Sittings of the House

HC Deb 13 April 1988 vol 131 cc166-8W

Mr. Amess

To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will list the occasions on which the House has sat later than 1.30 am since 1958; and what was the main business under discussion.

Mr. Wakeham

Details of the main business under discussion each time the House has sat later than 1 30 am could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The House sat later than 1.30 am during the 1957–58 Session and 1958–59 Session on the following occasions :

House sits after 1.30 am
Session	Number of occasions	Time at which adjourned (a.m. unless stated)	Date
1957–58	4	1.53	23 July 1958
		2.25	1 July 1958
		2.41	2 July 1958
		3.50	6 March 1958
1958–59	3	1.37	6 July 1959
		1.53	3 March 1959
		3.56	27 July 1959

Detailed information about the occasions when the House sat after 1.30 am during the period 1959–60 Session up to and including the 1984–85 Session was published in the Official Report, columns 569–78 on 14 February 1986 in a written answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Southend, East (Mr. Taylor). The number of occasions when the House sat later than 1.30 am during these Sessions is as follows:

Occasions when House sat after 1.30 am
Session	Number
1959–60	8
1960–61	16
1961–62	10
1962–63	9
1963–64	4
1964–65	27
1965–66	7
1966–67	40
1967–68	21
1968–69	24
1969–70	9
1970–71	33
1971–72	30
1972–73	24
1973–74	4
1974	10
1974–75	35
1975–76	39
1976–77	23
1977–78	21
1978–79	8
1979–80	41
1980–81	28
1981–82	22
1982–83	13
1983–84	34
1984–85	35

The information requested for the period 1985–86 Session to date is as follows:

Session	Number of occasions	Time at which adjourned (a.m. unless stated)	Date
1985–86	18	1.34	25 March 1986
		1.40	10 December 1985
		1.43	20 May 1986
		1.49	20 January 1986
		1.50	16 July 1986
		1.56	19 February 1986
		2.04	17 February 1986
		2.12	21 May 1986
		2.12	1 July 1986
		2.21	11 February 1986
		2.48	14 July 1986
		2.51	9 June 1986
		4.29	21 October 1986
		5.24	23 July 1986
		8.25	24 July 1986
		8.30	13 March 1986
		9.27	18 December 1985
		9.47	5 June 1986
1986–87	6	2.07	11 March 1987
		2.52	3 February 1987
		3.17	1 April 1987
		9.29	24 March 1987
		9.30	15 December 1986
		14.38	10 December 1986
1987–882	18	1.34	14 July 1987
		1.40	17 February 1988
		1.50	9 February 1988
		1.53	6 July 1987
		1.53	7 July 1987
		1.53	15 December 1987
		2.20	8 February 1988
		2.23	30 March 1988
		2.31	2 December 1987
		2.47	2 March 1988
		2.55	29 March 1988
		2.56	3 February 1988
		3.27	20 July 1987
		4.01	21 October 1987
		4.07	9 March 1988
		8.30	10 March 1988
		9.27	13 July 1987
			10 November
		18.55	1987
1 pm.
2 To date.