sch) |
| |
| Human Rights | 1.6.98* | CWH | 2R, CWH- | CWH-4 days |
| (22 cl , 3 sch) [HL] | (PM)+ | | (1day:cl 1) | (Max. 6½ hrs each day) |
| |
| -ditto- | 17.6.98* | CWH | 2R, CWH-3days | CWH-4 days |
| | (PM)+ | | | (Max.3hrs on 4th day) |
| |
| ditto | 21.10.98* | R, 3R | 2R, CWH | R-17½ hrs |
| (PM)+ | | | 3R-6 hrs |
| |
| |
| Northern Ireland | 11.6.98* | CWH, R, 3R | 2R | CWH-2days |
| (Sentences) | (PM)+ | | | (Max. 6½ hrs 1st day, |
| (21 cl, 2 sch) | | | | 3hrs 2nd Day) R, 3R- 1 Day |
| |
| Crime and Disorder [HL] | 16.6.98* | R,3R | 2R,C | R,3R-2days |
| (119 cl,10 sch) | (PM)+ | | | (Max. 6½ hrs each day) |
| |
| Landmines | 9.7.98* | All Stages | 1R | 2R-1½ hrs |
| (29cl.) | (PM) | | | CWH-2 ¼ hrs |
| | | | | 3R-¼ hr |
| |
| Northern Ireland | 17.7.98* | All Stages | 1R | 2R-1day |
| (82 cl., 15 sch.) | (PM)+ | | | CWH-4 days |
| | | | | R, 3R-2days |
| |
| -ditto- | 18.11.98 | LA | 2R,CWH,R,3R | LA-4 hrs |
| (PM)+ |
* Proceedings formal, no debate
+ All Party Programme Motion
For abbreviations see SECTION C1: Complete List of Public Bills: General Notes
SECTION A5
ESTIMATES DAYS
Standing Order No.52 provides that three days shall be allotted during each session for the consideration of Estimates (see Factsheet No.18). The Subjects are set down by resolution of the Liaison Committee.
| | No of | Estimate class no |
| Date | Allotted Day | and Vote discussed | Principal Subjects |
| 6.7.98 | 1st (part 1) | Class IX, Vote 1 | Further education |
| |
| 6.7.98 | 1st (part 2) | Class XVII, Vote 1 | Freedom of Information |
| |
| 14.7.98 | 2nd (part 1) | Class IV, Vote 1 | UK beef industry |
| |
| 14.7.98 | 2nd (part 2) | Class V, Vote 2 | Structure and funding of |
| | | | university research |
| |
SECTION A6
GOVERNMENT SUBSTANTIVE MOTIONS
| Date | Subject |
| |
| 14.5.97 | Sessional Orders |
| 4.6.97 | Modernisation of the House of Commons |
| 30.6.97 | Scottish Grand Committee |
| 23.07.97 | European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993 |
| 30.10.97 | Standards and Privileges |
| 5.11.97 | Ministerial and other Salaries Bill |
| 10.11.97 | House of Commons Members' Fund |
| 13.11.97 | Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund |
| 13.11.97 | Modernisation of the House |
| 17.11.97 | Standards and Privileges |
| 20.11.97 | Public Accounts |
| 18.12.97 | Clerk of the House (Retirement) |
| 17.2.98 | Iraq |
| 19.2.98 | Committee of Selection |
| 21.4.98 | European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993 |
| 4.6.98 | House of Commons (Modernisation) |
| 1.7.98 | Lords Amendments to the Teaching and Higher Education Bill |
| | (Lords) (Reasons Committee) |
| 19.10.98 | Strategic Defence Review |
| 20.10.98 | Strategic Defence Review |
| 17.11.98 | Scrutiny of European Business |
| |
| |
| c |
| |
| |
SECTION A7
STANDING ORDER NO 24
Standing Order No 24 allows Members to suggest that a specific and important matter should have urgent consideration and that an emergency debate be held upon it. It is for the Speaker to decide whether the matter is sufficiently specific, important and urgent to warrant giving it precedence, and among other things to have regard to the probability of the matter being brought before the House by other means; the Chair in general gives leave very seldom. During the 1997-98 Session, there were 4 unsuccessful applications.
SECTION A8
DIVISIONS
The total number of divisions during the Session was 380
SECTION A9
EARLY DAY MOTIONS
The total number of Early Day Motions tabled during the Session was 1,757, of which 300 were prayers for the annulment of statutory instruments. Factsheet No 30 on Early Day Motions is available from the House of Commons Information Office.
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