HC Deb 15 December 1994 vol 251 cc802-3W
Sir Peter Emery

To ask the Lord President of the Council what proposals he has for implementing the report of the Select Committee of Sittings of the House—HC 22(1991–92).

Mr. Newton

Following discussions over a considerable period, initially with the right hon. Member for Derby, South (Mrs. Beckett) and more recently with the hon. Members for Newcastle upon Tyne, East (Mr. Brown) and for Dewsbury (Mrs. Taylor), agreement has been reached on a number of measures to achieve the objectives of the report. These are set out below, and where the proposals involve changes to the formal procedures of the House, the relevant motions appear on the Order Paper for 15 December, and are scheduled for debate on Monday 19 December.

  1. 1. The changes in practice and procedure will be implemented as an experiment for Session 1994–95 by sessional order—in the case of proposals marked*—rather than Standing Order amendments.

Bills

  1. 2. Voluntary timetables for Bills will be agreed through the usual channels. Guillotines will be used only when voluntary timetables cannot be agreed or break down.
  2. 3. Greater use will be made of Second Reading Committees by agreement.
  3. *4. Law Commission Bills will be referred automatically to Second Reading Committees, but they may be de-referred on a Government motion. The Government will accede to any reasonable Opposition request for de-referral.
  4. *5. The Committee stage of consolidation Bills may be dispensed with on a Government motion, and the question on Third Reading will be put forthwith.

Statutory instrument

  1. *6. All affirmative statutory instruments will be referred automatically to a Standing Committee, but they may be de-referred on a Government motion. The Government will accede to any reasonable Opposition request for de-referral.
  2. 7. The arrangements for debates on "prayers" will be settled by agreement through the usual channels.
  3. *8. Debates on de-referred affirmatives, any "prayers" taken on the Floor, and de-referred EC documents will be limited to 1½hours even if started before 10pm.
  4. 9. Debates on "prayers" will continue to finish at 11.30 pm if started at or after 10 pm.

Sittings

  1. 10. The Government will use their best endeavours to avoid late sittings wherever possible.
  2. 11. The Government will use their best endeavours to avoid taking highly contentious business on Thursdays, especially on the Thursdays before "constituency Fridays"—see 16.
  3. 12. The Government will use their best endeavours to give early notification of dates of recesses.
  4. 13. The Government will use their best endeavours to give early notification of some major debates.

Wednesdays/Fridays

  1. *14. The House will sit every Wednesday morning for private Members' debates on the Adjournment until 2.30 pm.
  2. *15. In exchange, the following time for private Members will be discontinued:
    • —Private Members1 motions on 10 Fridays and 2 Monday afternoons.
    • —Adjournment debates following the Consolidated Fund Bill. —Debates on motions fixing dates of recesses—which will instead be decided forthwith.
    • —Adjournment debates on the last day before each recess.
  3. *16. The former private Members1 motions Fridays will become "constituency Fridays" on which the House will not sit.
  4. * 17. Subjects for debates on Wednesday mornings will be chosen by Speaker1s ballot. One or two general debates will be held between 10 am and 1 pm, and three short debates between 1 pm and 2.30 pm.

Money and Ways and Means resolutions

  1. *18. Money and Ways and Means resolutions taken immediately after the Second Reading of the Bill to which they relate will be decided forthwith.
  2. *19. Debates on free-standing Money and Ways and Means resolutions will be limited to three quarters of an hour.

Short speeches

  1. *20. The Speaker will have wider discretion to limit speeches by backbenchers to 10 minutes.
  2. 21. Front Benchers will strive to limit opening speeches to 30 minutes and their closing speeches to 20 minutes.

Miscellaneous

  1. 22. Second Adjournment debates will be discontinued.
  2. 23. The Procedure Committee will be asked to consider the arrangements for "set-piece" debates.
  3. 24. Where appropriate, the time allowed for debates will be regulated by business motions agreed through the usual channels and approved by the House in advance.

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