House of Commons Public Bill Committee Proceedings

House of Commons

Session 2006 - 07
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House of Commons Standing Orders - Public Business

the foregoing provisions of this paragraph shall apply to any

debate which has been further adjourned under this paragraph

as if the further adjournment were an adjournment under

paragraph (2) of the order.

(4) This order applies to proceedings under an Act of

Parliament on—

(a) any motion for an humble address to Her Majesty

praying that a statutory instrument be annulled, and any

motion that a draft of an Order in Council be not

submitted to Her Majesty in Council, or that a statutory

instrument be not made,

(b) any motion that, or for an humble address to Her Majesty

praying that, any other document be annulled,

or cease to be in force, or be not made or be

disapproved, or words to that effect.

Consideration of

draft regulatory

reform orders.

18.—(1) If the Regulatory Reform Committee has reported

under paragraph (3) of Standing Order No. 141 (Regulatory

Reform Committee) that a draft order laid before the House

under section 1 of the Regulatory Reform Act 2001 should be

approved and a motion is made by a Minister of the Crown to

that effect, the question thereon shall—

(a) if the committee’s recommendation was agreed

without a division, be put forthwith;

(b) if the committee’s recommendation was agreed after a

division, be put not later than one and a half hours after

the commencement of proceedings on the motion.

(2) If the committee has reported that a draft order should not

be approved, no motion to approve the draft order shall be

made unless the House has previously resolved to disagree

with the committee’s report; the questions necessary to dispose

of proceedings on the motion for such a resolution to disagree

shall be put not later than three hours after their

commencement; and the question shall be put forthwith on any

motion thereafter made by a Minister of the Crown that such a

draft order be approved.

(3) Motions to which this order applies may be proceeded

with, though opposed, until any hour.

New writs.

19. If a motion to the effect that the Speaker do issue his

warrant to the Clerk of the Crown to make out a new writ for

the electing of a Member is proposed to be made or is made

after prayers on any day on which private Members’ bills have

precedence, and is opposed, proceedings thereon shall lapse.

Time for taking

private business.

20.—(1) On Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and

Thursdays the time for private business shall end not later than

a quarter of an hour after the House sits and business entered

upon and not disposed of at that hour shall be deferred to such

time as the Chairman of Ways and Means may appoint.

Business not reached shall stand over to the next sitting, or in

the case of opposed business until the next sitting other than a

Friday.

(2) During the time of private business, opposed business

shall not be proceeded with but shall be deferred to such time,

other than a Friday, as the Chairman of Ways and Means may

appoint.

(3) Opposed business shall include any proceedings on a

private bill or a confirming bill which have been deferred under

paragraph (2) of this order, so long as a notice of an amendment

stands upon the order paper in the form of a notice of motion

(other than a notice of motion in the name of the Chairman of

Ways and Means) on second reading, consideration or third

reading of such bill:

Provided that no such notice of motion shall stand on the

order paper for more than seven days unless renewed.

(4) No opposed business shall be taken on a Friday.

(5) Business deferred under paragraphs (1) and (2) of this

order shall be considered at the time of private business on the

day appointed unless the Chairman of Ways and Means directs

that such business shall be set down for seven o’clock on any

specified Monday or Tuesday, four o’clock on any specified

Wednesday or three o’clock on any specified Thursday, and

business so set down (including any motion contingent directly

or otherwise upon any item of such business) shall be taken in

such order as the Chairman of Ways and Means may

determine:

Provided that business so set down shall be distributed as

nearly as may be proportionately between the sittings on which

government business has precedence and other sittings.

(6) On any day specified under paragraph (5) of this order at

seven o’clock, four o’clock or three o’clock or as soon

thereafter as any motion for the adjournment of the House

under Standing Order No. 24 (Adjournment on specific and

important matter that should have urgent consideration) has

been disposed of, the business set down by direction of the

Chairman of Ways and Means shall be entered upon and may

be proceeded with subject to the provisions of Standing Order

No. 9 (Sittings of the House).

Notices of Questions, etc.

Time for taking

questions.

21.—(1) Questions shall be taken on Mondays, Tuesdays,

Wednesdays and Thursdays, after private business and motions

for unopposed returns have been disposed of.

(2) No question shall be taken more than one hour after the

House sits, except questions which have not appeared on the

order paper but which are in the Speaker’s opinion of an urgent

character and relate either to matters of public importance or to

the arrangement of business.

(3) Any questions tabled for written answer on a day on

which the House does not sit by reason of the continuance of a

previous sitting shall be deemed to be questions for written

answer on the next sitting day and shall appear in the questions

book for that day.

Notices of

questions,

motions and

amendments.

22.—(1) Notices of questions shall be given by Members in

writing to the Table Office in a form determined by the

Speaker.

(2) A notice of a question, or of an amendment to a motion

standing on the order paper for which no day has been fixed or

of the addition of a name in support of such a motion or

amendment, which is given later than half an hour after the

moment of interruption shall be treated for all purposes as if it

were a notice handed in after the rising of the House.

(3) A Member shall indicate on the notice of any question

whether it is for oral or written answer and a Member may

indicate a date for answer of a question for written answer in

accordance with paragraph (4) of this order.

(4) Where a Member has indicated that a question is for

written answer on a named day the Minister shall cause an

answer to be given to the Member on the date for which notice

has been given, provided that—

(a) notice has appeared at latest on the notice paper

circulated two days (excluding Saturday and Sunday)

before that on which an answer is desired; and

(b) a Member may not table more than five such

questions on any one day.

(5) Notice of a question for oral answer may be given only for

answer on the next day on which the Member to whom it is

addressed is due to give oral answers; and in respect of each

such day the Speaker shall specify the latest date and time at

which notice may be given and how many questions are to be

printed for each Member answering; and only that number of

notices of questions (selected at random from those received in

a manner to be prescribed by the Speaker) shall be treated as

valid notices received on the day concerned:

Provided that the latest date and time specified by the

Speaker shall be such as to enable the notices selected to be

printed and circulated—

(a) in the case of questions to the Secretaries of State for

Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and the Advocate

General at least four days (excluding Friday, Saturday

and Sunday) before the question is to be answered, or

(b) in the case of questions to other Ministers, at least two

days (excluding Friday, Saturday and Sunday) before

the question is to be answered.

(6) When it is proposed that the House should adjourn for a

period of more than three days the Speaker shall cause to have

printed and circulated with the Vote a memorandum

superseding the provisions of paragraphs (4) and (5) of this

order and specifying the arrangements for tabling questions

during the adjournment.

Written

statements by

ministers.

22A. A Minister of the Crown, being a Member of the

House, may give notice of his intention to make a ministerial

statement in written form on a specified day not later than five

sitting days after the day on which notice was given: and such

statements shall be printed in the Official Report.

Notices of

questions etc.

during

September.

22B.—(1) Notices of questions for written answer on a

named day by a Minister of the Crown may be given on three

appointed tabling days, for answer on three appointed

anwering days, between 2nd and 21st September.

(2) A motion to appoint tabling days and answering days

under paragraph (1) may be made by a Minister of the Crown;

and the question on such a motion shall be put forthwith and

may be decided, though opposed, after the moment of

interruption.

(3) Notices of questions for named day answer on one of the

appointed answering days, received by the Table Office on any

day after the rising of the House for the summer adjournment,

shall be treated as if given on—

(a) that day, if they are received on an appointed tabling

day; or

(b) the next appointed tabling day, if they are received on

any other day,

and a Member may not give notice of more than five such

questions in respect of each appointed tabling day.

(4) Notwithstanding sub-paragraph (4)(a) of Standing Order

No. 22 (Notices of questions, motions and amendments), no

notice of a question may be given under this order for a day

earlier than five days (excluding Saturday and Sunday) after

the day on which the notice is given.

(5) A Minister of the Crown, being a Member of the House,

may give notice on an appointed tabling day of his intention to

make a ministerial statement in written form on an appointed

answering day.

(6) In the event of a recall of the House under Standing Order

No. 13 (Earlier meeting of House in certain circumstances), the

Speaker may publish a memorandum amending the

arrangements made under this order.

Motions for Bills and Select Committees

Motions for leave

to bring in bills

and nomination

of select

committees at

commencement

of public

business.

23.—(1) On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and, if given by a

Minister of the Crown, on Mondays and Thursdays, notices of

motions for leave to bring in bills, and for the nomination of

select committees, may be set down for consideration at the

commencement of public business. The Speaker, after

permitting, if he thinks fit, a brief explanatory statement from

the Member who makes and from a Member who opposes any

such motion respectively, shall put either the question thereon,

or the question, ‘That the debate be now adjourned’.

(2) With respect to a private Member’s motion for leave to

bring in a bill under this order—

(a) notice shall be given in the Public Bill Office by the

Member in person or by another Member on his behalf,

but on any one day not more than one notice shall be

accepted from any one Member;

(b) no notice shall be given for a day on which a notice of

motion under this order already stands on the paper;

(c) no notice shall be given for a day earlier than the fifth

or later than the fifteenth sitting day after the day on

which it is given;