House of Commons
Session 2006 - 07
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Sessional Information Digest
Sessional Information Digest: 2006 - 07

Section A - Part 1

Sittings of the House and Dates of Session

The House sat on every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and on 13 Fridays during the following periods (all dates inclusive)

15th Nov 2006-19th Dec 2006

8th Jan 2007-8th Feb 2007

19th Feb 2007-29th Mar 2007

16th Apr 2007-3rd May 2007

8th May 2007-24th May 2007

4th June 2007-26th July 2007

8th Oct 2007-30th Oct 2007

The total number of sitting days was 146. The House sat for 1118 hours and 52 minutes, and the average length of the daily sitting (including Fridays) was 7 hours and 40 minutes.

The House sat on the following Fridays: 19 and 26th January 2007; 2nd and 23rd February 2007; 2nd, 9th and 23rd March 2007; 20th and 27th April 2007; 18th May 2007; 15th and 29th June 2007; and 19th October 2007.

Analysis of the time of the session

Type of Business
Total time spent (hours:minutes)
1
Addresses other than Motions to annul or revoke Statutory Instruments (including debate on Queen's Speech)
40.14
2
Government Bills
Second Reading debate (Bills committed to a Public Bill Committee)
97.46
Second Reading debate (Bills committed to a Committee of the Whole House)
22.02
Committee of the Whole House
20.44
Consideration (Report stage)
105.17
Third Reading
18.04
Lords Amendments
31.22
Allocation of Time Order (including Programme Motions)
1.18
Committal and Carry-over Motions
1.38
3
Private Members' Bills
Motions for the introduction of Ten Minute Rule Bills
9.36
Second Reading
42.35
Other stages
18.42
4
Government motions
European Community Documents
4.58
Business Motions
0.28
General
38.30
5
Opposition motions
Opposition Days (20 days)
116.49
6
Private Members' Motions (substantive)
8.03
7
Adjournment
Government debates on motions for the Adjournment
129.20
Last day before Recesses
18.08
Daily (at end of business)
71.23
8
Estimates
16.23
9
Money Resolutions
0.37
10
Ways and Means Resolutions (including Budget Debate)
25.24
11
Statutory Instruments
Affirmative Statutory Instruments
16.15
Motions to annul or revoke Statutory Instruments
1.46
12
Oral Questions
122.28
Urgent Questions
6.00
Statements
72.48
Business statements
27.31
SO No 24 Applications
0.14
Points of Order and Speaker's Rulings
4.17
Suspension
10.11
Presentation of Public Petitions
3.16
Daily Prayers
12.13
Sessional Total
1118.52
Note:The time taken up by Divisions is included with the class of business upon which the divisions were called.


Section A - Part 2

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
3,7361
Put down for priority Written answer
10,590
Put down for non-priority Written Answer
47,235
Total
61,561

1. Of which 1,767 received an oral answer in the House on one of the 129 days on which such answers were given.

Questions appearing in Hansard, and indexed in the Parliamentary Information Management Services (PIMS)

Oral replies (including supplementaries)
Oral replies (excluding supplementaries)
5,617
1,769
Written replies
58,175
Total
63,792

The total number of urgent questions (excluding Business Questions) was 9

The total number of supplementary questions (excluding tabled questions) was 3848


Section A - Part 3

Opposition Days

Standing Order No 14(2),(3) provides that 20 days shall be allotted in each session for proceedings on opposition business. 17 of these are allocated to the main opposition party (Conservative) and 3 to the other opposition parties.

Date
Day No.
Subject of Debate
5.12.06
1
1)Public health
2)Transport strategy
10.1.07
2
1) Maternity services
2) Sub post-offices
23.1.07
3
1) Health care-acquired infections
2) Life chances of disabled children
30.1.07
4
Special educational needs
7.2.07
5
1) Al-Yamamah arms agreement (LD)
2)The Government's record on crime and the criminal justice system (LD)
21.2.07
6
Acute hospital services
26.2.07
7
1) Royal Navy
2) Electoral systems
17.4.07
8
Occupational pensions
24.4.07
9
1) Modernising medical careers
2) Local government
08.5.07
10
1) Climate change (LD)
2) Mental health services (LD)
15.5.07
11
Armed conflict (Parliamentary approval)
23.5.07
12
1) Conduct of the Scottish parliamentary elections
2)To reduce the salary of the Secretary of State for Health by £1000
6.6.07
13
1) NHS IT programme
2) Effectiveness of the Department for Trade and Industry
11.6.07
14
1) Iraq inquiry
2) Carers
3.7.07
15
1) Access to NHS Services
2) Pensions Policy
11.7.07
16
1) Stroke services
2) Social policy and the relief of poverty
16.7.07
17
1) Alleged overseas corruption (LD)
2) Fair Taxation of the Wealthy (LD)
24.7.07
18
1) Penal system
2) Global poverty
10.10.07
19
1) Department for Children Schools and Families
2) Home Information Packs and Stamp Duty
17.10.07
20
Foot and Mouth/Bluetongue

LD-Liberal Democrat


Section A - Part 4

Estimates Days

Standing Order No 54 provides that three days shall be allotted during each session for the consideration of Estimates (see Factsheet No P6). The Subjects are set down by resolution of the Liaison Committee.

Date
No. of Allotted Day
Principal Subjects
7.12.06
1st
(1)Affordable housing
(2)Occupational pensions
12.3.07
2nd
(1)NHS deficits
(2)Local transport
9.7.07
3rd
(1)Department of Trade and Industry
(2)Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs


Section A - Part 5

Government Substantive Motions

Date
Subject
14.3.07
Trident
28.3.07
Communications Allowance
25.7.07
Machinery of Government
25.7.07
Home Affairs
25.10.07
Modernisation of the House of Commons


Section A - Part 6

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 2006-2007 Session, there were 4 applications and none were successful.


Section A - Part 7

Divisions

The total number of divisions during the Session was 221.


Section A - Part 8

Early Day Motions

The total number of Early Day Motions tabled during the Session was 2385, of which 17 were prayers for the annulment of statutory instruments. Factsheet P3 on Early Day Motions is available from the House of Commons Information Office.

 
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Prepared 28 January 2008