First Report from the Select Committee
on Procedure of the House
TUESDAY 19 DECEMBER 2000
BY THE
SELECT COMMITTEE
ON PROCEDURE
OF THE
HOUSE
ORDERED TO
REPORT:
1. The general debate day
The Committee considered a proposal to move
the general debate day from Wednesday to Thursday for an experimental
period from February 2001 to the end of the present parliamentary
session. There would also be, subject to agreement in the usual
channels, general debates on important issues on a few Mondays,
Tuesdays or Wednesdays.
Certain members of the Committee were opposed
to the proposal. They reported opposition among backbenchers they
had consulted.
The Committee noted that there was opposition
to the proposal, but decided that it was proper that the House
itself should debate and decide the issue. If the Committee rejected
the proposal, there would be no report from the Committee for
the House to debate. For this reason, the Committee recommends
the proposal to the House so that the House may decide.
2. Ministerial statements
In March 1999 the Committee recommended that
"while there will be exceptions, the time for the two Opposition
front benches and the reply to them should be limited to 20 minutes,
as for the back benches."[1]
It is difficult in practice to define the exceptions, and the
reference to exceptions has been omitted from the Companion
to the Standing Orders. On some recent occasions, when long
statements have led to long contributions from the Opposition
front bench spokesmen, the rule has led to ministers cutting short
their answers to the spokesmen, in order to comply with the 20
minute limit. The Committee approves the practice of the House
that statements should not be made the occasion for immediate
debate. However, the Committee recommends that ministers should
not cut short their replies, even if this means going beyond the
20 minute limit.
3. En bloc appointment of sessional select
committees
The Committee recommends that the Chairman of
Committees should, at the beginning of a new session, be entitled
to move en bloc the motions appointing select committees,
deputy chairmen and any other bodies nominated by the Committee
of Selection, without the need for a Business of the House motion.
There should instead be an italic notice on the Order Paper of
the day informing the House that the Chairman of Committees will,
unless any Lord objects, move the motions of appointment en
bloc.
1 First Report (1998-99), HL Paper 33. Back
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