Sessional Information Digest: 2003 - 04
Section A1
Sittings of the House and Dates of Session
The House sat on every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and all but 16 Fridays during the following periods (all dates inclusive):
26 November 2003 -18 December 2003
5 January 2004 - 12 February 2004
23 February 2004 - 1 April 2004
19 April 2004 - 30 April 2004
4 May 2004 - 27 May 2004
7 June 2004 - 22 July 2004
7 September 2004 - 16 September 2004
11 October 2004 - 18 November 2004
The total number of sitting days was 157. The House sat for 1,215 hours and 19 minutes, and the average length of the daily sitting (including Fridays) was 7 hours and 44 minutes.
The House sat on the following Fridays only: 30 January; 6 and 27 February; 5, 12, and 26 March; 23 and 30 April; 14 and 21 May; 18 June; 16 July; and 15 October.
Analysis of the time of the session
Type of Business
| Total time spent (hours:minutes) |
| | |
1
| Addresses, other than Prayers (including debate on Queen's Speech)
| 37.26
| |
| | |
2
| Government Bills
| |
| Second Reading debate (Bills committed to a Standing Committee)
| 133.23
| |
| Second Reading debate (Bills committed to a Committee of the Whole House)
| 11.11
| |
| Committee of the Whole House
| 16.50
| |
| Consideration (Report stage)
| 129.06
| |
| Third Reading
| 22.43
| |
| Lords Amendments
| 54.52
| |
| Allocation of Time Order (including Programme Motions)
| 16.31
| |
| Committal and Carry-over Motions
| 3.48
| |
| | |
3
| Private Members' Bills
| |
| Motions for the introduction of Ten Minute Rule Bills
| 12.07
| |
| Second Reading
| 42.59
| |
| Other stages
| 19.59
| |
| | |
4
| Private Business
| -
| |
| | |
5
| Government motions
| |
| European Community Documents
| 5.06
| |
| General
| 29.48
| |
| | |
6
| Opposition motions
| |
| Opposition Days (20 days)
| 130.10
| |
| Opposition Motions in Government Time
| 6.28
| |
| | |
7
| Adjournment
| |
| | |
| Government debates on motions for the Adjournment
| 99.13
| |
| Last day before Recesses
| 14.31
| |
| Emergency debates (SO No 24)
| -
| |
| Daily (at end of business)
| 79.02
| |
| | | |
8
| Estimates
| 12.10
| |
| | | |
9
| Money Resolutions
| 3.55
| |
| | | |
10
| Ways and Means Resolutions (including Budget Debate)
| 27.26
| |
| | | |
11
| Motions for Approval of Statutory Instruments (Affirmative)
| 14.35
| |
| | | |
12
| Motions to Annual or Revoke Statutory Instruments (Negative)
| -
| |
| | | |
13
| Oral Questions
| 130.57
| |
| Urgent Questions
| 6.20
| |
| Statements
| 67.35
| |
| Business statements
| 29.24
| |
| SO No 24 Applications
| 0.03
| |
| Points of Order and Speaker's Rulings
| 13.33
| |
| Presentation of Public Petitions
| 2.31
| |
| Miscellaneous
(including suspensions of the proceedings of the House)
| 15.53
| |
| | |
Daily Prayers
| 13.05
| |
| | |
Sessional Total
| 1,215.19
| |
Note: | The time taken up by divisions is included with the class of business upon which the divisions were called |
Westminster Hall
The total number of sitting hours in Westminster Hall was 411 hours and 16 minutes.
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 Table Office
Appearing on the Order Paper for oral answer
| 3,687 1 |
Put down for written answer on a named day
| 8,712 |
Put down for ordinary written answer
| 46,163 |
| |
Total
| 59,855 |
1 Of which 2, 206 received an oral answer in the House on one of the 224 days on which such answers were given
Note: | Not 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 Indexing Service (POLIS)
Oral replies (including supplementaries)
| 5844 2 |
(Oral questions answered excluding supplementaries 2079)
| |
Written replies
| 50,009 3 |
| |
Total
| 55,853 |
2 Number of tabled questions answered (excluding supplementaries) was 2,254
3 With POLIS, several written questions from the same Member, if answered together by the Minister, may have been treated as one question
The total number of Urgent Questions (excluding Business Questions) was 12
.
Section A3
Opposition Days
LD- Liberal Democrat PC - Plaid Cymru SNP - Scottish National Party (a) Unallotted day
Date
| Day Number
| Subject of Debate |
| | |
7.1.04
| 1
| 1) NHS performance indicators
2) Care homes |
| | |
13.1.04
| 2
| 1) National Audit Office report on Operation Telic - UK military operations in Iraq (HC 60 2003/04)
2) Future of the Post Office network |
| | |
21.1.04
| 3
| 1) Case for a Civil Service Bill
2) Scottish constituencies - Members' voting rights (West Lothian question) |
| | |
10.2.04
| 4
| 1) The Environment (LD)
2)Local Taxation (LD) |
| | |
11.2.04
24.2.04
| 5
| 1) Regional Assemblies
2) Pension scheme wind-ups |
| | |
3.3.04
| 6
| 1)Trade justice for the developing world
2) Protection of vulnerable children |
| | |
9.3.04
| (a)
| 1) Attorney General's advice on Iraq (PC)
2) Young people and democracy (SNP) |
| | |
24.3.04
29.4.04
| 7
| 1) Post Office services
2) Animal and plant diseases |
| | |
30.3.04
| 8
| 1) Immigration entry clearance standards
2)European Union (EU) constitution referendum |
| | |
21.4.04
| 9
| 1) Doctors' hours
2) London |
| | |
5.5.04
15.6.04
| 10
| 1) Housing
2) Transport |
| | |
17.5.04
| 11
| 1) Iraq (LD)
2) Local government finance (LD) |
| | |
26.5.04
| 12
| 1) Local government finance
2) Town planning and green belts |
| | |
22.6.04
| 13
| 1) Electoral system
2) NHS recruitment and selection |
| | |
30.6.04
| 14
| 1) Regional government
2) Business deregulation |
| | |
5.7.04
| 15
| 1) Postal services
2) Personal indebtedness and savings |
| | |
8.9.04
| 16
| 1) Pensions policy
2) Hospital-acquired infection |
| | |
14.9.04
| 17
| 1) Higher Education (LD)
2) Older Women (LD) |
| | |
13.10.04
| 18
| Pensions and welfare reform |
| | |
18.10.04
| 19
| Crime |
| | |
25.10.04
| 20
| 1) University admissions policy
2) Wind farms |
| | |
11.11.04
| (a)
| Family doctor services |
Section A4
Estimates Days
Standing Order No 54 provides that three days shall be allotted during each session for the consideration of Estimates (see Factsheet P6 on Financial Procedure). The subjects are set down by resolution of the Liaison Committee.
Date
| No. of Allotted Day
| Principal Subjects |
11.12.03
| 1st (part 1)
1st (part 2)
| Child care for working parents
People, post offices and pensions |
11.3.04
| 2nd (part 1)
2nd (part 2)
| Aviation services
Biofuels |
24.6.04
| 3rd (part 1)
3rd (part 2 )
| Highways agency
Taxis and private hire vehicles |
Section A5
Government Substantive Motions
Date
| Subject |
| |
26.11.03
| Sessional Orders |
29.01.04
| House of Commons Members Estimate; Bicycle and Motorcycle Allowances |
25.02.04
| Privy Counsellor Review Committee Report on the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 Review |
22.04.04
| Security Screen |
22.04.04
| Visitor Facilities |
11.05.04
| Visitor Facilities |
12.05.04
| Estimates and Appropriation Procedure |
07.06.04
| Joint Activities with the National Assembly for Wales |
07.06.04
| Nomination of Select Committees |
23.06.04
| Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund |
26.10.04
| Programming of Bills, Procedure for Debates, Deferred Divisions, Carry-over of Bills, Short Speeches and Removal of References to Strangers |
03.11.04
| Members' Allowances |
03.11.04
| Sessional Orders and Resolutions |
Section A6
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 2003-04 Session, there was one unsuccessful application (20/10/2004, application by Stephen Hesford MP in connection with the closure of a factory in the Wirral West constituency).
Section A7
Divisions
The total number of divisions during the 2003-04 Session was 340.
Section A8
Early Day Motions
The total number of Early Day Motions tabled during the 2003-04 Session was 1941 of which 18 were prayers for the annulment of statutory instruments. Factsheet P3 on Early Day Motions is available from the House of Commons Information Office.
|