Standing Orders of the House of Commons

House of Commons

Standing Orders of the House of Commons - Public Business 1997- continued

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STANDING ORDERS
1997

The Speaker

Election of the Speaker.     1. - (1) Whenever it is necessary to proceed forthwith to the choice of a new Speaker in consequence of the Speaker having ceased for any reason to be a Member of this House, the chair shall be taken by that Member, present in the House and not being a Minister of the Crown, who has served for the longest period continuously as a Member of this House.

    (2) Whenever it is necessary to proceed to the choice of a new Speaker in consequence of an intimation to Her Majesty by the Speaker of her wish to relinquish that office then the Speaker shall continue to take the chair and shall perform the duties and exercise the authority of Speaker until a new Speaker has been chosen, whereupon the Speaker shall leave the chair and shall cease to perform those duties and to exercise that authority and the Speaker Elect shall take the chair accordingly:
Provided that, if when this House proceeds to choose a new Speaker the unavoidable absence of the Speaker has been announced, the Deputy Speaker shall forthwith leave the chair and the chair shall be taken in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (1) of this order.

    (3) A Member taking the chair under the provisions of paragraph (1) of this order shall enjoy all those powers which may be exercised by the Speaker during proceedings under paragraph (2) thereof.

    (4) When a motion has been made, in accordance with the provisions of this order, that a certain Member do take the chair of this House as Speaker, a question shall be proposed on that motion and the question on any further such motion shall be put as an amendment thereto.

Deputy Speaker and Chairmen

Deputy Chairmen.     2. At the commencement of every Parliament, or from time to time, as necessity may arise, the House may appoint two Deputy Chairmen of Ways and Means, who shall be known respectively as the First and the Second Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means, and who shall be entitled to exercise all the powers vested in the Chairman of Ways and Means, including his powers as Deputy Speaker.

Deputy Speaker.     3. - (1) The Chairman of Ways and Means or a Deputy Chairman shall take the chair as Deputy Speaker when requested so to do by the Speaker, without any formal communication to the House.

    (2) Whenever the House shall be informed by the Clerk at the Table of the unavoidable absence or the absence by leave of the House of the Speaker, the Chairman of Ways and Means shall perform the duties and exercise the authority of the Speaker in relation to all proceedings of this House, as Deputy Speaker, until the Speaker resumes the chair or, if she does not resume the chair during the course of the sitting, until the next meeting of the House, and so on from day to day, on the like information being given to the House, until the House shall otherwise order:
Provided that if the House shall adjourn for more than twenty-four hours the Chairman of Ways and Means shall continue to perform the duties and exercise the authority of Speaker, as Deputy Speaker, for twenty-four hours only after such adjournment.

    (3) Whenever the House has been informed by the Clerk at the Table of the unavoidable absence or the absence by leave of the House both of the Speaker, and of the Chairman of Ways and Means, the First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means shall perform the duties and exercise the authority of the Speaker in accordance with paragraph (2) of this order; and if the House should be so informed of the unavoidable absence or the absence by leave of the House of the First Deputy Chairman also, the Second Deputy Chairman shall perform those duties and exercise that authority.

Chairmen's Panel.     4. - (1) The Speaker shall nominate, for every session, not fewer than ten Members to act as temporary chairmen of committees when requested by the Chairman of Ways and Means.

    (2) The Members nominated in accordance with the preceding paragraph together with the Chairman of Ways and Means and the Deputy Chairmen of Ways and Means shall constitute the Chairmen's Panel.

Members (Introduction and Seating)

Affirmation in lieu of oath.     5. Every person returned as a Member of this House may make and subscribe a solemn affirmation in the form prescribed by statute instead of taking an oath.

Time for taking the oath.     6. Members may take and subscribe the oath required by law at any time during the sitting of the House, before the orders of the day and notices of motions have been entered upon, or after they have been disposed of; but no debate or business shall be interrupted for that purpose.

Seats not to be taken before prayers.     7. No Member's name shall be affixed to any seat in the House before the hour of prayers; and the Speaker shall give directions to the doorkeepers accordingly.

Seats secured at prayers.     8. Any Member having secured a seat at prayers shall be entitled to retain the same until the rising of the House.

Sittings of the House

Sittings of the House.     9. - (1) The House shall meet on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at half-past two o'clock and will first proceed with private business, motions for unopposed returns and questions.

    (2) No motion for the adjournment of the House shall be made on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday until all the questions asked at the commencement of public business shall have been disposed of, and, save as provided in paragraph (1) of Standing Order No. 24 (Adjournment on specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration), no Member other than a Minister of the Crown may make such a motion on any day before the orders of the day or notices of motions shall have been entered upon.

    (3) At ten o'clock on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, the proceedings on any business then under consideration shall, save as otherwise provided in paragraph (1) of Standing Order No. 15 (Exempted business), be interrupted; and, if the House be in committee, the chairman shall leave the chair, and report progress and ask leave to sit again; and if a motion has been made for the adjournment of the House (unless that motion is included in a motion to be made after the interruption of business under paragraph (2) of Standing Order No. 15 (Exempted business)), or of the debate, or in committee that the chairman do report progress, or do leave the chair, every such motion shall lapse.

    (4) On the interruption of business the closure may be claimed; and if moved, or if proceedings under Standing Order No. 36 (Closure of debate) be then in progress, the Speaker or the chairman shall not leave the chair until the questions consequent thereon and any further question, as provided in Standing Order No. 36 (Closure of debate), have been decided.

    (5) An order of the day not disposed of before the termination of a sitting shall be deferred to such day being a day on which the House ordinarily sits as the Member in charge of that order may appoint and any order of the day not reached before the termination of a sitting shall, unless the Member in charge of the order has given other instructions to the Clerk at the Table, stand over until the next sitting.

    (6) After the business under consideration at ten o'clock has been disposed of, no opposed business shall be taken, save as provided in Standing Order No. 15 (Exempted business).

    (7) The House shall not be adjourned except in pursuance of a resolution or by the Speaker in pursuance of Standing Order No. 46 (Power of the Speaker to adjourn House or suspend sitting):
Provided that, when a substantive motion for the adjournment of the House has been made at or after ten o'clock in the evening the Speaker shall, after the expiration of half an hour after that motion has been made, adjourn the House without putting any question.

Wednesday sittings.     10. - (1) The House shall meet on Wednesdays at half-past nine o'clock and shall between that hour and two o'clock proceed with a motion for the adjournment of the House made by a Minister of the Crown.

    (2) Save as provided in paragraphs (3) and (4) below, the subjects for debate on the said motion shall be chosen by ballot under arrangements made by the Speaker; and no subject shall be raised without notice.

    (3) On the last Wednesday before any adjournment of the House for more than four days, the subject for debate on the said motion until half-past twelve o'clock shall be "matters to be considered before the forthcoming adjournment".

    (4) On not more than three Wednesdays in each session to be appointed by the Speaker, the subject or subjects for debate on the said motion until half-past twelve o'clock shall be select committee reports chosen by the Liaison Committee.

    (5) Not more than two subjects shall be raised before half-past twelve o'clock, and not more than three between that hour and two o'clock.

    (6) A motion for the adjournment of the House not disposed of at two o'clock shall lapse and the sitting shall be suspended until half-past two o'clock; the House will then proceed with private business, motions for unopposed returns and questions; no subsequent motion for the adjournment of the House shall be made until all the questions asked at the commencement of public business have been disposed of; and, save as provided in paragraph (1) of Standing Order No. 24 (Adjournment on a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration), no Member other than a Minister of the Crown may make such a motion before the orders of the day or notices of motions shall have been entered upon.

Friday sittings.     11. - (1) The House shall meet on Fridays at half-past nine o'clock, and will first proceed with private business, petitions, and motions for unopposed returns.

(2) Standing Orders No. 9 (Sittings of the House) and No. 15 (Exempted business) shall apply to the sittings on Fridays with-

(a) the omission of paragraph (1) of Standing Order No. 9; and

(b) the substitution of references to half-past two o'clock for references to ten o'clock in relation to the interruption of business; and

(c) the substitution of reference to half-past three o'clock for reference to eleven o'clock in relation to proceedings on nomination of members of departmental select committees.

(3) In the application of Standing Order No. 17 (Delegated legislation (negative procedure)) to the sittings on Fridays there shall be substituted references to four o'clock for references to half-past eleven o'clock.

(4) At eleven o'clock the Speaker may interrupt the proceedings in order to permit questions to be asked which are in her opinion of an urgent character and relate either to matters of public importance or to the arrangement of business, statements to be made by Ministers, or personal explanations to be made by Members.

(5) If the House is in committee at eleven o'clock, on an occasion when the Speaker's intention to permit such questions, statements or explanations has been made known, the Chairman shall leave the chair without putting any question, and report that the committee have made progress and ask leave to sit again.

(6) The House, when it meets on Friday, shall, at its rising, stand adjourned until the following Monday without any question being put.

Standing Orders of the House of Commons - Public Business 1997- continued
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	STANDING ORDERS 1997 The Speaker
Election of the Speaker.	1. - (1) Whenever it is necessary to proceed forthwith to the choice of a new Speaker in consequence of the Speaker having ceased for any reason to be a Member of this House, the chair shall be taken by that Member, present in the House and not being a Minister of the Crown, who has served for the longest period continuously as a Member of this House.
	(2) Whenever it is necessary to proceed to the choice of a new Speaker in consequence of an intimation to Her Majesty by the Speaker of her wish to relinquish that office then the Speaker shall continue to take the chair and shall perform the duties and exercise the authority of Speaker until a new Speaker has been chosen, whereupon the Speaker shall leave the chair and shall cease to perform those duties and to exercise that authority and the Speaker Elect shall take the chair accordingly: Provided that, if when this House proceeds to choose a new Speaker the unavoidable absence of the Speaker has been announced, the Deputy Speaker shall forthwith leave the chair and the chair shall be taken in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (1) of this order.
	(3) A Member taking the chair under the provisions of paragraph (1) of this order shall enjoy all those powers which may be exercised by the Speaker during proceedings under paragraph (2) thereof.
	(4) When a motion has been made, in accordance with the provisions of this order, that a certain Member do take the chair of this House as Speaker, a question shall be proposed on that motion and the question on any further such motion shall be put as an amendment thereto.
	Deputy Speaker and Chairmen
Deputy Chairmen.	2. At the commencement of every Parliament, or from time to time, as necessity may arise, the House may appoint two Deputy Chairmen of Ways and Means, who shall be known respectively as the First and the Second Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means, and who shall be entitled to exercise all the powers vested in the Chairman of Ways and Means, including his powers as Deputy Speaker.
Deputy Speaker.	3. - (1) The Chairman of Ways and Means or a Deputy Chairman shall take the chair as Deputy Speaker when requested so to do by the Speaker, without any formal communication to the House.
	(2) Whenever the House shall be informed by the Clerk at the Table of the unavoidable absence or the absence by leave of the House of the Speaker, the Chairman of Ways and Means shall perform the duties and exercise the authority of the Speaker in relation to all proceedings of this House, as Deputy Speaker, until the Speaker resumes the chair or, if she does not resume the chair during the course of the sitting, until the next meeting of the House, and so on from day to day, on the like information being given to the House, until the House shall otherwise order: Provided that if the House shall adjourn for more than twenty-four hours the Chairman of Ways and Means shall continue to perform the duties and exercise the authority of Speaker, as Deputy Speaker, for twenty-four hours only after such adjournment.
	(3) Whenever the House has been informed by the Clerk at the Table of the unavoidable absence or the absence by leave of the House both of the Speaker, and of the Chairman of Ways and Means, the First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means shall perform the duties and exercise the authority of the Speaker in accordance with paragraph (2) of this order; and if the House should be so informed of the unavoidable absence or the absence by leave of the House of the First Deputy Chairman also, the Second Deputy Chairman shall perform those duties and exercise that authority.
Chairmen's Panel.	4. - (1) The Speaker shall nominate, for every session, not fewer than ten Members to act as temporary chairmen of committees when requested by the Chairman of Ways and Means.
	(2) The Members nominated in accordance with the preceding paragraph together with the Chairman of Ways and Means and the Deputy Chairmen of Ways and Means shall constitute the Chairmen's Panel.
	Members (Introduction and Seating)
Affirmation in lieu of oath.	5. Every person returned as a Member of this House may make and subscribe a solemn affirmation in the form prescribed by statute instead of taking an oath.
Time for taking the oath.	6. Members may take and subscribe the oath required by law at any time during the sitting of the House, before the orders of the day and notices of motions have been entered upon, or after they have been disposed of; but no debate or business shall be interrupted for that purpose.
Seats not to be taken before prayers.	7. No Member's name shall be affixed to any seat in the House before the hour of prayers; and the Speaker shall give directions to the doorkeepers accordingly.
Seats secured at prayers.	8. Any Member having secured a seat at prayers shall be entitled to retain the same until the rising of the House.
	Sittings of the House
Sittings of the House.	9. - (1) The House shall meet on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at half-past two o'clock and will first proceed with private business, motions for unopposed returns and questions.
	(2) No motion for the adjournment of the House shall be made on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday until all the questions asked at the commencement of public business shall have been disposed of, and, save as provided in paragraph (1) of Standing Order No. 24 (Adjournment on specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration), no Member other than a Minister of the Crown may make such a motion on any day before the orders of the day or notices of motions shall have been entered upon.
	(3) At ten o'clock on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, the proceedings on any business then under consideration shall, save as otherwise provided in paragraph (1) of Standing Order No. 15 (Exempted business), be interrupted; and, if the House be in committee, the chairman shall leave the chair, and report progress and ask leave to sit again; and if a motion has been made for the adjournment of the House (unless that motion is included in a motion to be made after the interruption of business under paragraph (2) of Standing Order No. 15 (Exempted business)), or of the debate, or in committee that the chairman do report progress, or do leave the chair, every such motion shall lapse.
	(4) On the interruption of business the closure may be claimed; and if moved, or if proceedings under Standing Order No. 36 (Closure of debate) be then in progress, the Speaker or the chairman shall not leave the chair until the questions consequent thereon and any further question, as provided in Standing Order No. 36 (Closure of debate), have been decided.
	(5) An order of the day not disposed of before the termination of a sitting shall be deferred to such day being a day on which the House ordinarily sits as the Member in charge of that order may appoint and any order of the day not reached before the termination of a sitting shall, unless the Member in charge of the order has given other instructions to the Clerk at the Table, stand over until the next sitting.
	(6) After the business under consideration at ten o'clock has been disposed of, no opposed business shall be taken, save as provided in Standing Order No. 15 (Exempted business).
	(7) The House shall not be adjourned except in pursuance of a resolution or by the Speaker in pursuance of Standing Order No. 46 (Power of the Speaker to adjourn House or suspend sitting): Provided that, when a substantive motion for the adjournment of the House has been made at or after ten o'clock in the evening the Speaker shall, after the expiration of half an hour after that motion has been made, adjourn the House without putting any question.
Wednesday sittings.	10. - (1) The House shall meet on Wednesdays at half-past nine o'clock and shall between that hour and two o'clock proceed with a motion for the adjournment of the House made by a Minister of the Crown.
	(2) Save as provided in paragraphs (3) and (4) below, the subjects for debate on the said motion shall be chosen by ballot under arrangements made by the Speaker; and no subject shall be raised without notice.
	(3) On the last Wednesday before any adjournment of the House for more than four days, the subject for debate on the said motion until half-past twelve o'clock shall be "matters to be considered before the forthcoming adjournment".
	(4) On not more than three Wednesdays in each session to be appointed by the Speaker, the subject or subjects for debate on the said motion until half-past twelve o'clock shall be select committee reports chosen by the Liaison Committee.
	(5) Not more than two subjects shall be raised before half-past twelve o'clock, and not more than three between that hour and two o'clock.
	(6) A motion for the adjournment of the House not disposed of at two o'clock shall lapse and the sitting shall be suspended until half-past two o'clock; the House will then proceed with private business, motions for unopposed returns and questions; no subsequent motion for the adjournment of the House shall be made until all the questions asked at the commencement of public business have been disposed of; and, save as provided in paragraph (1) of Standing Order No. 24 (Adjournment on a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration), no Member other than a Minister of the Crown may make such a motion before the orders of the day or notices of motions shall have been entered upon.
Friday sittings.	11. - (1) The House shall meet on Fridays at half-past nine o'clock, and will first proceed with private business, petitions, and motions for unopposed returns.
	(2) Standing Orders No. 9 (Sittings of the House) and No. 15 (Exempted business) shall apply to the sittings on Fridays with-
	(a) the omission of paragraph (1) of Standing Order No. 9; and
	(b) the substitution of references to half-past two o'clock for references to ten o'clock in relation to the interruption of business; and
	(c) the substitution of reference to half-past three o'clock for reference to eleven o'clock in relation to proceedings on nomination of members of departmental select committees.
	(3) In the application of Standing Order No. 17 (Delegated legislation (negative procedure)) to the sittings on Fridays there shall be substituted references to four o'clock for references to half-past eleven o'clock.
	(4) At eleven o'clock the Speaker may interrupt the proceedings in order to permit questions to be asked which are in her opinion of an urgent character and relate either to matters of public importance or to the arrangement of business, statements to be made by Ministers, or personal explanations to be made by Members.
	(5) If the House is in committee at eleven o'clock, on an occasion when the Speaker's intention to permit such questions, statements or explanations has been made known, the Chairman shall leave the chair without putting any question, and report that the committee have made progress and ask leave to sit again.
	(6) The House, when it meets on Friday, shall, at its rising, stand adjourned until the following Monday without any question being put.