UK Parliament — House of Commons

Whenever an order has been made by the House allocating time to the proceedings of a public bill committee on any bill which has been allocated or committed to it, the order shall stand referred to that committee, and shall be considered by a sub-committee thereof to be called the business sub-committee.

A business sub-committee shall consist of the chair or one of the chairs of the committee (who shall be chair of the sub-committee) and seven members of the committee, to be nominated by the Speaker as soon as may be after such an order has been made; the quorum of the sub-committee shall be four, of whom the chair so nominated shall be one; and the sub-committee shall have power to report from time to time to the committee.

A sub-committee shall report to the committee its resolutions upon-

the number of sittings to be allotted to the consideration of the bill;

the allocation of the proceedings to each sitting; and

the time at which any proceedings, if not previously concluded, shall be brought to a conclusion.

All such resolutions shall be reported to the committee at the commencement of the next sitting of the committee and shall be recorded in the minutes of the proceedings of the committee.

Whenever a sub-committee has made a report to the committee, the Member in charge of the bill may forthwith move 'That this committee do agree with the business sub-committee in its resolution (or resolutions)'; and the question on such a motion shall be put forthwith.

If the question is agreed to, the resolution (or resolutions) shall have effect as though included in the order aforesaid, but if it is negatived the resolution (or resolutions) shall stand re-committed to the business sub-committee.

An allocation of time order relating, or so much thereof as relates, to the committee stage, made in respect of a bill committed or to be committed to a standing committee, shall, as soon as the bill has been allocated to a standing committee, stand referred without any question being put to a sub-committee of that standing committee appointed under paragraph (2) of this order.

There shall be a sub-committee of every standing committee, to be designated the business sub-committee, for the consideration of any allocation of time order or part thereof made in respect of any bill allocated to that standing committee, and to report to that committee upon-

the number of sittings to be allotted to the consideration of the bill;

the hours of any additional sittings;

the allocation of the proceedings to be taken at each sitting; and

the time at which proceedings, if not previously brought to a conclusion, shall be concluded.

As soon as may be after an allocation of time order relating to a bill committed to a standing committee has been made, Mr. Speaker shall nominate the chairman of the standing committee in respect of that bill and seven members of the standing committee as constituted in respect of that bill to be members of the business sub-committee to consider that order, and those members shall be discharged from the sub-committee when that bill has been reported to the House by the standing committee; the chairman of the committee shall be the chairman of the sub-committee; the quorum of the sub-committee shall be four; and the sub-committee shall have power to report from time to time to the standing committee.

All resolutions of a business sub-committee shall be printed and circulated with the Votes. If, when any such resolutions have been reported to the standing committee, a motion " That this committee doth agree with the resolution (or resolutions) of the business sub-committee," is moved by the member at the time in charge of the bill, such a motion shall not require notice, and shall be moved at the commencement of proceedings at any sitting of the standing committee; and the question thereon shall be decided without amendment or debate, and, if resolved in the affirmative, the said resolution (or resolutions) shall operate as though included in the allocation of time order made by the House; but, if resolved in the negative, the resolution shall be referred back to the business sub-committee.