Houses of Parliament: Sitting Hours

HL Deb 28 October 2002 vol 640 c4WA

Lord Lipsey asked

the Chairman of Committees:

Further to his Written Answer of 23 October (WA 106), what are the correct figures for the number of hours sat by (a) the House of Lords; and (b) the Houses of Commons in the 2001–02 Session. [HL6212]

The Chairman of the Committees (Lord Tordoff):

In the 2001–02 Session, up to and including 24 October 2002, the House of Lords has sat for 1,333 hours and 41 minutes, and the House of Commons has sat for 1,459 hours and 17 minutes. These figures exclude sittings for formal business, such as swearing in, and Sittings of the House of Lords for judicial business. Sittings in Grand Committee or Westminster Hall are alo excluded. I regret that the figure for Commons sitting hours which was given in my earlier answer, based on information supplied by the Commons, was incorrect.