§ Mr. SpeakerBefore calling upon the Clerk to read the Orders of the Day, I have a statement to make about the procedure at 4 p.m. on Private Members' Fridays for the deferment of Private Members' Bills.
As hon. Members will remember, the House approved, on 20th November last. 2049 the recommendations contained in the Fifth Report from the Select Committee on Procedure of last Session on this subject. The effect of that decision is as follows.
Today and in the future, whenever objection is taken to proceedings on a Private Member's Bill, at the moment of interruption, one of four things may happen.
First, the Member in charge of the Bill may himself name a further day for consideration of the Bill.
Secondly, another Member, acting on behalf of the Member in charge of the Bill, may name a day, but in so doing he must state publicly that he is acting on behalf of that Member.
Thirdly, the Member in charge of the Bill or another Member on his behalf may have given written instructions to the Clerks at the Table—which must be freshly given for each occasion—in which case the Clerk will advise the Chair of the day to which the Bill should be deferred.
Fourthly, no day may be named by any of these methods, in which case the Bill becomes a dropped order.
Finally, the House has also approved the recommendation that it should no longer be permissible for a Member, not being in charge of the Bill and not being nominated to act on his behalf, to name a further day for consideration of a Bill.
I hope that this is clear.